The great Australian cricket ‘problem’

Tomorrow, the whole country (mandatory population figure check) will be praying that India beat Australia to become world champions. With that much volume of prayers channelled to the Great Match-Fixer in the Sky – if you’re not the sort who believes that India deserves to win by grit, talent and determination – it is very unlikely that India will lose. But here’s the thing. If India, indeed, does win, the people of Australia will be far less crestfallen than their Indian counterparts would if their team is to lose. Here’s why: for most Aussies, crikkie isn’t their No. 1 sport to cry or go bonkers over. That’s not the case, as you know, in Batting-Bowling Bharat.

Sure, the Aussies love to win. Sure, they like sports, cricket included. But sports like rugby, Aussie rules football, and even the peculiar passion for watching people chase cheese down a hill in the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake event, are liable to set Australian nerves on edge more than putting their hearts and souls, never mind a crate of Victoria Bitter prayers, to ensure a cricket World Cup trophy. Undoubtedly, the Australians are super at cricket. Which doesn’t mean their lives depend on it. So, whether it’s a victory dance or a solemn sip of brew in defeat, one thing is certain – Aussies will emerge from the cricket showdown with their good humour intact.