USAIN Bolt helping Australia Cricket with their running between wickets
EXPLOSIVENESS helped Usain Bolt to eight Olympic gold medals.
Now he has drawn on his power to help Australian cricketers utilise the asset between the wickets.
The world’s fastest man put a handful of Australian Ashes hopes through their paces and said that the area he thought most needed work was their speed off the mark.
“It’s all about explosiveness, and that’s one thing I’ve noticed with cricket – they don’t really have a lot of explosiveness when they’re running,” Bolt told the Herald Sun.
“They seem to always take off at a slow rate. Getting that right will definitely help people.”
Gatorade will this summer present the Gatorade Fastest Run trophy to the Australian cricketer who can record the fastest speed between the wickets throughout the summer of cricket, including Twenty20 matches.
It will use the “Bolt Rate” as a measure.
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“We’re trying to make awareness more of running (as an asset in cricket) and we’re developing the Bolt Rate which is the quickest person through the wicket,” the retired sprinter said.
“I’m happy about that, because we’re going to see who is the fastest between the wickets.
“Nobody can assume – now we’ll actually know who’s the fastest.”
Australian cricketer Peter Handscomb said the tips were welcomed and that the Fastest Run title will be sought-after.
“He was giving us a few pointers on how to get a little bit faster,” Handscomb said.
“We’ll give it a crack.
“He was trying to get us nice and low in the turn and in and out. The first couple of steps are key and if we can get them right, we’ll be fast.
“Obviously he’s the fastest man ever so if we can have the title with him, that’d be cool.”
Bolt, 31, retired after this year’s World Championships – where he suffered a hamstring injury – and admitted that he has been busier since calling sprinting quits than he ever was competing.
He is in Melbourne and recently spent time enjoying Spring Carnival festivities, but said he had begun training again while in town after being given the tick from his doctor.
But his focus won’t just be on running, with Bolt affirming that his looming tilt at soccer is a serious one.
“It’s something that I want to do. I’m trying to get fit now,” he said.
“My doctor finally passed me after my hamstring problems at the world championships, so now I can start training. “I’ve started training while I’m here and trying to get into shape before I get home and next year I’ll get a trial and we’ll take it from there.”
That trial has been flagged with German league powerhouse Borussia Dortmund.
“We’ll decide if it makes sense,” Bolt said.
“When I put my mind to something, I’m going to do it. I’m going to train hard, put myself through some drills. Coach of the team in Jamaica – I’ll do some work with him also to figure out the finer details.”
Bolt also said he hoped the Nitro League – which he described as “the most fun” he’d ever had competing – would return to the calendar and confirmed he would be attending the upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
