She is well known for wielding a tennis racquet – to successful and telling effect – but on Sunday, world No. 1 female tennis player, Serena Williams, showed that she might know a thing or two about cricket.

The sporting icon, who has been in Barbados over the weekend for an exhibition tennis series with world No. 4 player Caroline Wozniacki, received a commemorative bat from ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010 Corporate Communications Manager, Gayle Alleyne, at Sugar Hill Tennis Resort.

An appreciative and smiling Williams then took possession of her newest sporting equipment – which features the tournament logo and an image of a batsman on the blade and the tournament tagline “Captivating, Contagious Cricket” along with her name “Serena” on the back – and struck a batting pose much to the delight of the 500 guests in attendance.

Williams was originally to have received the ICC WT20 West Indies 2010 memorabilia at the Opening Ceremony of the Cricket Legends of Barbados International (CLOBI) Cup at Kensington Oval last Friday night where she was slated to spin the toss with cricketing legend, the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers.

The ICC WT20 West Indies 2010 – the third edition of the ICC’s Twenty20 championship – takes place in four Caribbean countries (Barbados, Guyana, St. Kitts and Saint Lucia) from April 30 to May 16 next year.