2024 – a great year for my sports bucket list

I am a huge sports fan and as a result I have always been attracted to Australia. Few countries can claim to have sports so deeply integrated in its culture and its psyche like the Kangaroos. I remember reading this long long ago – Talking about its culture, England will say an Englishman wrote Paradise Lost. In return Australia will claim that 3 Aussies have scored a hundred before lunch on day 1 of a test match. For me this encapsulates the meaning of sports for Australia.

Cricket is a part of my Aussie fandom. I remember watching the Bodyline series on TV 37 years ago and I have been a fan of their cricket ever since. After reading and researching and following Australian cricket for many years, I came to this conclusion that Australia is the real home of cricket. The game might have started in England and India is slowly becoming the epicentre of the sport but Australia has to be the spiritual home of the game. It’s hard for me to explain why on a twitter thread. But it’s a combination of their perpetual dominance, their attacking style of playing the game, their rich cricketing heritage and their historical contribution to important aspects of the game. If you disagree read Larwood’s biography by Duncan Hamilton and this collection of essays called – Australia A Cricket Country. I am confident you will see my point.

As a result, I have always wanted to watch a cricket match in Australia. Almost like a pilgrimage. Like I want to go watch football in South America. A Boxing Day test featuring India and Australia was the ideal ocassion. This year the opportunity presented itself. And I was lucky enough to realise my long time dream. Watched 3 wonderful days of cricket. Was totally worth it.

This visit reinforced my belief that Australia was the rightful home of cricket. The atmosphere at MCG was amazing. Unlike all other cricketing nations, they had a sporting pitch that was perfect for a test match. And the Australian spectators were amazing. On day 2 I sat surrounded by Aussies. Yet I had the most wonderful cricket conversations. with my neighbours. I have had the exact opposite experience watching sport in other western nations.

I have fallen in love with cricket in Australia all over again. And I want to keep coming back. Visit other places. Watch the Ashes. Go to Bowral.

Unfortunately everything else was closed for Christmas and I only got an outside glimpse of the other sporting treasures of Melbourne. Like the Rod Laver Arena for the Australian Open, the AFL stadium, the stadium for Australia’s biggest derby and the F1 race track. They call Melbourne the sporting capital of Australia and it’s arguably one of great sports cities of the world. They also have the museum of the Australian Institute of sports. It’s done beautifully and includes a wonderful session with a hologram of Shane Warne. You get a sense of the width and depth of Australia’s sporting excellence.

Knocking off one of my big bucket list items was a great way to end the year ( although the collapse by the Indian team was a real dampener ). Regret minimisation is one of my life priorities and I feel good about how I did in 2024. There was also the Wimbledon quarters with Alcaraz and a test match at the Wankhede. Hopefully 2025 is even better. Happy new year to all of you in advance.