The National Pastime

In winter, Australia’s sporting loyalties are divided. A little less than half the country follows Rugby League, while the majority adhere to Australian Rules Football [‘footy’ for short]. Whichever sport they follow, Australians do so with passion. In the summer months the entire country comes to together to celebrate our national pastime, cricket. I love it!

Like most great sports, cricket was invented by the English so that other countries could beat them. International cricket is played by most Commonwealth countries. Australia has seen many years of international dominance since the first match against the English in the 19th century, and a great deal of our national pride is wound up in our sporting prowess and cricket in particular.

The most famous contest in cricket is The Ashes, a test series of five matches played between the English and Australians every two years. As a single match can last up to five days, this is a major competition. The old joke goes that the English, not being a religious people, needed cricket to give them a sense of eternity. For the less fanatical, one day games are more common and much faster paced.

The game is played between two sides of 11 players. Two batsmen take the field against the fielding team and the fielding side tries to get them ‘out’ while the batsmen try to make as many ‘runs’ as possible. Once 10 of the 11 batsman are out, the sides switch and the whole thing starts again. If you get lost, and you will, it helps to think about baseball. It all starts to make a lot more sense once you have had a few beers, and if you think about it, you have all day to drink.

Every city in Australia has a major cricket ground and the MGC in Melbourne is the most hallowed of all. The experience of a day in the sun with a drink, shouting with the crowd, is quintessentially Australian. If you were in England, it would be raining.