HOBART (Web Desk) – West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has been fined A$10,000 ($7,200; £4,900) by his club for “inappropriate conduct” after he asked a TV reporter for a date in a live interview.
Gayle was speaking to journalist Mel McLaughlin during a Big Bash League T20 match in Hobart on Monday.
“To see your eyes for the first time is nice. Hopefully we can have a drink afterwards. Don’t blush baby,” he said.
BBC reported that Gayle has said he is sorry, but that the reaction was “out of proportion”.
Apparently making light of the episode, the cricketer later tweeted a photo of an empty bed, saying he was tired.
He then said his teammate Dwayne Bravo was buying him a meal because his “pockets were empty”.
He also retweeted a comment from broadcaster and cricket fan Piers Morgan, who said he was “outraged at the outrage” at Gayle being “a bit cheeky to a female TV reporter”.
Gayle was answering questions from Network Ten’s McLaughlin after a match when he made the remark, which was widely condemned as sexist.
The former West Indies Test captain told reporters on Tuesday: “There wasn’t anything meant to be disrespectful or offensive to Mel. If she felt that way, I’m really sorry for that.
“It was a simple joke. The game was going on. Entertainment, things get out of proportion but these things happen.”
McLaughlin has said his date request was “a little bit disappointing because I’m not used to seeing that”.
“I don’t really want to be the subject of such conversations,” she told her network.
