“Cricket” is my favourite Bluey episode. Yes, my kids are outside the target market for Bluey, but I just couldn’t shake the FOMO. We watched it — and my heart is happy for it. A show for kids that is genuinely, unironically beloved by parents? I still don’t know how they do it.
It’s always clever and charming, but for me, that cricket episode hits different. Somehow it captures the magic and reverence of the backyard version of our national pastime. From Uncle Stripe tonking his older brother Bandit (Bluey’s dad) back over his head for a backyard staple “six and out,” to Bingo swinging her bat and knocking over the stumps, the episode is a perfect snapshot of the quintessential Australian backyard cricket experience.
As usual, Bluey makes observations about the simple joys of life — friendship, ambition, dreams, sadness, and love — all while celebrating this humble, familiar game.
I still believe there are two types of people: those who love cricket, and those who throw around phrases like “watching paint dry.”
But cricket is theatre. The fast bowlers of decades past were rockstars, long hair flying and gold chains swinging on comically long run-ups. The West Indian team were superheroes. Those endless childhood summers always had Richie Benaud’s voice somewhere in the background. And few moments in sport are as gripping as watching a side push for victory or fight for survival in a tense final innings on a worn pitch. No matter where your loyalties lie, the tension is relentless.
Cricket also means dollars. The Ashes contest between England and Australia remains the pre-eminent drawcard, luring an estimated 30,000 Poms halfway across the globe. From beer brands to restaurants to online betting companies, everyone cashes in as fans travel over for one, some, or all of the Tests.
Sports tourism is big business. Have you been to Caxton Street during a State of Origin? Melbourne for an AFL Grand Final? Did you see the sheer number of British and Irish Lions fans when they toured Australia?
Now, in a massive coup for the region, Mackay will host men’s international world-class cricket matches for the very first time. OK, it’s not The Ashes — but there will be people travelling here to watch these games. The question is: what will you be doing to welcome them?
I can’t tell you to go to the cricket, but there are plenty of reasons you should. Go for the theatre. Go so you can say you were there the first time the Great Barrier Reef Arena hosted international cricket (because it won’t be the last). Go to help create an atmosphere worthy of an Australian sporting team that has made it to our region.
Or, go because — like me, and like Rusty in the Bluey “Cricket” episode — you simply love the game.
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