Usain Bolt plays a blistering cameo in a match

September 03, 2014 03:22 am | Updated April 20, 2016 03:14 am IST - Bangalore:

HITTING OUT: Usain Bolt showcased his batting skills and delighted a goodly crowd with some delectable shots. Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar

HITTING OUT: Usain Bolt showcased his batting skills and delighted a goodly crowd with some delectable shots. Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar

Usain Bolt may be a champion of the track but he’s no mug on a cricket field either. He bowls at a decent clip, clears the ropes with ease, and makes it apparent that the sport is not new to him.

In an atmosphere of great camaraderie, and with the benefit of some generous umpiring, the Jamaican lit up the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in a promotional match here on Tuesday, even clubbing a last-ball six to lead his side to victory.

The rival captain, Yuvraj Singh, was happy to cede the limelight to Bolt, who enthralled the 3000-strong crowd gathered at the venue. “He's not that easy to hit. He was bowling in good areas. He bowled well and I couldn't hit him for a six,” Yuvraj said.

Yuvraj wins 100m

The two faced off in a 100m dash later and Bolt good-humouredly jogged through, allowing Yuvraj to claim victory and strike the former’s signature ‘lightning’ pose.

A brief spell of rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd or the players, among whom was the Mumbai Indians trio of Harbhajan Singh, Aditya Tare and Pawan Suyal.

Bolt did himself no discredit, however. “He called out ‘right arm over’ before he bowled. I was surprised. It showed he’d played the game at some level before,” said B.K. Ravi, one of the umpires.

The other umpire, S. Muralidhara, reckoned Bolt was clocking speeds of close to 110kmph.

“It was pretty challenging. I had never played a ball from that height before,” said Tare.

With the bat, the Olympic 100 and 200m champion made an 19-ball 45, unleashing slog-sweeps, straight drives, and five sixes. “That was beautiful,” Bolt said later.

“I came here to win and won. It had been two years since I played cricket. I needed a bit more practice but it’s always a joy to play cricket.”

The Karnataka State Cricket Association, meanwhile, felicitated Bolt, granting him an honorary membership.

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