Flamboyant West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has recently been involved in many off the field controversies and he could become part of another as he has taken potshots at former teammates and cricket legends in his autobiography ‘Six Machine’. Gayle, who drew severe criticism from the cricketing fraternity because of his ‘infamous’ interview with the TV reporter Mel McLaughlin during the Big Bash league this season where he asked the reporter “to go on a date with him”. The female reporter was left embarrassed and everyone panned the swashbuckling opener for his act.
Gayle, however, defended his stance as he wrote, “Now T20 is different. It’s not Test cricket. It’s chilled and fun and let’s do things differently. So when Mel asks me that question I stay in the T20 mind, and answer informal and fun.”
He added, “I meant it as a joke. I meant it as a little fun. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful and I didn’t mean it to be taken serious.”
But irrespective of his intentions, he received a lot of flak from former teammates and ex-cricketers for his behaviour and the remarks also drew a 10,000 Australian dollar fine from his BBL club, the Melbourne Renegades.
Also read: Chris Gayle could land in trouble once again for making sexist remarks
Gayle lambasts his former teammate
One of those former teammates was Australian left-handed batsman Chris Rogers, who played alongside Gayle for the Sydney Thunder in the second edition of the BBL.
Rogers heavily criticised his former teammate, “I was very wary of the role he was setting for the younger guys, and I spoke to them quite a bit about it - ‘do you think this is good behaviour, would you do this kind of thing?’”
He also added, “This is a pattern of behaviour. If you know the guy, you see it over and over.”
Now, the Jamaican has hit back at Rogers belligerently as he wrote, “Chris Rogers, how can you claim that when it was you and me at the bar most nights?”
Gayle also added, “I’m not a snitch, but I’ve heard from your own mouth what you’ve done. Next time you want to open your mouth, maybe chew on a carrot instead.”
The duo will be teammates soon at Somerset this season, as the West Indies star has been signed up for the Natwest T20. It will be interesting to see the dynamics between the two when they will play together in England.
The left-hander has also taken a jibe at Australian legend Ian Chappell who called for a global cricket ban on the controversial Jamaican after his off-field antics with the female reporter.
On Ian Chappell and Andrew Flintoff
Gayle also lambasted Chappell for his remarks, “Ian Chappell, calling for me to be banned worldwide. Ian Chappell, a man who was once convicted of unlawful assault in the West Indies for punching a cricket official. Ian Chappell, how can you ban the Universe Boss? You’d have to ban cricket itself.”
The most surprising name in Gayle’s firing line was of the legendary England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who tweeted after Gayle’s ‘interview’ in the BBL
Gayle retorted, “This coming from a man who admitted he took Viagra during a Test match. Freddie Flintstone, a young boy like you taking Viagra? Don’t lecture me. The only chop Freddie knows is when he used to bowl short to me and I would chop him past backward point for four.”
Last year, the burly English all-rounder in a shocking revelation admitted that he was once run out while batting for England because he used Viagra the night before.
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