First Time Playing Cricket (Week 11)

On Monday in class, Christina taught us about the game of cricket and how it is such an important sport not only in Australia, but also the rest of the world. She explained to us the basic rules, and how to hit the ball with the flat part of the bat. She also told the class about the sticks behind the batter and if the batter touches the sticks, they are automatically out. After learning about the game, we got a chance to play!

The class formed little groups of about 5-6 people, and practiced first hitting the ball off of a tee. Once the person hit the ball off of the tee, the outfielder retrieving it had to try and hit the tee for a turn at bat. When it was my turn, I was not expecting the bat to be as heavy as it was. We played with a squishy rubber ball and a plastic bat, but we learned that in professional cricket, they play with a super hard leather ball and wooden bat.

We also practiced pitching the ball in the windmill position. I caught on pretty quickly and was able to throw the ball a lot harder than I thought. Everyone was making fools of themselves because there were a  group of Australians practicing rugby nearby, and I could tell they were all thinking, "What are these Americans doing?!" 

Overall, I had a really fun time practicing how to hit and throw the cricket ball. Learning a new sport that I never knew about adds to my study abroad experience in Australia. I guess when I go back home I will have to bring back the game of cricket and teach all of my friends!