British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak played cricket with the England team and had a friendly net session with fast bowler James Anderson. Sunak also announced plans to invest £35 million in cricket programs across England and Wales.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak‘s love of cricket is well known, and he recently demonstrated his passion by joining the England team for a friendly match.
Sunak shared clips of his time in the nets with England players on social media, jokingly asking if he was ready for a call-up to the squad. The England cricket team responded humorously, implying that he might need a few more net sessions before taking it seriously.
During the session, Sunak faced deliveries from veteran fast bowler James Anderson, who recently reached 700 Test wickets. Despite the challenge, Sunak appeared enthusiastic and ready to face the experienced pacer.
Sunak mentioned having a net session to prepare before facing Anderson, and he even asked the bowler if he would ease up on him. Anderson’s response was cryptic, indicating uncertainty. Despite being beaten a few times by Anderson, Sunak seemed to enjoy the experience, even allowing young cricketers to bowl to him.
Sunak, who was clearly enjoying the match, joked about staying for the rest of the day and appeared to enjoy interacting with aspiring cricketers, taking photos and signing autographs.
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Rishi Sunak also announced a package to promote cricket
Rishi Sunak recently announced a major expenditure of GBP 35 million in cricket infrastructure and development across England and Wales.
Sunak expressed his deep love for the sport, saying, “My passion for cricket is not a secret. As a result, it gives me great pleasure to help open up more opportunities for emerging talent in the sports industry. Today is a watershed moment as we commit £35 million to strengthening grassroots cricket, with the goal of engaging over 900,000 young fans.“
This strategic initiative is meticulously designed to revitalize sports culture at its most fundamental level across the country. The funds will be used to build 16 all-weather cricket stadiums that will host matches during the prestigious T20 World Cup events in 2026 and 2030, respectively. The Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 is expected to be hosted jointly by England and Wales, while the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030 will be hosted by England, Scotland, and Ireland.