'Bottoms up' the order of the day for former Australian PM at Aus - Pak Test
What’s the story?
Former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, was at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday to watch the action between Australia and Pakistan. A little before noon, the cameras shifted to him, the crowd got expectant, and to their delight, the 87-year-old indulged them, as he finished his beer in one go.
The cameras caught Australian skipper Steven Smith and Darren Lehmann absolutely enjoying the moment as well.
Upon digging a little deeper, we discovered this is not the first time he has done so at a cricket match. When India played Australia in 2012, Bob Hawke, then a sprightly 82-year-old, was at it again, as he skulled a beer among the masses.
In case you didn’t know...
Bob Hawke held the Prime Minister’s post in Australia for 8-years between 1983 and 1991. When he was defeated in 1991, in his retirement speech, he was given a standing ovation by all those who were present.
He also holds the country's most famous drinking record. During his youth, he drank 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds at University College, Oxford. This was also a world record at one stage.
The heart of the matter
Australian stadiums are packed to the rafters during Test matches as well. This is largely due to the fact that the country has always been at the forefront for providing a better experience to the fans who visit the stadium.
Most recently, they introduced a ‘pool deck’ at the Gabba, Brisbane. It also helps that the consumption of alcohol at the games is legal, unlike the stadiums in India.
Bob Hawke was only making the most of that.
Sportskeeda’s take
Age is just a number as proved by Bob Hawke. To just be able to have such a free-spirit at the age of 87 is very endearing to see. We leave you with a video of Bob Hawke doing what he does best –