Gayle has stormed his way back to the number one place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after a series of fine performances against New Zealand..
The 29-year-old Jamaican has gained five places in the rankings to knock India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australia's Michael Hussey down to second and third place..
Gayle managed an impressive 135 off 129 balls - including nine fours and five sixes - in the final ODI against New Zealand in Napier and although his side lost the match there was some consolation in his elevation to the position of number-one ODI batsman in the world..
The big left-hander was last ranked number one nearly five years ago (in April 2004) but he has not been out of the top 20 since the middle of 2002..
Gayle's ascension sees the likes of South Africa's Graeme Smith and India's Yuvraj Singh slip down the rankings, with Smith, currently ranked fifth, likely to fall even further with injury forcing him out of the upcoming Australia v South Africa five-match series due to start on Friday 16 January..
However, Hussey has the opportunity to push back up the rankings from third with the upcoming series against South Africa. Also aiming to clamber back up the rankings will be Hussey's captain, Ricky Ponting, currently occupying seventh position in the table. A return to the top five is not out of the question for the Tasmanian..
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