Prince William was told his bowling “needs a bit of work” as he joined global cricket stars for a game in front of Buckingham Palace, ahead of the Earthshot Prize Awards in India.
The prince was joined by England test captain Joe Root, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and West Indies legend Brian Lara to mark the start of the countdown to the environmental awards next month. Also joining them on the Mall were England women’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harry Brook, and radio host Greg James.
Batting praised, bowling criticised
Dressed in navy chinos and brown suede trainers, William took off his jacket to play on the impromptu pitch on the Mall for around 10 minutes, faring considerably better at his batting than his bowling. After the game, Root, Lara and Ganguly gave their assessments of his skills.
Root said: “His batting was pretty good to be fair; I think he’s definitely a batter rather than a bowler, but he played some lovely shots. There’s a lot to work with there.” He described the Mall as a “challenging wicket”, adding it was “a huge privilege” to play in front of the palace. “There are some wonderful backdrops in cricket but none quite like Buckingham Palace.”
Stars assess the prince’s game
Lara said of William: “He underrates himself; he’s a big football fan, he said he doesn’t know much about cricket. His bowling needs a lot of work, but his batting? I’d put him as the number six or number seven batter, definitely in the starting 11.”
“He confessed about his cricketing ability. He did ask me what I was doing standing next to two Englishmen after punishing them for 400 runs, but that was many, many years ago.” Ganguly said of the prince’s game: “He batted alright. He’s better than me at the moment because I just picked up a cricket bat for the first time in eight or nine years. He was so friendly with everyone, simple and down to earth.
Walkabout and gifts
“India will welcome him, cordially. He’s such a lovely-natured person, smiling, shaking hands with everyone.” After the game, William did a short walkabout with some of the spectators who had gathered along the Mall, posing for selfies and shaking hands. Before leaving, Sciver-Brunt presented him with a cricket shirt for Princess Charlotte, a keen cricketer who plays on a team at Lambrook school.
Spectators on the Mall also included representatives from companies who are partnering with the environmental prize and guests who will attend the ceremony in November, which is set to be Earthshot’s biggest awards to date. The game was organised by Backyard Cricket, the Yorkshire-based cricket crew founded by brothers Mark and James Wood, which aims to make cricket more accessible.
The event on the Mall aimed to “celebrate the deep and enduring ties” between India and the UK and “recognise the important role that sport can play in bringing people together and inspiring positive action”. Root, wearing an Earthshot baseball cap, said: “It’s great to use the power of sport to show all the good things this initiative can do.”
