Triple Olympic and world champion sprinter Usain Bolt returned to his first love, cricket, on Sunday and showed that he certainly knows how to handle both bat and ball. In a charity match, just down the coast from his home town of Trelawny, Bolt bowled West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle after earlier delighting a packed crowd by smashing his Jamaican compatriot for a straight six.
Gayle, the host of a mini tournament to raise funds for school sports equipment and who was shown the way to the pavilion after his dismissal by a beaming Bolt, was full of praise for the 100 and 200 metre world record holder. "It has been tremendous for the fans to see him out here playing cricket, it has been a great day and we hope to have him back again next year," said Gayle.
Bolt, taking a long run up and bowling at a respectable pace, had given Gayle a traditional West Indian welcome with his first ball - a rising bouncer that brought the crowd to their feet. "I told Chris to watch out I was going to give him one but he didn't really believe it," Bolt said after the game.
Gayle's team included former West Indian pace bowlers Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose and the latter said he was impressed by Bolt's technique. Bolt, who batted with his brother Sadeeki, made 13 with the bat - including his superbly struck six off Gayle's off-spin - but looked more rusty batting than when running in to bowl.
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