Melbourne - Cricket Australia says it will not take any steps to prevent West Indian batsman Chris Gayle playing in its Big Bash Twenty20 league next season.
READ: Gayle raises eyebrows with baby name
In what appears to be a reversal of position, chief executive James Sutherland told News Corp. on Saturday that Cricket Australia would not involve itself in a recruitment issue unless it involved a player implicated in match-fixing.
Gayle's tenure with the Melbourne Renegades in last year's BBL was tainted when he made what was interpreted as a sexist comment to a female television reporter. During a sideline interview he invited reporter Mel McLaughlin for a drink, then said "don't blush baby" when she showed embarrassment.
Gayle was fined $10 000 for the comments which Sutherland described as "completely inappropriate" and "bordering on harassment."
Meanwhile, Gayleraised eyebrows on Friday by saying he named his baby daughter "Blush", a nod to the infamous sexism scandal which engulfed him in January.