 Cricket
Sir Donald Bradman is also called The Don and is
recognized as the worlds best ever batsmen in the team sport of
cricket.
It has even been suggested that Donald’s average of 99.94 runs
per innings is the greatest single sporting achievement ever. This
figure is almost double that of most of the best batsmen today.
His
rise to the glory of Australia’s hero was very fast. It took merely two
years for him to become a national cricketing icon from the humble
beginnings of a backyard cricketer. His rise is all the more impressive
because it took place during the Great Depression.
Cricket is one of
the more popular Australian sports and so just like he was a hero in
cricket, he was also a hero to the nation. In 2001 the prime minister
of Australia named him the “Greatest Australian Alive”. The Don is also
the only ever Australian to have had a museum named after him while
still alive.
After playing for Australia for 20 years Bradman
retired to an administrative position for another 30 years. He passed
away in February 2001 at the age of 93. Yet even though his career
finished over half a century ago, he is still known and loved by every
generation of Aussies.
Today, Australian test cricketer, Matthew Hayden is a WYD08 Ambassador.
How do you play "cricket"?
The team sport called Cricket in its modern form originated in
England.
It is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams at any one
time.
There are 11 players in each side, and the game is played on a
grass field that is usally an oval shape. There is a "cricket pitch" in
the centre of 22yards legth. The game is played when the bowler bowls a
ball to the batsman whose aim it is to hit the ball as long as he can
away from the pitch. While the ball is away from the pitch, he makes
"runs" by running between the two wickets. A "wicket" is made of wood,
and the batsman defends his "wicket" at each end of the pitch.
The
batsman is "out" when the bowler or a fielder hits the wicket with the
ball, while the batsman is running between the wicket.
The team with the highest number of runs wins. Some "matches" can last for days, with several "innings" - this is called "Test Match Cricket."
Many Australians grow up playing cricket in their backyard, near the Hills Hoist or in a local park with their neighbours.
Image courtesy of pj_in_oz (Creative Commons License), Flickr.
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