Usain Bolt Playing Cricket for Charity

“Cricket is my first love, I grew up watching cricketers like Courtney Walsh take the West Indies to new heights and I am a big admirer of Chris Gayle for his power batting and calm attitude; he is my favorite player right now. So, to have the chance to play with these guys is a dream come true for me.” Usain Bolt, Olympic and world 100 and 200-meter champion and record-holder (photographed with Jude Law, who has no connection to this post aside from being eye-candy)

Being a California girl, I haven’t had much exposure to cricket, but what I have seen is a fast, wicked, competitive sport brimming with some of the world’s best athletes. And one of the worlds best, Usain Bolt, has agreed to lend his speed to the sport and play cricket this weekend for charity…the world’s fastest man will play with some of his Caribbean cricket heroes in a 15-over tournament organized by West Indies captain Chris Gayle at Discovery Bay…

“When I heard about the event that Chris Gayle was planning, I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Bolt said. “It’s great that he is finding ways to use his sport to spread positive energy and get the kids excited about improving their game and learning the right attitude to succeed on the pitch and in life.”

The one-day tournament, which has attracted main sponsorship from Digicel, will feature some of the biggest cricketing names…and yes ladies, some of these cricket players are mighty fine beasts…participating hotties include: Chris Gayle (R), Ramnaresh Sarwan (L), Jerome Taylor, Courtney Walsh, Richie Richardson and Curtley Ambrose…Kieran Foley, marketing director for sponsor Digicel Group said: “We are delighted that another member of the Digicel family - in the shape of Usain Bolt - has come on board to support this event. Digicel is committed to giving value back to its communities and this event is yet another example of that. With the mix of world-class cricketers and the world’s fastest man, the crowds are guaranteed a fantastic time this Sunday.”

Need more Bolt? The three-time Olympic gold medalist-who is single handedly redefining our reasons for wanting a Jamaican vacation, has also clinched the number two spot on the ‘Ask Men’ list of the Most Influential Men of 2009…according to the site: ‘Usain Bolt’s phenomenal achievements on the track made him an obvious choice for the 2009 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, and the runner earned a number of prestigious honors from his native country as well. In September, Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding announced that the champion sprinter will receive the Order of Jamaica, making the soon-to-be titled Honorable Usain Bolt the youngest recipient ever of the Order.’

And in case you missed the news, Usain’s Super Party is gonna be off-the-hook…now if I could just find someone to take me…

USAIN BOLT SUPER PARTY LAUNCH PROMO from Adrian Allen on Vimeo.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com