Is there life outside cricket? Not in Oz

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“Forget about the solstice and December 1 and all those things … today is the official start of summer because it’s the first day of the cricket season”. That was Channel 9 breakfast show Lisa Wilkinson’s affirmation that greeted Australians getting up on Thursday morning. Wilkinson certainly was on the buzzer with the sun shining gloriously and everyone excited about the prospect of Test cricket being played in the day and with a red ball again after all the fascination with everything pink here recently. I could feel it in the air, and it sure hit me in the face, when I approached my bus stop en route to the WACA. I’ve taken the free CAT 360 - yes, all buses within the Perth city centre are mahala - on two previous days and had no issues boarding it. Not Thursday morning though. Australians take their Test cricket seriously. Queues of people were already there all eager to make their way to WACA for what is most likely going to be the last Test match at this iconic ground. And this on a work day nogal!

Curiosity got the better of me and I just had to sound out a couple of blokes dressed in full Aussie regalia.

Daniel Cook, sporting a goatee beard that would put Billy Connolly in the shade, travelled all of 1 000 miles from Port Adelaide to watch his first WACA Test.

“My oath … yeah … first time … my oath … yeah … looking forward to it … my oath … yeah lots of runs … my oath … yeah sixes too… hopefully he (Starc) holds up … my oath …”

Daniel also swore that he was related to 74-year-old former Western Australian medium-pacer Ian Brayshaw, who still holds the ground record for taking all 10 Victoria wickets for just 44 runs back in 1967. My oath!

An elderly gentleman, probably around Brayshaw’s age, also claimed he played with WACA legends Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh. “Brilliant, brilliant, those two. Possibly the best fast bowler and wicket-keeper combination.”

The first session certainly lived up to its billing. I wanted to seek out Daniel and the old man in the stands, but the Proteas just kept on losing wickets. At that time, the only South African in the ground who still had a smile on his face was debutant Keshav Maharaj, and only because he was handed his Test cap at the start of play.

Daniel was certainly having a better morning than namesake Stephen Cook with the Proteas opener back in the hut after just four balls. The WACA crowd is unlike any other in Australia, and they were properly revved up after Mitchell Starc’s manic chainsaw celebration.

It was raw, unadulterated action that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Matt Page, the WACA curator, had done his job of providing a surface that was a throwback to the 70’s and Starc and Co. were putting on a show.

While all this was happening in front of us, I could not help but notice my ESPNCricinfo Australian colleague Dan Brettig sitting anxiously in a little corner glued to his cellphone.

“It’s all happening out there, Dan?”

“Ssshh … the Cubs are one innings away from the World Series mate!”

“You’re not watching the cricket?”

“This is 100 years worth of history happening right now.”

Dan was, of course, engrossed in ESPN’s live coverage of the Chicago Cubs breaking the biggest curse in sports history by overcoming the Cleveland Indians - they of Major League and “Wild Thing” fame - 8 runs to 7 in the extra innings of the final game of the seven-match series.

“The Cubs have won it, the Cubs have won it!” he came screaming in moments afterwards.

There seems to be a life outside of cricket for some, but definitely not for Lisa, Daniel, the old gentleman, and every other true blue Aussie.

Independent Media