The Editor, Sir:

I stood from the vantage point of the makeshift commentary area, doing commentary of the pro 15/15 celebrity matches at the St Ann Bauxite Sports Club field in Discovery Bay on Monday. The large energetic crowd was treated to a spectacle of stars in West Indies Cricket from yesteryear combined with those of the present era.

One of the high points in the day's events for me, and no doubt for many of the fans, was watching Usain Bolt sprinting in from close to the boundary ropes at the pavilion end to bowl to Chris Gayle.

Without exaggeration and without any device to record the speed, not at which he ran in but at which he bowled, I can safely estimate that his first delivery to Gayle was sent down at about 91 miles per hour. It was a menacing bouncer that flew at top speed just over the helmet of one the world's hardest-hitting batsmen. Gayle was obviously shaken by the delivery.

Gully-creeper delivery

It was in Bolt's second over to Gayle that he bowled a delivery that crept all along the ground to the wicketkeeper - I called it then the gully-creeper delivery. With the very next delivery, the little ground in Discovery Bay erupted in tumultuous applause when off the inside edge of Gayle's bat, the ball rocketed into his off stump, another delivery close to 90 miles per hour.

Put this picture in perspective: There were bowlers on display in the three matches that were played, who at some point in the recent history of the regional game caused world-class batsmen from other leading teams in the world game to weave and bob at the crease while batting.

Most impressive

Walsh and Ambrose, Colly-more and Collins, Powell and Taylor all strutted their stuff at the batsmen on Monday but, for me, Bolt was most impressive of them all. He has also shown that he is no rabbit with the bat, striking an elegant four off Chris Galye and then lifting the West Indies captain high over mid-on for a huge six.

With all that the regional game has gone through in recent times, it would be much-needed PR for West Indies Cricket and, I think, judging from his performance with bat and ball, and his exploits in the field (brilliantly running out Carlton Baugh Jr), adding Bolt to the team to tour Australia is the way to go.

I am, etc.,

Dave A. McFarlane

nerdav@anngel.com.jm

Manchester