British PM Rishi Sunak faces speedster James Anderson in fun cricket session

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently took to the cricket pitch to face off against one of the game's all-time greats, England's legendary fast bowler, James Anderson.

The unexpected cricket session took place on Friday, with Sunak sharing a video of the meeting on his official account on X (formerly Twitter). The caption playfully questioned whether he was ready for a call-up to the England cricket team, “Am I ready for the call-up @englandcricket?”. To which the official England Cricket account responded, “Not bad, perhaps a few more net sessions first 😉.”

Watch the viral video here:

The video showed the prime minister and Anderson engaging in a friendly exchange, with Sunak asking the veteran bowler if he was ready to go. “Yeah, I'll bowl a few,” Anderson replied, to which Sunak revealed that he had done some preparation by practising in a net session.

“So are you going to go easy on me?” Sunak asked, to which Anderson responded, “We'll see how it goes.” The interaction provided a light-hearted moment, highlighting the prime minister's passion for the sport and his willingness to take on one of the game's greats.

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UK's initiative toward grassroots cricket

Anderson, who has so far featured in 187 Test matches and taken 700 wickets, is widely regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers in the history of cricket, if not the best. His career has seen the Lancashire-born become a true icon of the sport.

Sunak's love for cricket is no secret, and he recently announced a 35 million pound package to support the development of grassroots cricket in the UK.

The investment is aimed at helping over 900,000 young people get involved in the sport, a testament to the prime minister's commitment to nurturing the next generation of cricketing talent.

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As England and Wales prepare to host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup and the men's edition in 2030, Sunak's engagement with the sport at the highest level shows how the government's support for the game's growth and popularity within the country.