Cricket might not be as widely popular as other sports such as soccer, basketball, American football, or baseball nowadays, however it is still considered one of the most beloved sports on the planet. Not only for its peculiar uniqueness or its attention to specifics and detail, but also for the pure enjoyment it brings to both the players who have devoted their life to the sport, and even the people watching it. Just like any other sport, it has also had its fair share of extraordinary moments that either put the sport on the front pages of newspapers all across the globe, or even became set in stone as a part of the sport’s history. Here we pick three such moments- all interestingly involving Australia in one form or the other.
The Introduction of World Series Cricket
Cricket as it was once known was changed forever in the late 70s, when an Australian media specialist named Kerry Packer had talked some of the world’s most gifted cricket players into walking out on their respective national teams to instead perform in a newly formed league.
Little did they know that most of the aspects introduced in this league would be the backbone of a revolution that followed approximately 30 years later, and that cricket revolution is no other than T20. Nowadays T20 is the most sought out league format in the world of cricket and is one of the most popular sports people bet on according to bookmakers like ComeOn India and many more.
Australia’s Cameron Bancroft gets Banned for a Year
This one’s pretty recent. In fact, it happened during the South Africa Test tour in 2018. On their third test match out of four, Bancroft got caught on camera sanding down the cricket ball with a piece of sandpaper, creating a rough edge which would change the physics and aerodynamics of the ball when thrown, generating reverse swing. This was seen as tampering with the matchball and numerous players from the team were accused and penalized for their unfair actions.
Both the captain and vice captain of the team had also suffered from the penalty to this action and lost their team leading positions forever when they returned to the sport.
The Controversial Bodyline Series
To this day, the so-called “Bodyline series” between Australia and England in 1932/33 remained one of the most controversial in the history of cricket — famous for the abundant usage of short- sleeved bowling by visitors. The English fast bowlers were led by Captain Douglas Jardine, who tried to frighten their rivals to the end of Australia’s best batsman Don Bradman. The approach succeeded, with England having won 4-1, although it was clearly seen that they were the underdogs.
The tactic left a bitter taste in the mouth while being quite efficient and surely increased the rivalries amongst Ashes over the next several years. The largest effect of the Bodyline series is obvious today since ‘bouncers’ rather than mischievous balls, are now considered genuine deliveries.