Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, swashbuckling West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has said that the idea that he only plays for money is wrong.
"People say everything I do is about money. I get paid very well - and I deserve to - but it's not the only reason I do things", said Gayle.
On the eve of the Big Bash League, Gayle hit out at his critics - albeit in a jovial fashion.
"I have better things to do than look over my record (check my Instagram if you don't believe me), but since I keep getting asked about that season a few years ago for Sydney Thunder then I don't think I have a choice. The media met me for the first time on Tuesday, the day after I arrived from Bangladesh to join Melbourne Renegades. I thought people had long memories, but it seems not. 'What about your poor record in Australia?' I was asked. You missed my 215 in the World Cup in Canberra against Zimbabwe?," Gayle said.
Gayle then talked about his career for the Big Bash team Sydney Thunder - saying in one season his highest score was only 30. But he said he once cracked 92 off 40 balls for Western Australia.
Gayle said that David Warner had changed the team the next time he went to play for Thunder - and he kept failing.
"I don't mind taking the stick or the pressure, because I know how to deal with it. But for the younger players, like those at Thunder, it can be heartbreaking and some of them might not know how to deal with it. They might feel a bit stuffed up, that the media have actually targeted them.
Compared to that year, it was a relief to be back in Sydney the next year, even though I did not have a Big Bash contract. That was because I did not have to go through the same thing again, those bad times at Thunder," Gayle said in the coloumn.
Gayle defended his decision not to play for West Indies against South Africa, saying that 'my body wouldn't let me'. He claimed that the infrastructure for recovery and rehabilitation was much superior in Australia to that in the Caribbean. Gayle rejected the charge that he only spent time in Australia to party.
Gayle is proud of his Twenty20 record. "I have proven myself in the IPL. I have proven myself in the Caribbean Premier League. I also did it in England earlier this year. Once every one of those T20 comps finished, it made me even more convinced that bad second season at Thunder was not really Chris Gayle. What I have done in all the other years is the real me."
"People say everything I do is about money. I get paid very well - and I deserve to - but it's not the only reason I do things. If it was all about money would I really have gone to play in Zimbabwe in 2011? Some countries have difficulties, so you can't be too harsh on them. If you're there, other players can earn a lot from you. It's a way of giving back to the game. That is why I signed for the Tuskers for that season.
It's a big thing for them to have Chris Gayle in the dressing room. It's huge. Wherever I go around the world I always have a big, big impact. Players gravitate to me. I don't know why. It's always fun. But whether it's a big name or a small name it doesn't matter. I treat everyone on the same level," Gayle said in Sydney Morning Herald.
Gayle, who is now set to play his first season for the Melbourne Renegades, said he was proud to be part of the team. The left hander was excited about playing against some new bowlers who would pose a challenge, and said that Aaron Finch being his opening partner would take the pressure off him.
Gayle also praised Dwayne Bravo, who on Wednesday had hit out at the 'state of West Indies cricket'.
"Another bonus is playing with Dwayne Bravo. We first played for the West Indies together in 2004, but apart from international cricket we've always been on different Twenty20 teams. He's always wanted to play with me, so it's about time this has actually happened. We're looking forward to it. We're going to push very, very hard to make it to the final together - and win it," Gayle signed off.
The Big Bash League kicks off on Thursday. The Perth Scorchers are the defending champions from the last season. Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene are among the top international players participating.
