Cricket - Crikey! At This Time of Year

I had expected the cricket season to be over by the time we arrived on Feb 6.  We get a pleasant surprise; two actually.

The Sheffield Shield, long form of cricket competed at the state level is still ongoing.  Apparently between the Australia’s international commitments and the T20 Big Bash League, Cricket Australia has deemed it necessary to split the Sheffield Shield season.

It’s no longer a fan favorite. CJ passes by Adelaide Oval for an hour to watch the Redbacks take on the Western Australia Warriors. There are fewer than 200 fans if that in the huge arena.

If ever an hour of cricket was the poster child for everything that is wrong with the game, this was that hour. Even a cricket tragic (that would be CJ) must admit it. The most interesting thing on the pitch was watching the grass grow. There were no wickets taken, few runs scored. WA was down to its last wicket. The redbacks needed to get to their second at bat (innings) yet there was no movement. Horrible show, that.

The big surprise was in the women’s game.  We had no idea this was the year for the Women’s T20 World Cup.  Somehow CJ, cricket tragic that he is supposed to be, stuffed this one up.  Not only is this the year, but this is the time of year AND the bloody tournament is being conducted in Australia, like now! The bad news is that none of the official matches are being held in Adelaide. We only get three days of practice matches. That is better than none at all.

The Karen Rolton Oval is a short walk of less than a kilometer up North Terrace.  There was no admission fee for the Australian Women’s Golf Open.  In a single day, fencing has been erected and a $10AUD admission is being charged. With the sad turn out, the ticket fees cannot possibly cover the cost of erecting the fencing, security, ticket selling and ticket collecting. CJ purchases tickets for today’s matches and the ones on Tuesday when Australia competes.

The match the first day is between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The South Africans are large and athletic looking, the Sri Lankans are mostly tiny and look like a schoolgirl squad. The results are predictable.

 

 

CJ is extremely disappointed at the small crowd, even taken into account the Australian women aren’t playing. Women’s cricket is technically identical to the male equivalent.  The women play a great game.  If not for the long hair you might not know you are watching the women. They bowl, bat, field and throw like the men.  If they have a shortfall it may be in speed and fielding ability; only minor and infrequent visible parts of the game.

True cricket fans should enjoy the lady’s game every bit as much as that of the men, but they don’t.  When the Adelaide Strikers have double headers, the stadium doesn’t fill until after the women’s match.  The good news for me is that when I arrive at the Bodyline Bar for the women’s match, I’m assured great seats.

Two days later he attends as Australia take on South Africa. Both teams are in green and yellow uniforms, a little confusing. The crowd is larger but still lacking. Even the home team can’t bring out a big crowd; at least not for these warm-up matches. Come on Adelaide, you can do better.

Australia wins in an exciting game where the two best Australian batters stink the place up. They are blessed with the world’s most potent lineup normally led by Ellyse Perry the best player in the world.  She’s not been in form recently and Cricket Australia are obviously keeping some injury quiet. Eventually they’ll disclose she’s been suffering a shoulder injury for months.

The highly touted Aussie team is upset by, shocked by, India in its opening match. It must now win out the rest of the way. With our non-stop schedule of Fringe events, we watch what matches we can on TV.

In the semi-final match, Ellyse Perry’s fortunes go from bad to worse. She dives for a ball and is lost for months with a severely torn hamstring.  The shoulder is now the least of her worries.  The Aussies must face India in the final without the best player in the world, the best batter and one of the best fast bowlers.

There are over 85,000 people in the Melbourne Cricket Ground watching Katie Perry’s pre-game show and the match. It is a record crowd for a women’s event in Australia.

 

A tight match was anticipated. After all, India beat Australia in group play. Their other star, Alyssa Healy, has been in bad form for the past few months. She picks the perfect time to come out of her funk.

Australia kills India.  It’s not a very exciting match considering the ease of Australia’s victory.

In the meantime, I discover that Australia has late season matches against New Zealand.  The first match, held in Sydney, occurs just after the beginning of the social restrictions. It is played in an empty stadium. The remaining two matches are cancelled. 

Now the cricket season is over.