Royal rumble

Kings, queens and suchlike personages frequently appear in the history of cricket

Deepti Unni  |  

Crease lightning: mind the line, length and trou

Crease lightning: mind the line, length and trou © PA Photos

The final Test at The Oval marked a sombre and historic moment: when the game resumed after a day of mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth, it became the first sporting occasion at which "God Save the King" has been played in 70 years, to mark the ascension of King Charles III. It seemed fitting, and momentous, as cricket and royalty have long been closely intertwined.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was an avid cricket fan and MCC president for two tenures, in 1949 and 1974. An accomplished cricketer in his youth, he captained the first XI at his school, Gordonstoun, and was an allrounder. Though he played from "about age eight to 48" as he wrote in Wisden - he featured in a number of charity matches including several Duke of Edinburgh's XI vs Duke of Norfolk's XI games - he was a lifelong keen watcher of the game, even sending the England team a note wishing them luck for the 2019 World Cup. When asked if there was anything he'd change about the modern game, he reportedly said, "I only wish some of their trousers fitted better."

A young Prince Charles runs between the wickets at Hill House School

A young Prince Charles runs between the wickets at Hill House School © Getty Images

Prince Charles, now King Charles III, played cricket as well, though perhaps his most glorious moment in the game came when he appeared for an RAF side against the Lord's Taverners - his father was their patron and 12th man - in a charity match fully padded up... on horseback. If he was hoping to intimidate the opposition, it didn't work - he was dismissed for ten runs by Ken Barrington.

Prince harming: the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram bats against Surrey on the ill-fated 1936 tour of England

Prince harming: the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram bats against Surrey on the ill-fated 1936 tour of England © Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The tale of "Vizzy" the erstwhile ruler of Vizianagram is part of Indian cricket lore, or rather, infamy. His disastrous captaincy on India's 1936 tour of England culminated in the Lala Amarnath affair, and he came away from the tour with 33 runs in three Tests at an average of 8.25. He made 600 runs in total in all the matches played on that tour, but most of them reportedly came from having bought off rival captains with gifts to bowl him full tosses and long hops.

CB Fry and Ranjitsinhji (middle row, first and second from left) both appeared in WG Grace's final Test, in Nottingham in 1899

CB Fry and Ranjitsinhji (middle row, first and second from left) both appeared in WG Grace's final Test, in Nottingham in 1899 © Print Collector/Getty Images

Perhaps no other aristocrat comes close to topping Ranjitsinhji's achievements in cricket or his impact on the game, but he had a hand in almost creating another royal as well. The story goes that Ranjitsinhji had his close friend and batting partner CB Fry accompany him as his assistant to the League of Nations, where Ranjitsinhji was to represent India. While in Geneva, Fry claimed to have been approached and offered the throne of Albania, so long as he could produce an income of £10,000, for which he would have had to turn to his princely friend. Had Ranji ponied up the money and had Fry accepted the offer - which he didn't - cricket might have had its two most legendary pairing of royals on the field.

A fielder takes cover as Hanumant Singh pulls in a match against Surrey in 1967

A fielder takes cover as Hanumant Singh pulls in a match against Surrey in 1967 Leonard Burt / © Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Grand-nephew to Ranjitsinhji and nephew to Duleepsinhji, Hanumant Singh, the Maharajkumar of Banswara, was the only other royal to score a Test hundred on debut after Ranjitsinhji and Iftikar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi. Incidentally, at Headingley in 1967, Hanumant and the Nawab of Pataudi Jr put together a stand of 174 against England. India lost the match but it was perhaps the highest partnership in international cricket between a pair of princes.

A young Mansur Ali Khan gets advice from Sussex batter George Cox

A young Mansur Ali Khan gets advice from Sussex batter George Cox © PA Images via Getty Images

In 1968, Mansur Ali Khan, who succeeded his father as the Nawab of Pataudi, famously smacked the Australians around in Melbourne despite a pulled hamstring, rescuing India from 25 for 5. Reportedly, an intrigued Ian Chappell once asked him what he did when he wasn't playing cricket. Chappell didn't quite catch the answer so he asked him again. "Ian," snapped an exasperated Pataudi, "I'm a bloody prince!"

Overarmed and dangerous: Prince Harry plays a friendly in St Lucia

Overarmed and dangerous: Prince Harry plays a friendly in St Lucia Samir Husein / © WireImage

Prince Harry has long been a cricket fan and turns up often for matches in England, which is presumably where he learned to sledge: in 2019, when the World Cup captains did their rounds of Buckingham Palace, he thought he'd attempt a bit of gamesmanship on poor Aaron Finch, saying, "You're getting on a bit now, aren't you? How old are you? How long have you been playing?"

Visiting royalty in India aren't spared the bat either. In the photo below, King Philippe of Belgium was given cricket lessons by none other than the Nawab of Najafgarh, Virender Sehwag.

"See ball, hit ball, throw balls" Imtiyaz Shaikh / © Andalou Agency/Getty Images

With the ascension of his father to the throne, Prince William now finds himself a landowner as part of his inheritance of the Duchy of Cornwall. Among his properties is a small ground in London called The Oval. Perhaps he could get a bit of match practice in there before his next tour of the Commonwealth, where he will invariably be roped into another round of cricket?

Drive or duck? Why not both

Drive or duck? Why not both BK Bangash / © Associated Press

Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

 

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