Howard not the only PM passionate about cricket

 
Kersi Meher-Homji Columnist

By , 4 Mar 2010 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert

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Prime Minister John Howard presents the trophy to his team captain Cameron White. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Prime Minister John Howard presents the trophy to his team captain Cameron White. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

John Howard, chosen for the ICC Presidency in 2012, is not the first Prime Minister to be a cricket tragic. Sir Robert Menzies and Bob Hawke were among others.

Hawke was a promising cricketer who played at high grade levels in both Australia and England. He made headlines when playing for The Parliamentarians against The Press in 1984 in Australia.

In that match, the 53 year-old Hawke top-edged a hook on his face and smashed his glasses. And the media had a field day splashing his “spectacular” photos.

But the most accomplished among them all was John Major, England’s Prime Minister in 1990s.

At the age of 12, Major had won a prize for being the Best Young Cricketer of the Year awarded by London’s Evening Standard newspaper after taking 7 wickets for only 9 runs in a school match, including a hat-trick.

From then on, he developed into a promising fast bowler, an attacking batsman with a penchant for hitting sixes, and a safe slip fielder. He was considered a fine prospect to play for county team Surrey.

Sadly, a car accident when he was 20 put an end to Major’s cricket aspirations. His legs were broken in several places and he never played serious cricket again.

Was that his most tragic cricket memory? Not quite.

He recalls that when only 11, he was given out leg before wicket for a first ball duck, despite hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. Major never forgave the school master who lifted the finger.

Some years later in Nigeria, Major was proceeding serenely towards his maiden century when an aeroplane appeared from nowhere and landed at square leg.

The shock landing severely damaged the pitch and the match was abandoned, with the future Prime Minister 23 runs short of his century and his dream. A Major tragedy, indeed.

Despite his increasingly heavy involvement in politics, Major regularly watched cricket for a few hours at The Oval and was made the patron of the Surrey Cricket Club Youth Appeal.

His heroes remained great Surrey cricketers such as Alec Bedser, Jim Laker and Tony Lock, and also the graceful English batsmen, David Gower and Robin Smith.

What the other John, Australia’s John Howard, lacked in cricketing ability, he made up by his love for the game.

But would his passion for cricket and his administrative ability in politics compensate for his lack of background in international cricket?

I would say, “No, Mr ex- Prime Minister”!

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