Cricket matches played in Australia, England and New Zealand always used to fascinate me as a child. This fascination was not because of the quality of the cricket on display, but more because of the weather conditions and the stadiums where the matches were played. The lush green grounds, nice breezy weather and the sea gulls resting in the outfields always made for a nice sight on the television, and I always wanted to be a part of that ambience, either side of the boundary. As it couldn’t be the inner side of the boundary, I decided I’ll definitely join the outer group in watching them play whenever I could!

This month I finally got a lucky break of watching the first day of the fifth Ashes test match at the SCG, a dream opportunity. And what better stage than the Ashes, with the Barmy Army in full form! Even as I started for the ground early enough, the only worry was the cloud cover which could prove to be the dampener on an otherwise glorious day. The match starting time was 10:30am and I reached the stadium by 8:20, thanks to the special events’ bus service. Even as I stood outside the gates, thinking whether I should get in so early or not, I saw the gate open, and so took this opportunity to get in! Armed with loads of stuff to eat and a copy of SMH, I hunted for my seat which wasn’t quite difficult to find as I was one of the handful in the stands.

The seat was high up, directly in line with the pitch, with the Sydney city skyline to my left. The entire playing arena was in front of me – well rounded and lush green. I spent a few minutes soaking in the moment!… and then royally sat on my seat like a king. Slowly people started filling in, and the quiet atmosphere started turning festive. Beer was in full flow as people attacked their favorite “best cold beer” the moment it became available. Very soon the players started coming out for exercises and warm ups. It was really thrilling to see them in person. The commentators and TV people were also out and you could make out the hairline of Shane Warne in the distance! The toss and the playing of the national anthems followed thereafter. Believe me there are a lot of cameras covering every thing.. I wonder how difficult it is to select the best camera view for the live feed.

As the start of the play approached, the umpires and then the two teams slowly made their way into the playing arena, to the loud cheer of the audience. The white jerseys and the red cherry in the hands of the lead bowler looked amazing! As the play began, the audience also settled down and enjoyed every piece of action on the field, just like they were enjoying their beer :) .

Sadly the cricketing action had to be stopped a few times due to rains. The anxiety and anticipation in the crowds was quite palpable. But amidst such a gloomy sky we were fortunate to have close to two sessions of play. For such a loud crowd and a huge stadium, every time the batsman played a cracking shot, the sound of the leather hitting the timber (or the other way round) was quite audible!

The end of the play was cut short abruptly by rain, but I wasn’t quite disappointed. My main aim was to enjoy the experience, hear the Barmy Army ranting and chanting, and soak in the atmosphere – which I did! Did I miss the luxury of the TV replays? Well…a little sometimes, but that’s because that’s how we have got  accustomed to watching it. In fact I liked the fact that there were no television commercial interruptions, or unwitty commentary to put up to. This was an absolute raw form of watching good quality cricket (discounting the presence of giant screens).  You can actually see everything even between the change of overs – something that they cut off from the broadcast. The ambience and the environment more than make up for any newbies that television broadcast has to offer. As for me, another checkmark in front of an item in the ‘things to do’ list :) .

 
We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time. Having said that,If you make every game a life-and-death thing, you’re going to have problems…you’ll be dead a lot!!

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