Sexism row: Gayle tears into critics, says his comments were ‘meant as a joke’

New Delhi: Chris Gayle has targeted Ian Chappell, Andrew Flintoff and Chris Rogers in an extract of his autobiography for the criticism he received from fellow cricketers for making allegedly sexist comments to Channel 10’s presenter Mel McLaughlin during the Big Bash League. 

In an extract of his autobiography ‘Six Machine’ published in The Times, the 36-year-old Caribbean run-machine has tried to clarify his stance over the incident. 

“Now T20 is different. It's not Test cricket. It's chilled and fun and let's do things different. So when Mel asks me that question I stay in the T20 mind, and answer informal and fun. 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,” wrote Gayle. 

In January, Gayle was fined $10,000 by his club, Melbourne Renegades for asking McLaughlin out on a date in a live television interview during a Big Bash Twenty20 game. 

“I wanted to see your eyes for the first time, hopefully we can win this game and then we can have a drink after as well,” said star batsman Gayle, before adding: “Don’t blush, baby.” 

Gayle came hard on Chris Rogers who had criticised him after the infamous incident. 

“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?,” Rogers had stated after the incident. 

Gayle, in his autobiography, game him a firm reply, “Chris Rogers, how can you claim that when it was you and me at the bar most nights? 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.”

Flintoff had also reacted on the incident saying that Gayle had made himself look a “bit of a chop”. 

“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,” wrote Gayle in an extract of Six Machine giving a bitter reply to Flintoff. 

Ian Chappell, who had also criticised Gayle following the incident asking for a requesting a ban on the Jamaican cricketer, got targeted in Gayle’s autobiography. 

“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,” wrote Chris Gayle in Six Machine.