I am looking forward to representing the Vikings: Chris Gayle

With his book recently released, World Boss Chris Gayle has been making a name for himself across the World. Of course, he plies his trade predominantly in the T20 formats, but, the fact of the matter remains that he is making an impact wherever he goes. Speaking about the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, Gayle added that he was certainly pleased by the fact that he would be turning out for the Chittagong Vikings soon.

“I am looking forward to representing Chittagong Vikings. They are in the fourth position when I checked last time. They gained some momentum after losing a couple of games. It is good to join a team in some momentum. Hopefully, I can get a winning start when I return to the BPL,” said Gayle after Chittagong’s training session at the BCB academy ground on Saturday.

“I have been keeping an eye on the team, watching them on television. I have been following the guys. I am accustomed to joining new teams. I can share my experiences with the new players. I can learn from them as well,” he said.

Gayle also opened up about the prospects of playing alongside Bangladeshi star batsman Tamim Iqbal. “There is a good chance to open the innings with Tamim. I am relay looking forward to it. He is in good form. I hope our understanding will go well in the middle and we will enjoy our batting,” said Gayle.

“Tamim understands the conditions very well as it is his home ground. I think I will take some time and follow him a bit as he knows better how to play in these type of conditions. He is an experienced player. Hopefully, I will adapt soon and give an explosive start for the team,” he said.

Speaking about his abilities to hit sixes, Gayle said, “I have hit 50 sixes in 10 innings? I will see if I can hit 55 in four innings. It is what I am known for, the six-machine. I try to entertain as much as possible. Hopefully, it will be a good wicket [Sunday] so looking forward to it. I will just enjoy it, even though you might feel a little nervous coming back into the game.”

“I am sure the fans will be excited and it will be noisy, which is good. I tend to feed off the crowd’s energy. It gives me a bit of motivation to get better.

“My objective is not to worry about the stats but try to entertain the people as much as possible. [Sunday] is a chance for them to get glued to the TV, not only locally, but overseas as well. Chris Gayle is back, and hopefully, I will get off to a good start.”

“You should have told me earlier. I would have come at the start of the tournament. It will be nice to be the first person to get 10,000 runs. I want the team to qualify so that I get a chance in the playoffs, and not just get knocked out after these four games. The finals are what is most important,” said the Jamaican cricketer.

“I haven’t played cricket for four-five months since the CPL (Caribbean Premier League). So it is good to be back in the game. I did watch a few of the games back home in Jamaica. I followed their scores for sure and from time to time, looked at the other teams to try and see what’s going on in Bangladesh,” he concluded.