Usain Bolt trains with Australia ahead of the Ashes

On first glance it looks just another marketing gimmick, but Australia have tapped into the knowledge of eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt to improve their running between the wickets.

Australia's quest to regain the Ashes on the home soil begins at the Gabba on Thursday morning local time, and Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb and Aaron Finch were put through the paces by Bolt on the outfield in Brisbane.

The retired sprinter will put his name to 'Bolt Rate', which will record the Australian who can clock the fastest speed between the wickets throughout this winter.  The winner will be presented with the Gatorade Fastest Run trophy.

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“It’s all about explosiveness, and that’s one thing I’ve noticed with cricket - they don’t really have a lot of explosiveness when they’re running,” Bolt told the Herald Sun.

“They seem to always take off at a slow rate. Getting that right will definitely help people.”

Australian batsman Peter Handscomb said: “He was giving us a few pointers on how to get a little bit faster. We’ll give it a crack.

“He was trying to get us nice and low in the turn and in and out. The first couple of steps are key and if we can get them right, we’ll be fast.

Bolt also showed off his batting technique, posing on his follow through a demonstrating a textbook high left-elbow in Brisbane.

The retired sprinter is currently recovering from a hamstring injury, but has flirted with the idea of moving into other sports since hanging up his running spikes.

The Jamaican was in Melbourne for Spring Carnival festivities, and maintains he is serious about his mooted trial with German football club Borussia Dortmund once regains his fitness levels.