5 star runners who love cricket
Cricket is a sport that does not warrant the tag of being global, given the fact that it is played by a handful of nations, most of which were British colonies during medieval times. However, a lot of these countries have huge populations and due to the popularity of stars, cricket has managed to find fans in other sports as well. Running, which is possibly a sport every country in the world participates in, has some stars, who are big fans of cricket.
Some of the most popular runners in the world, who have won the highest honours in Olympics and World Championships, have expressed their love for cricket over the years. In fact, a few of them have also played cricket, in exhibition matches and sometimes in competitive ones as well. Let’s take a look at the 5 running stars, who are big cricket aficionados:
#1 Yohan Blake – Sprinter, Jamaica
Often described as Usain Bolt's understudy, Yohan Blake is one of Jamaica’s most ever talented sprinters and a highly decorated athlete. Winner of two silver and two gold medals at the Olympics, Blake is perhaps the second best sprinter after Usain Bolt and the youngest ever winner of the World Championship in 100m. A lot of people do not that Blake takes his cricket pretty seriously and has often expressed his desire to play the sport professionally.
During an interview with Guardian in 2014, Blake said that cricket was his “first love” and he hopes to play for Yorkshire in the future. "I can bowl fast and hit the ball miles. The bowler I am most like is Jimmy Anderson. Somewhere around 26-27 I think I'll reach my peak in athletics, so somewhere around 29-30 I want to be playing cricket,” he was quoted as saying.
Not only this, Blake has said that he would love to play in the Indian Premier League, should he get the chance. His compatriot and friend Chris Gayle, the Royal Challengers Bangalore star batsman, is also reportedly helping Blake find a spot in India’s cricketing extravaganza.