London: Self-proclaimed ‘Universal Boss’ Chris Gayle boasted Wednesday here that bowlers across the world are ‘scared’ of him but would not admit it on camera. The flamboyant opener said off camera though, the same bowlers would say, ‘he is the man, he is the man’.
Gayle, who amassed 424 runs at an average of 106 in four matches against tournament favourites England earlier this year, has arrived in the United Kingdom for his fifth and final World Cup.
“Youngsters coming at my head – it’s not as easy as it was like one time before. I was quicker then. But they’ll be weary. They know what the Universal Boss is capable of. I’m sure they will have it in the back of their mind, ‘Hey, this is the most dangerous batsman they’ve ever seen in cricket,” Gayle was quoted as saying by ‘cricket.com.au’.
“Can’t you tell whether they are scared of me or not? You go ask them. Go ask them on camera. They’re going to say, no, they’re not scared. But you ask them off camera, they going to say, ‘Yeah, he’s the man. He’s the man’,” added Gayle.
Ahead of the World Cup, Gayle, who turns 40 in September, scored 490 runs in 13 innings for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and is confident of matching the best in business during the showpiece.
“I am still in good nick. I had a not-so-bad IPL, coming after the home series against England,” Gayle pointed out. “The good thing about it is I’ve been playing cricket. It’s important for me to keep playing and get some games under my belt. The World Cup is a long event. For me personally I just have to monitor it as much as possible and just get the mindset right.”
West Indies open their campaign May 31 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge.
AFP
