The cricket is coming back. Watching the Australia A vs. England match recently, really gets the energy up and running, along with the anticipation of a home Ashes summer. Everybody likes to beat a Pom. In anything really. Cricket, Rugby, Badmington, Ping Pong, Mathematics, anything really. Heck, I think we’d love watching us beating them in damn AFL even though they probably couldn’t play it for nuts. There’s just something special about beating those guys up there who sent the criminals down here that really captures the mind. It’s kind of like when you get that maths question that your teacher couldn’t do and you stand up, sing the national anthem with your hand glued to your chest, and yell out “Not so bad for convicts now, are we?!”
Anyways, I remember the first time I was at a one-dayer. My first match I’d watched was Steve Waugh’s last test, but this one-dayer was something special. I remember walking through the tunnels and feeling that familiar, but at the same time not-familiar-enough rush of excitement building quickly through my body. As we opened up into the seats I looked up and saw the field, and that first look is always the best. But then, somewhat impossibly it got better. He was standing right there, fielding at deep long off right in front of me.
It was Michael Clarke. THE Michael Clarke. Just standing there. About 10.34 metres in front of me. The real Michael Clarke. Definitely not a fake. Not a mannequin dressed in Michael Clarke’s gear, and definitely not one of those blow up dolls that you can buy from those seedy, dark shops that Rohan always glances into as we walk past them in the city. It was the real deal.
Being surrounded by my brother and his friends, I was pretty much the only Australian shirt in a mass of light blue. Sri Lankans do that for their Indian brethren, they are willing to support their family from across the sea if no Sri Lankans are involved, and so everyone had put on their 2nd team Indian Cricket gear and were out in force. As Michael Clarke fielded in front of us, the chants began. I joined in. “Michael Clarke’s a W***er! Michael Clarke’s a W***er!” I then realised that everyone else in the group wasn’t actually chanting “Michael Clarke’s a Winner!” and so I quickly stopped, slightly ashamed that I may have been caught on camera abusing my favourite player.
I also remember my first six. Well not the first six I ever hit, but the first one I ever saw. Actually first I’ll tell you about the first, one so far, the only, six I have hit. It was in a knock out game for school and an offie was bowling. I remember talking to Danny at the other end and telling him I was going to hit the van parked on the road directly down the ground. Next ball, a bit of air and I came prancing down the track like Bryan at the Madi Gras and took a nice swing at it. It connected nicely and just flew. It was heading straight for the van and I was scared for a second. This is going to hit, I thought, and suddenly my heart was in my throat. Metaphorically, of course. And then it just went straight over the van. Straight over the van and bounced on the road. Straight over the van, bounced on the road and straight into the window of that house across the road. And the whole window fell out. Just in case the owners of that house are reading this, I’m sorry. Not really, but yeah. It was a sweet hit.
Anyways, onto the first six I ever saw hit, and it was Mathew Hayden. Sometimes he liked to walk at the bowlers. I’ve never really been entirely sure why he would do this. Maybe dudes bowling at 140kph was never fast enough for him and he liked to live on the edge. Who knows. But yeah, so he walks down the pitch and just picks one off a length and launches the ball into the night. It was beautiful. Watching the white ball sailing through the black night sky with a little comet trail was simply amazing and the single reason everyone should go watch a cricket match before they die. The image has been burnt into my memory ever since, similar to the image of James nuggetting people’s bags at my place one late night.
I know none of you enjoy cricket (Rohan excluded), and that really is disappointing, because it is truly my favourite sport in the world. I would easily regard it as the most tactical sport I’ve ever watched, mainly because everything is like a chess game without the time outs and such that you find in other tactical games like Gridiron or Basketball. People always complain that “the bowlers take forever to bowl”, “it’s such a slow game”, “theres not enough Lo Zio in it”, but what people who haven’t played the game don’t realise is how mentally draining and quick it really is. I could go on and on probably forever telling you stories about watching the cricket and playing cricket, but that would assume that you guys are still reading this after wading through all that cricket related talk earlier in the post.
This is just a shortish one and I’ll see you guys all around soon hopefully. Somewhere like the beach would be sweet. Just a quick shoutout to all the people who have helped me through my interview prep recently like Bryan (times infinity), Lean, Winnie, James and Sy, really appreciate it and I hope that I can help you guys back to a similar level. Also a special thank you to everyone who sent me a text of message to wish me luck for today. Anyways everyone, laters homies.
