Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth and a cricketer in his youth, has been unveiled as the ambassador of the 2024 men's T20 World Cup, to be played in the West Indies and the USA in June.
"Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, the sport has always held a special place in my heart, and I am honoured to be part of such a prestigious tournament," Bolt, who grew up playing cricket in his native Jamaica, said in an ICC statement. "I look forward to bringing my energy and enthusiasm to the World Cup and contributing to the growth of cricket globally."
Bolt said he expects "dancing, music and high energy" in the matches in the Caribbean, and also for the World Cup to go a long way towards making the USA a bigger cricket centre than it currently is.
"America believes a lot in sport and high intensity and for me to get into that market is big," Bolt said. "When they follow a sport, they follow a sport properly and they go all in and I feel like if they can crack into it, they will get into it the right way. If we bring energy like I know we will for the T20 [World Cup] it is going to be wonderful."
The T20 World Cup won't be the end, of course. In 2028, cricket will make a comeback to the Olympic Games - it last featured in 1900 in Paris - in Los Angeles, with men's and women's T20Is.
"If you listen to NBA players and the way they talk about winning a gold medal, they have won NBA titles, they have their rings, but they are like 'we went to the Olympics'," Bolt said. "That is how big getting a gold medal is. Every sport tries to get into the Olympics because it is such a big thing and it is such a great feeling to be on a podium winning that gold medal."
