Cricket is one of the renowned sports in the world and it has earned a lot of supporters. The beautiful sport produced legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shaun Pollock, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and many more players who uplifted the standard of the sport.
Along with these players, the Indian Premier League (IPL) also made a huge contribution and helped cricket become one of the most-watched sports across the globe. In the process, cricket’s unprecedented magic has touched some illustrious athletes around the world as well. Former Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer, once revealed his love for cricket in 2009, saying he loves to play cricket in his spare time. Along with Federer, there are several other athletes who are fond of cricket.
Recounting them, Here are the five athletes from other sports who love cricket:
5. Jamie Dwyer
Jamie Dwyer, Australia’s field hockey player, is an enormous name in the field of sport. He served his national team from 2001-2016 and in his vast career, he appeared in more than 350 matches and scored over 220 goals. After the 2016 Rio Olympics, he bid adieu to Hockey.
Currently, he plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth. The former Aussie Hockey player’s manager is former Australia Test player Stuart MacGill. As a child, Dwyer was interested in cricket and he played the sport a lot. The Aussie used to play cricket as a batter.
At the age of 15, Dwyer was offered a cricket scholarship following his stunning batting performances in two A-grade finals in Rockhampton. However, he chose to make his career in hockey and pursued his Olympic dream. Dwyer is an avid follower of cricket and one can find some pictures of him where he is seen enjoying cricket with his children.
4. Yohan Blake
Yohan Blake, the Jamaican sprinter, is an accustomed name who follows sprinting. Blake has registered a lot of achievements to his name in his immense career. The Jamaican sprinter was once appreciated by Usain Bolt for his hard work. The 100-metre champion might hang up his boots following the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Blake belongs to a country which has produced prominent cricketers such as Chris Gayle and Courtney Walsh. Blake is also an ardent fan of cricket and he plays the sport regularly. The 33-year-old athlete also plays the club cricket for the Kingston Cricket Club. In April 2021, he displayed his love for cricket through a tweet.
Notably in September 2020, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) emerged victorious against Mumbai Indians (MI) through a super over in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Following this, Blake posted a video to appreciate the thrill of the game when it is a cliffhanger in the form of a Super Over.
3. Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe, the Australian retired swimmer, is one of the most respected athletes in the world. His contribution to the sports field is unprecedented. In his huge career as a swimmer, Ian got success in a lot of marquee competitions. In the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won three gold and two silver medals and ended up as the most successful athlete in the competition.
In January 2019, the Olympic gold medalist revealed that his parents wanted him to play cricket. Ian spent his initial years playing cricket in high school but later he left it to pursue his career in swimming. His decision to choose swimming over cricket brought positive results as he achieved emphatic achievements in the world of swimming.
Interestingly enough, Ian’s father, Ken Thorpe, was also a first-grade cricket player for Bankstown in his teenage years. As a batter in Sydney’s district team, Ken left former Australia cricket team skipper Bob Simpson behind in the season’s batting averages.
2. Harry Kane
Harry Kane has gained a lot of fans with his extraordinary performance in competitive football. Kane has been the skipper of the England national football team since 2018. Currently, he is also the highest goal-scoring player for his national side with 58 goals. Kane is also the leading goal-scorer for the renowned English football club, Tottenham Hotspur, with 280 goals.
In August 2019, Kane invited England all-rounder Ben Stokes to watch the Tottenham game in the Premier League. The England cricket stalwart’s iconic unbeaten 135 against Australia in the third Ashes Test impressed a lot of cricket fans and Kane was not an exception.
Kane was seen at the iconic Lord’s Stadium in August 2022, attending and enjoying a fixture between London Spirit and Manchester Originals in The Hundred competition. The illustrious footballer shared the screen with England pacer Stuart Board and the 2019 World Cup-winning skipper, Eoin Morgan. He was also seen doing commentary with Ravi Shastri.
1. Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt is considered the greatest sprinter of all time as he is the only player to win the 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016). Along with that, he is also an eleven-time world champion. Noting his thunderous speed on race tracks, he got the media nickname, 'Lightning Bolt'.
Following the World Championships in 2017, he wrapped up his professional career as a sprinter. Other than sprinting, the Jamaican athlete is fond of dancing, music, and cricket as well. In 2009, Bolt revealed cricket is his first love, and as a child, he was a fan of Sachin Tendulkar’s batting and Waqar Younis’s pace bowling.
Bolt is also a huge supporter of the West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who belongs to Jamaica. In October 2009, both Bolt and Gayle played a charity match in Kingston and in this contest, the sprinter cleaned up Gayle. In the same match, Bolt also hit a maximum on the Windies stalwart’s delivery.
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