Footy legend Buddy Franklin shows off his very surprising sporting talent on his luxury Bali holiday
AFL icon Lance Buddy Franklin has delighted fans after being spotted showcasing a surprising sporting talent during his luxury overseas holiday.
The 37-year-old, who has been on vacation at a luxury resort in Bali with his wife Jesinta and two children, has shown up playing backyard cricket with Australian Test star Usman Khawaja.
Franklin, a goal-kicking superstar who retired from the AFL in 2023 after a glittering career, appeared on the cricketer’s Instagram account bowling to Khawaja in what appeared to be an off-the-cuff game.
Khawaja wrote: ‘Buddy vs The People’s Champ. Big left boot, big left Arm. Getting me ready for the World Test Championship.’
In the video clip, a tanned and shirtless Franklin can be seen whipping the ball down to the opener with surprising accuracy.
Khawaja, 38, is looking to prolong his career and keep his opening role for this year’s ICC World Test Championship Final in June – and has been in fine form.
Buddy Franklin played cricket with Usman Khawaja at a luxury clifftop resort
Lance Franklin took a much needed vacation in Bali with his wife Jesinta and two children
The session took place at The Ungasan Clifftop Resort in Bali, which is set 492 feet above the Indian Ocean, offering spectacular views of surrounding landscapes.
Last week, Jesinta posted photos from the holiday showing off her husband’s new look – a beard and much longer hair.
The Hawthorn and Sydney Swans legend, who has kept a relatively low-profile since retiring, had hardly been seen without his close-cropped hair.
Several commenters left remarks like ‘Loving Buddy’s hair!’ and ‘Jealous of those luscious locks Lance is rocking’ – but others claimed Franklin might have got the new look as a result of a trip to Turkey, which has become a popular destination for men who want to get hair transplants.
A quick look back at the premiership-winner’s hair over the years will show that while Franklin has been partial to shaving his head, he has never shown any signs of developing male pattern baldness – making those claims completely baseless.
Jesinta’s post appears to hint that the couple is getting in a much-needed break after she sparked concern after sharing a heartbreaking message about the challenges of motherhood last week.
The 33-year-old shared a bathroom selfie to social media which captured her looking tired and worn-out as she gazed sadly at her phone.
She sported a long-sleeved grey T-shirt and pyjama pants and looked worlds away from her usual glamorous self.
Jesinta captioned the photo with some upsetting words: ‘Easily the most sleep deprived I’ve been since the kids were newborns’.
The Gold Coast-born model then revealed she was feeling overwhelmed by all her responsibilities.
‘Kids, sickness, emergency room visits with ear infections, huge work load, early starts, kids not sleeping,’ she wrote.
‘Shout out to all the mummas showing up every day, look after yourselves. The juggle has been absolutely intense the last week,’ she continued.
