Bowlers are scared of me but won’t admit on camera: Gayle

World Cup hopefuls, take note; Chris Gayle says bowlers are still petrified of Chris Gayle.

The Windies left-hander reached England to play his fifth World Cup and said that bowlers might not admit on camera that they are afraid of him but off camera they will admit that he is ‘the man.’

Asked if opponents are still scared of him, a cackling Gayle said: "Can't you tell? You go ask them.

"Go ask them on camera. They're going to say, no, they're not scared. But you ask them off the camera, they going to say, 'Yeah, he's the man. He's the man.' They're going to say, 'he's the man.'

"But they won't say it (on camera), they won't be frank and upfront and say, 'Listen to me straight up, Chris Gayle is the man.'

"But I'm enjoying it. I'm always enjoying the battle against fast bowlers, it's good. Sometimes those things actually give you extra drive as a batter. When you have a battle, I like those challenges."

Gayle, soon to turn 40, wants to win the World Cup. That is what urges him on along with the love and adoration from the fans.

Asked what drives him to keep playing, Gayle said: "To be honest with you, it's the fan, it's the love of the game. Sometimes as sportsmen, they don't know when to walk away. Because sometimes you might feel at your peak, but eventually you have to leave the game at some point in time.

"If you're enjoying it, it's always easy (to keep playing) and I’m enjoying it. I've been having a lot of fun on the field, and it's a great bunch of guys as well – that's important.

"The dressing room is always going to play a key part for me as an individual. These guys spur you on.

"The fans are always asking you for more sixes. Those things give you that extra drive.

"There's nothing to go out there and prove, the only thing that would be nice is to win the World Cup."