Cricket

Today we played cricket during our class period. It was by far the game that I was the best at so far! It reminded me a little bit of baseball, but not quite as much running. I thought it was actually very fun. We used plastic bats that were flat on one side to hit a small, hard ball. When you hit the ball, you run to the other post and that is a point for your team. If you hit the ball and someone catches it, you are out. Adults and children play cricket on an average Sunday in Australia. Also, professional cricket players can make millions of dollars a year! When someone pitches the ball, it is called “bowling.” I was absolutely awful at bowling! You can’t bend your elbow when you are throwing it and the motion you use to throw it is like a windmill motion. Colorful clothes and rules are designed to encourage faster and more spectacular play in cricket. Cricket is even considered Australia’s national sport. We also learned about the bodyline series of the 1930s that really tested the morality of the game of cricket. Australians are fitter and more competitive in cricket, but not as skilled at batting as the English. Every four years there is even a World Cup for cricket and Australia is the dominant power as of right now. Yay Australia!