Chris Gayle takes a dig at Kevin Pietersen, says the English batsman is no match for him
Ever since Twenty20 Cricket took the world by storm more than a decade ago, English batsman Kevin Pietersen and West Indian Christopher Henry Gayle have enthralled crowds world over with their big hitting. It’s no surprise then, that the two batsmen are the most sought-after cricketers in T20 leagues around the globe.
The two players surprisingly have a lot in common. In addition to their exploits in T20 cricket, they both aren’t part of their respective national teams in Test cricket, albeit for different reasons, and are omnipresent in all the big T20 Leagues.
Chris Gayle spoke about the talent the Englishman possessed, in addition to reckoning that he was a far better entertainer than KP, in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald. He also recalled the time when he first met KP and jokingly said he looked like a skunk with his weird hairdo.
“I first met KP about a decade ago, when one of the English TV channels brought me over for a competition to see which player could hit the biggest sixes. My first impression was that he looked like a skunk, as it was the time he had that big blonde streak running down the middle of his hair. The other was that the boy could hit. I'm pretty sure he actually won that competition, against me.” Gayle fondly recollected.
The RCB star also remarked how KP and himself, playing in separate teams, generated good competition and also provided entertainment for the crowd. “We've crossed paths a lot, but it's always been on separate teams, initially when the West Indies were playing England but even other things like the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League and now the Big Bash League. I think it's better we're opposed to each other. I think it pushes us a bit harder to outdo the other one, which is good news for everyone watching,” he opined.
Despite the cricket rivalry between the two, Gayle heaped rich praise on KP, choosing his name among the world's best batsmen and also asserted that he still remained an important wicket to any opponent. “I haven't thought deeply about who'd be in the top 10 batsmen I've played against, but KP would definitely be in there.”
“He's a class player, one of the best around the world. It makes no difference that he's no longer representing England. He's a big wicket. You always want to get him out as early as possible, as he's definitely the type of character who can win games on his own,” he added.
But Gayle did not hesitate in stating that he was a better hitter of the cricket ball, in addition to believing that he was one of the best entertainers. “KP can play, but when it comes to hitting there's no contest. KP is not even close to me.”
“I don't just hit bigger than him, I'm also a better entertainer. Clearly. For entertaining, of course, I'm going to be better than him. I'm the biggest entertainer in the world right now in cricket. No, not just the world, the universe.” Gayle proudly stated.