In praise of the baggy green cap: my love of cricket

Well, sweet PB friends, I’m chuffed so many of you enjoyed my second stationery post. I had so much fun, I want to do another straight away! As requested, I’ll now write a regular stationery post, just to keep you all happy ☺ (not to mention me). Anyway, onto far more topical matters – today was the first day of the First Ashes Test between Australia and England. What’s that, you ask? Well, for those not in the know, it’s a very auspicious day for cricket fans in both countries. The Ashes Tests have been played since 1882 in one of the sporting world’s most celebrated rivalries. Both countries possess very proud records in these contests. And today was a ripper for Australian fans! Before I explain why, here’s a quick explanation for the uninitiated about cricket.  

The main equipment used

What is cricket?

• It’s a team sport played with wooden bats and leather balls.

• It’s played on a grassed (normally oval) field. In the field’s centre is a rectangular 22-yard (20.12 m) long pitch where the main action occurs.

• A match (or game) is played between two teams with 11 players each (both having a reserve ‘12th man’ who can play as a substitute, with conditions, when a player is injured).

• One team bats, aiming to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying both to dismiss the batsmen and limit the runs scored by them.

• A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease (or line) there without being dismissed. The batting team’s ‘innings’ is completed when (usually – it’s quite complex!) 10 of its batsmen have been dismissed.

• At the end of the first innings, the two sides switch between batting and fielding. This process is completed twice by each team so there are four innings in total. Still with me?!

What are Test matches?

• Test cricket is the highest form of the game. Four innings take place over up to five days.

The fieldsmen waiting to catch the ball

• It is played by Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies (formed by players from a number of Caribbean nations and dependencies), New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

What are the Ashes?

The Ashes is a Test Cricket series played biennially between the United Kingdom and Australia. Five matches are held at five different cricket grounds in the host country. If a series is drawn (with each side having the same number of Test match wins), then the country already holding the Ashes retains them.

Why do they have that funny name?

As Mr Wikipedia notes, ‘The series is named after a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper…in 1882 after a match…in which Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died and the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain The Ashes. During that tour, a small terracotta urn was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The contents of the urn are reputed to be the ashes of an item of cricket equipment, possibly a bail, ball or stump.’

The famed obituary

Here is the fragile little urn in question.

This is what all the fuss is about!

It is so delicate that it has remained in the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord's cricket ground in London since its presentation by Bligh's widow upon his death. Only once has it travelled to Australia. Replicas of the urn are held aloft by victorious teams at the completion of each series.

Where are the Ashes Tests being played now?

This series is being played in Australia over the summer. England currently holds the Ashes.

What happened today in the First Ashes Test?

The First Test started today in Brisbane. England was bowled out for 260 runs. Australia reached 0 wickets (ie no batsman was given ‘out’) for 25 runs by the end of play.

That may not sound extraordinary to some of you. But for cricket lovers in both countries, it was a huge day. To have all 10 English batsmen dismissed in less than a day for a relatively low score is extremely impressive.

But what took the cake was the performance of Australian bowler, Peter Siddle. On his 26th birthday, he took six wickets (dismissed six batsmen) for only 54 (paltry) runs. But the pièce de résistance was his ‘hat-trick’ – he took three wickets in three consecutive deliveries! This is a rare and remarkable feat. Australians the world over will be toasting his achievement long into tonight! See here for an explanation of ‘hat-trick’.

The man of the moment, Peter Siddle

Why do I love cricket?

So, why do I know all of this? Well, I am a passionate, unabashed and life-long ‘cricket tragic’ as known colloquially in Australia. I have been following the game with intense interest for over 30 of my 40 years. As a child growing up in Hobart, I used to get terrible heat rash when exposed to the sun. That meant I spent many long summer days inside, watching the cricket, while my friends were at the beach.

I’ve followed the game avidly ever since, in all its forms – Test, One Day (50 overs -there are six balls to an over – per side)and the Sheffield Shield (the Australian domestic competition between the six Australian states). As a Tasmanian, I was extremely proud today to see three Tasmanians in the Australian side including the Captain, Ricky Ponting.

So, there you go, an attempt to explain my love of cricket! Hmm, I doubt this interest of mine will be as popular as stationery…Let me know if you’re a fellow fan of the 'Baggy Green' (the affectionate name for the green Australian team cap worn by Test players) – there must be a few of us out there!