Britain’s Prince William turned The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace in London, into a cricket pitch on Tuesday. He was joined by several leading players as he promoted his Earthshot climate prize.
The red-paved promenade is usually the setting for royal processions and flag-waving celebrations.
Former stars join prince for informal match
William, wearing a shirt and sweater, played with current and former international cricketers, including former India captain Sourav Ganguly, West Indies great Brian Lara and England captain Joe Root. He struck a series of gentle deliveries bowled by Ganguly and posed for selfies with onlookers.
Asked for his verdict on the prince’s skills, Ganguly said: “He batted alright.”
Event highlights cricket ties between Britain and India
The event was designed to celebrate links between Britain and India, which were described as two passionate cricketing nations. India is preparing to host the annual summit and awards ceremony of the Earthshot Prize next month.
The prize, founded in 2020, honours five winners with £1 million ($1.32 million) each to scale up solutions for repairing the planet.
