Chris Gayle 'gets what he deserves' after refusing to run and getting caught out the very next ball

If there was a week for Chris Gayle to keep his name out of the headlines, then this was the one. The West Indian cricketer was widely criticised after asking out an Australian presenter during a pitch-side interview, with his actions described at best as inappropriate and at worst discriminating and insulting.

Now, the Melbourne Renegades’ batsman has got “what he deserved”, according to former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, after he hit a shot towards the boundary and refused to run – only to hit out the very next ball.

Gayle hit a ball from right-arm fast-medium bowler Clint McKay the best part of 90 metres towards long-on during the Big Bash League encounter with the Sydney Thunder. With one of the Thunder’s fielders moving round to cut off the ball from reaching the boundary, it was quite obvious that Gayle would not be scoring a four for his efforts, yet he inconceivably elected to stay put in his crease despite having enough time to crawl to the non-striker’s end had he wanted.

The 36-year-old immediately regretted his decision, as McKay had him caught at short fine-leg with his next ball, dismissing him for a paltry 28 off 20 balls.

Ponting reacted as expected in the commentary box, and criticised the batsman for his laziness in refusing to run. The irony came in that had he taken the single on offer, he would have been at the non-striker’s end for his resulting dismissal.

“This is the most unbelievable, ridiculous cricket I’ve ever seen,” Ponting said. “Sometimes in cricket and in life you get what you deserve, and he got what he deserved there.

“What sort of message does that send to the boys on the sideline?”

Another ex-Australia captain in Mark Waugh admitted that Gayle would have to explain his actions, because no one else could quite conceive his decision-making.

“We can’t work it out so you’d have to ask him why he didn’t take the single,” said Waugh.

Gayle was roundly criticised for his actions last week when he asked Channel 10 journalist Mel McLaughlin out for a drink during a live interview.

Gayle said during the live coverage of the Renegades’ Big Bash match with the Hobart Hurricanes: “To see your eyes for the first time is nice. Hopefully we can have a drink afterwards. Don’t blush, baby.”

McLaughlin was said to have been left upset and angry by Gayle remarks, and while the cricketer apologised if she felt uncomfortable, he claimed the “joke” had been taken “out of proportion”.

"A lot of things have flared up from a simple comment, a joke, a simple joke on air and it seemed to went out of proportion," Gayle said at Melbourne airport last Tuesday.

"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.

"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.

"There wasn't any harm done, I'll leave it at that. I'm sorry for that, we'll have to move on."