This was my first time to see a cricket Test match! The game was between Australia and England in Brisbane, Australia. Australia and England have played each other since 1877 and the series is called “The Ashes”. Shane told me that the name was chosen because when Australia beat England in 1882, the English were so surprised and disappointed at losing, they made an urn and called it the Ashes because it was the death of English cricket.
Polly watches a game of Test Cricket
Shane says Test cricket is his favourite sport and he has travelled to India and Bangladesh to watch Australia play there. Cricket is also popular in the Caribbean, southern Africa and New Zealand. Shane told me that because cricket is the favourite sport in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh where 1.5 billion people live, cricket is one of the world’s most popular games.
Australian players appeal to the umpire for a wicket (when a player is ruled 'out').
A game of Test Match cricket lasts for five days, and each day has six hours of play. It is a long time to watch, but it is very complex and Shane told me many things about the game. He said that the weather, ball, pitch, bowler and batsman all influence the game. There was much to remember! Each team has 11 players and there are 2 umpires on the field and a video umpire.
There are other types of cricket too. A one-day game is 100 overs (an over is six balls) with 50 overs each side, and it takes eight hours. A Twenty20 game is 40 overs (20 overs each side) and it takes three-four hours.
Polly hops into the Members Dining Room
Because Shane is a Member of the Brisbane Cricket Ground (it is nicknamed “The Gabba” after the suburb called Woolloongabba where the ground is found) he has very nice seats which are padded like a lily pad – they were comfortable. Shane took me to the Members Dining Room and we met former cricket players there, it was exciting!
The Dining Room was very interesting as there were many thing to look at. Shane said that all the bats, balls and photos told the history of the ground. The first game of cricket was played here in 1896, and there have been many other sports played here too: Olympic Soccer (football) in 2000, Rugby Union and Australian Rules Football. Shane said he will take me to a game of Australian Football this year.
There were many sports items to see in the Members Dining Room
After five days of playing cricket the game between England and Australia ended in a draw – they needed more time to complete the match – 30 hours was too short! Shane says this is not normal as most games finish in four or five days. I enjoyed my time at Test cricket, it is a very interesting but complex game, I will need to watch more to understand it better!
Tags: Polly 7
April 3rd, 2011 at 6:35 am
Cricket sounds like a very complicated game. Polly was lucky that she was able to learn so much from you, as well as being able to enjoy some of the perks like going into the Members Dining Room, and meeting some cricket players!
April 3rd, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I love the first picture! Polly seems to be caught up in the game. Great post!
April 5th, 2011 at 10:14 am
This is such an interesting post. Of course I’ve heard of the game of cricket, but I had no clue that a single game lasted for five days! I think it’s hard enough to sit through a major league baseball game! I also didn’t know that cricket was played in all of the countries listed.
April 5th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Lucky frog–the members only room looks great!
April 8th, 2011 at 7:03 am
I’ve never heard of a game called cricket. Did you ever play that game while you were there? It must be really cool to watch that game of cricket. p.s. Did you like it?
April 19th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
I did not play cricket because the ball is very hard and I need to find a bat small enough to use! Many people play with a tennis ball for fun, but I have not tried that yet.