Lawson’s bouncer to Gayle: Think before you open your mouth!

The flamboyant opener’s propensity to reel off offensive and sexist remarks as not gone down well with former Australia pacer.

Bengaluru

West Indies player Chris Gayle showing his six pack abs during a practice session at Wankhede Stadium. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

West Indies’ Chris Gayle may have shrugged off the controversial comments he made to Australian broadcaster Mel McLaughlin earlier this year as “just a little fun”, but former Australian pacer Geoff Lawson is far from amused.

Lawson has slammed West Indies’ Chris Gayle for his comments to the reporter during the Big Bash League saying that the Jamaican should have used his head before opening his mouth. Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell and ex-England captain Andrew Flintoff have also slammed the batsman for his comments to McLaughlin.

“I agree with Chris when he says, ‘That’s how we behave in Jamaica. It’s no big deal in Jamaica.’ But you’re not in Jamaica, so you’re going to have to have to think before you open your mouth. That applies to Australians in India and Indians in Australia.

“I don’t think what Chris has done is a major offence, but it shouldn’t have been done. It’s not a big deal, but it’s a big enough deal,” Lawson told reporters on Saturday.

In comments made on camera, Gayle told an embarrassed McLaughlin, “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. Don’t blush, baby.”

Gayle followed the comments with a controversial innuendo-filled interview with another female journalist, Charlotte Edwardes, where he bragged about his very big bat.

The incidents led to the 36-year-old losing a lucrative contract with his BBL team Melbourne Renegades, apart from a hefty $10,000 fine, and his English county Somerset saying they will talk to Gayle about his conduct.

Lawson, who is in Mumbai for a short training camp for young cricketers at Payyade Cricket Club, added: “You’ve got to be sensitive to the culture of the country you’re playing in. If I go to Pakistan or India as a coach, I’ve got to be careful with what I do and say according to their culture. You just got to understand that you’re in different circumstances. This is true for everybody, not just Chris. It’s just a matter of knowing the culture and learning how to behave.”