SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – Big Bash outfit Sydney Thunder have dished out the luxury again for West Indies Twenty20 mega star Chris Gayle.
Media reports say the big-hitting left-hander has been put up at a ritzy penthouse with a fabulous view of the city’s skyline and given access to a hired car, for the duration of his stint.
In contrast, his fellow players will stay at modest apartments in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta and make do with transportation via the team bus.
A spokesman for Sydney Thunder said Gayle had been afforded the same courtesies last year and it had not been a problem for his teammates.
“At the end of the day, when you’re one of the superstars in the game like Chris is, you’re entitled to certain things,” the spokesman said.
“All the players are happy at Parramatta. Rooty Hill RSL (accommodation in Western Sydney) was great, but geographically, Parramatta is a lot closer.”
Gayle, perhaps the hottest commodity on the international Twenty20 circuit, is the Thunder’s marquee player for the Big Bash which got going last week.
The Jamaican has plied his trade in a myriad of overseas T20 leagues and remains one of the most sought after batsmen in the modern game.
He was a member of the West Indies team on the just concluded tour of Bangladesh.