[Watch] Declan Rice clean bowls Harry Kane in England football team's warm-up during Euro 2024
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and former Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane played some cricket in a fun warm-up game on the sidelines of the UEFA European Championships.
In a video recorded and shared by England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes, who attended the England football team's practice before the tournament, Rice can be seen yorking Kane from about 10 yards. The ball went under the swing of Kane's plastic bat and uprooted the plastic stumps before Rice set off for a celebratory run.
Check out the video here:
Arsenal and Spurs share a bloodied rivalry in the English Premier League. Kane left the latter as the all-time highest goal-scorer last year for German club FC Bayern Munich. Rice, who is a defensive midfielder, has been an integral part of Arsenal since joining from West Ham United.
The two are regular starters for the national football team, where Kane takes the armband. The Three Lions haven't had a great campaign at the Euros but have managed to progress to the quarter-finals against Switzerland on July 6.
"One of the few English sportsmen that I felt could impact them" - Gareth Southgate on Ben Stokes
After Stokes' session with the team in the first week of June, team manager Gareth Southgate spoke about the impact he had on his players, calling the all-rounder authentic" and hugely impressive.
“Ben Stokes came in yesterday which I thought was a brilliant session,” Southgate said. "In my head, he’s one of the few English sportsmen that I felt could impact them, make them think. He’s authentic, he talked brilliantly about getting the right balance of fearlessness but recognizing that anybody’s going to have nerves."
“It’s still making good decisions under pressure. He was able to talk to them about some leadership aspects, the culture he’d tried to create. I think that backed up some of the things we’re doing so we were pleased that reaffirmed some ideas as well. I just think he’s a hugely impressive guy that’s relatable to their age. And anybody who’s performed as well as he has for England… That was a really good session that worked well for us.”
Stokes will be back in action on July 10 when England take on West Indies in a two-Test series.