Usain Bolt can excel in cricket, says Gayle

West Indies' opening batsman Chris Gayle rates the bowling of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt and reckons the six-times Olympic gold medallist has what it takes to excel at the game.

The sprinter expressed his desire to repackage himself as a big-hitting cricketer in Australia's Big Bash League following an invitation by Shane Warne after he repeated his Beijing 2008 feat with three more golds at this year's London Games.

- I can beat Usain Bolt at cricket: Blake

Australian spin great Warne contacted Bolt about joining him at the Melbourne Stars club in the Twenty20 league in December.

"He wouldn't embarrass himself. In a charity game, he actually played against me and almost knocked my head off with a good competitive bouncer," Gayle told reporters as his team started training for the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

"It is nothing to take lightly. I don't see anything wrong," added former West Indies captain Gayle, who communicates on a daily basis with Bolt.

The sprinter grew up playing street cricket and soccer in Jamaica and during the London Games said he wants a trial at English Premier League giants Manchester United.

West Indies start their World Cup campaign against Australia on September 22.