BBL club rules out re-signing T20 opener as fallout continues from autobiography release
No Gayle for 'Gades amid latest scandal
The Melbourne Renegades have confirmed they will not re-sign controversial West Indian Chris Gayle for next summer's KFC Big Bash League.
The Jamaican opener has lurched between controversies since his boundary-line "don't blush baby" interview with reporter Mel McLaughlin. Gayle now faces possible censure from his UK county club Somerset when he arrives in the UK following his latest controversial remarks to a female journalist in that country.
Quick Single: What Gayle said to UK journalist
Gayle equalled the record for the fastest T20 fifty in his final innings for the Renegades last summer, but otherwise was below par with 260 runs at 32.50 in eight matches.
And now Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry has confirmed the club is looking elsewhere for BBL|06
"We’ll unveil our international signings soon and Chris isn’t part of those plans," Coventry told News Corp.
The Renegades rebuttal closes the door on Gayle's BBL hopes with the other seven clubs either having already locked in imports or looking elsewhere for tactical reasons.
Gayle's banishment from the Big Bash comes as the West Indian launches a publicity drive for his forthcoming autobiography in which Chris Rogers, Ian Chappell and Andrew Flintoff have earned the West Indian's scorn.
Quick Single: CA outlines stance on Gayle
The trio were each critical of Gayle's comments to McLaughlin last summer and the self-titled "Universe Boss" has hit back in his book.
Rogers told ABC Grandstand in January that he was concerned about the influence the West Indian might have on youngsters when they played together at the Sydney Thunder. But Gayle hit back to claim Rogers was his partner in crime at the Sydney nightspots.
"Chris Rogers, how can you claim that when it was you and me at the bar most nights?," extracts published in The Times reveal.
"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."
Quick Single: 'No issues' as Gayle, Rogers become teammates
Gayle also said "you would have to ban cricket itself" if the ICC followed through on Chappell's requests to have him removed from the sport.
"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."
Flintoff tweeted after the infamous "don't blush baby" remarks to say that Gayle had "made himself look a bit of a chop there" to draw Gayle's ire.
Well played @Mel_Mclaughlin !! Big fan of @henrygayle but made himself look a bit of a chop there @tensporttv #bbl05
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) January 4, 2016
"This coming from a man who admitted he took Viagra during a Test match," Gayle wrote of Flintoff.
"The only chop Freddie knows is when he used to bowl short to me and I would chop him past backward point for four."
Gayle was forced to apologise the following morning for asking McLaughlin out for a drink on live TV, however he still maintains the whole affair was nothing more than a joke.