Rishi Sunak bowled out by a child at the Oval

Mr Sunak laughed and walked over to shake the child’s hand after he was bowled out, patting him on the shoulder as he congratulated him. “Well done, you,” he said, as those watching on cheered loudly.

The Prime Minister went on to speak to other children about cricket, telling one: “Do you know what, I come here to do [practice in the] nets in the evenings, secretly. I come and use the set on the end of the corner, so I was actually here earlier this week. It was quite fun.”

He was visiting the south London cricket ground to meet participants in Surrey County Cricket Club’s Ace Schools Programme, which provides free training sessions to state school pupils aged nine to 13.

Its aim is to increase the number of black British professional cricketers.