Big-hitting batsman Chris Gayle could return to Australia’s T20 league, with Cricket Australia saying the West Indian had not been blacklisted over a sexism scandal, reports said Saturday.
Gayle made headlines in January when he attempted to flirt with television reporter Mel McLaughlin during a live interview.
On air, Gayle said he was happy to be speaking to McLaughlin “just to see your eyes for the first time” and suggested they go for a drink afterwards.
“Don’t blush baby,” the Jamaican told her in an exchange which led to him being fined by his Australian club Melbourne Renegades.
At the time, Cricket Australia’s James Sutherland said such comments were inappropriate in the workplace, adding that Gayle was not in a “night club”.
But Sutherland told News Corp this week that it wasn’t Cricket Australia’s place to rule players out, and individual clubs in the domestic Big Bash League were free to choose their line-ups.
“No matter what anyone at Cricket Australia thought (of the incident) at management level, board level, I think you’re on a slippery slope if you start making judgements on players who could or shouldn’t be playing in the Big Bash League or in our domestic competitions,” Sutherland said in comments published Saturday.
“Because, when does that ever end? My view is unless there’s a very, very strong reason along the lines of anti-corruption, then it’s difficult for us to be making those judgements.”
Gayle, 36, reportedly wants to return to the Big Bash League in Australia later this year.
The left-hander raised eyebrows again this week when he announced on social media that his partner Natasha Berridge had given birth to a beautiful daughter called ‘Blush’.
The self-proclaimed “Universe Boss” left many people wondering whether the name was genuine.
He later wrote on Twitter: “Thank you all for the sweet and kind messages. Blush won’t Blush, my baby.”