Cricket tragic John Howard reflects on his backyard bowling in Pakistan

It is a moment former prime minister John Howard would rather forget.

During a visit to earthquake-ravaged Pakistan in 2005, Mr Howard joined in a game of cricket with Australian military personnel and local children — only to be left red-faced at his attempt to bowl a ball.

A decade later the unabashed cricket tragic has reflected on his backyard bowling while in London where he is attending the Ashes.

Mr Howard, who was part of a panel discussion at King’s College on “Culture Wars: The Ashes and national character’’, recounted how troops had arranged the cricket match with local children and persuaded him to join.

“They had a ball that was basically the inside of a tennis ball with some white tape around it,’’ he said.

“And of course I had a go and it stuck in my hand … and of course it played for ever and a day afterwards,” he said, referring the television footage which continues to resurface.
Source: The Australian/ News Corp Australia