“I wanted to come and have an interview with you as well. That’s the reason why I’m here, just to see your eyes for the first time. It’s nice so. Hopefully we can win this game and have a drink after. Don’t blush, baby.” – Chris Gayle

Yes, that’s what he said while flirting with Channel Ten’s reporter Melanie McLaughlin during an interview after a five-wicket win against Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

McLaughlin replied by telling Gayle “I’m not blushing” before moving the interview back onto cricketing matters.

Gayle’s comments were quickly criticised by many on Twitter, with former England captain Andrew Flintoff among them.

Here are the Tweets:

Well played @Mel_Mclaughlin !! Big fan of @henrygayle but made himself look a bit of a chop there @tensporttv #bbl05

— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) January 4, 2016

Chris Gayle has a reasonably high opinion of himself it seems ….

— Josh Fraser (@jfraser17) January 4, 2016

Did Chris Gayle think he was in a bar? What a pathetic individual. #sexism #BBL

— Andrew Prentice (@apaway501) January 4, 2016

Not good from Chris Gayle, using his social entitlement as a male to put someone in a very uncomfortable position when they’re doing a job.

— And (@gothimyes) January 4, 2016

Watch how Chris Gayle Flirting With TV Presenter here:

When a journalist interjected to tell Gayle that McLaughlin was ‘pretty upset’, the cricketer asked him to ‘be quiet and let me finish’.

Chris Gayle apologizes to TV reporter after controversial interview:

“There wasn’t anything at all meant to be disrespectful or offensive to Mel and if she felt that way I’m really sorry for that,” the cricketer said.

“There wasn’t any harm meant in that particular way to any particular person like that. It was a simple joke, the game was going on. Entertainment, things get out of proportion but these things do happen,” he added.

“It was a simple comment, a simple joke.

“If she felt that way, I’m really sorry for that. There wasn’t any harm meant in that particular way, to harm any particular person in any particular way like that. It was a simple joke … I don’t know how it reached this far, to be honest. It is one of those things.”

Chris Gayle fined $10,000 by Melbourne Renegades:

Chris Gayle has been fined $10,000 by his Big Bash League team the Melbourne Renegades following his controversial interview with Channel Ten reporter Mel McLaughlin & Fine money to be donated to McGrath Foundation.

“Chris’s comments were completely inappropriate and disrespectful and there is simply no place for these kind of comments at the Melbourne Renegades or the broader community across any sport,” Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry said in a statement.