Cricket Australia has confirmed it would not prevent any KFC Big Bash League club from signing West Indies opener Chris Gayle for the 2016-17 BBL|06 season.
Gayle caused outrage in January following his infamous 'Don't blush baby' boundary-line interview with reporter Mel McLaughlin during his spell with the Melbourne Renegades. Gayle was fined $10,000 for his awkward advances to McLaughlin on national television and his comments were roundly condemned by CA chief executive James Sutherland. Sutherland said Gayle's comments could be construed as workplace harassment, and a CA spokesman said the organisation stood by its condemnation of his behaviour in the interview.
"It's not a nightclub, and I think one of the things that perhaps hasn't dawned on everyone is it's actually a workplace," Sutherland said in the wake of the incident.
"Those sort of comments border on harassment. Anyone that sees the humour in that is misunderstanding and somewhat delusional about the situation. "It's a workplace situation, it's inappropriate and it's very, very public. That just goes to the point about how inappropriate and just not cool that is."
Gayle this week took to social media to announce he had named his newborn daughter 'Blush'. However, the link between the January sexism scandal and the name lead many to believe Gayle was playing a sick joke, and local media reported his partner Natasha Berridge had in fact given birth to a son.
