Cricket might not be a global sport like Formula 1 or Soccer. However, it’s an extremely popular sport in several countries including Australia. Australia is the dominant force in cricket, being the most successful team, and F1’s Aussie prodigy, Oscar Piastri is naturally a fan. The McLaren man expressed his love for the sport in the latest episode of the BBC’s Tailenders podcast.
He also revealed how he used to play cricket before he started racing and even after he started racing during the off-season. However, one opportunity made him a part of the Australian cricket folklore.
Piastri stated, “When I was probably like six or seven, I had a photoshoot with Ricky Ponting, which was very cool at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). And yeah, my uncle was taking the photo. So they needed a child as someone looking up to him. So yeah, that’s where that famous photo came from. And then that was on the back of the local cricket rule book. I think it still is now.”
Ricky Ponting, the ex-captain of the Australian Men’s Cricket team, is a living legend. He holds the record for winning most ICC tournaments as a captain in Men’s Cricket. Ponting won two ODI World Cups [2003 & 2007] and two Champions Trophies [2006 & 2009] as the captain and was also part of the 1999 ODI World Cup-winning team. This is why young Piastri was asked to look up to him as a god-like figure and his expressions were spot-on.
However, the 49-year-old did not know it was the McLaren star until they met again at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London for the Ashes. He met the Aussie cricket team and even Ponting during their training session. Now, Ponting knows who the little kid was looking at him like he was the Lord and Savior. However, the six-year-old F1 star’s look could’ve been genuine.
Oscar Piastri talks about his love for Cricket
Oscar Piastri is a cricket fanatic and he has given plenty of evidence to prove it. He was even spotted sporting the Australian Men’s Cricket jersey after their 2023 ODI World Cup win against India. There is an obvious admiration for the sport from the 23-year-old.
Based on this, the host asked the Melbourne-born driver, if he ever dreamed of being a cricketer. This is when Piastri revealed that was his dream growing up.
He confessed, “Yeah, so before I started racing, which was when I was like nine or ten, I would say like my goal in life was to either become a cricket player for Australia or an Aussie rules football player. And being like six, I wanted to be both. So yeah, I really like cricket. I mean, I still do. But yeah, I wanted to be a cricketer at that age.”
However, Piastri honestly confessed he’s a much better racer than he believes he would be a cricketer. The #81 driver is proving it with his output on the track so far in the limited time he’s spent in the sport. In fact, many consider the 23-year-old a future World Champion which is never an easy achievement in a team sport.
