Obama an admirer of Urdu poets, cricket players

Islamabad: A fan of cricket US President Barack Obama is an admirer of great cricket players and Urdu poets and can cook dishes such as keema and dal.

"You know, I have to say that I have tried to get up to bat a couple of times, but I've been terrible. So I'm an admirer of great cricket players, but make no claims in terms of my own skills," Obama told Pakistani news channel Dawn News anchor Anwar Iqbal in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Obama said he would love to revisit Pakistan, a country he visited during his college days.

"I would love to visit. As you know, I had Pakistani roommates in college who were very close friends of mine. I went to visit them when I was still in college; was in Karachi and went to Hyderabad. Their mothers taught me to cook."

The US president also revealed that he has learned to cook some Eastern dishes.

"Oh, keema, dal ... you name it, I can cook it. And so I have a great affinity for Pakistani culture and the great Urdu poets."

"You read Urdu poetry?" asked the anchor. "Absolutely. So my hope is that I'm going to have an opportunity at some point to visit Pakistan," Obama replied.