An Aussie Cricket Match

An evening watching cricket at the Adelaide Oval.   An impressive structure these days, after it was revamped and extended three years ago. 

The cricket game.   The Big Bash Semi Final, Adelaide Strikers versus Sydney Thunder.   

The Big Bash cricket competition is run during the summer months, with each match lasting only a few hours, with twenty overs for each team.

Now these cricket matches have more in common with football and baseball games rather than the sedate, polite clapping, and watch the paint dry, cricket matches.  The announcers, cheer squads, fireworks and loud music keep the spectators whipped up.    Everyone cheers and yells when the home team hits the ball, runs or bowls well.  There is a hushed silence when the opposition does the same.  No sportsmanship encouraged from the spectators in these games.   At least there was no booing.

We were there early, just as the stands were slowly filling up.    A very hot and humid day, with the temperature in the mid thirties.  We were soaked in perspiration before we even arrived having walked from the central market, mostly in the sun.  The temperature did not drop during the evening, but looking around at other people, we appeared to be the only ones covered in perspiration.  Getting soft, I think.

The preliminary game, a women's match, was also a semi final.  I think it was a Perth team against a Sydney team.

The stands eventually filled up by 7 pm.  Tickets were sold out the previous day.  A full house.

The posters, in the strickers' colour blue, the number 6 on one side and the number 4 on the other side.  All ready for holding up when the ball hit the boundary line or went into the crowd.  Unfortunately for the spectators it was the Sydney Thunder that achieved this regularly rather than the Adelaide Strikers.

The dark clouds kept building up all afternoon and evening.  A dramatic thunderstorm was predicted, but luckily it held off until well after the game.

But we all enjoyed a brilliant sunset.

As the evening progressed it was apparent that the Strikers were not going to win, and towards the end the announcers, the cheer squads and the loud music could not drum up any encouragement from the supporters.

The evening ended in silence and we all quickly made our way out of the stadium.  An atmosphere of disappointment hung heavily in the air, together with the threat of a massive thunderstorm.

Amazingly, we both enjoyed the experience.