Perth: “Please don’t cry if you are hit by a David Warner six. His name itself says he has ‘warned’ you,” remarked a volunteer after a shot struck by the Australia batsman hit a boy in the crowd during the Australia-Afghanistan match here on Tuesday.
The majority of the seating at the WACA is green mounds, so spectators are very often seen lying down and watching the action. However, when Warner gets going, one should remain alert, keep eyes wide open and not indulge in texting or talking on mobile, whether on the mound or in the pavilion. The father of the boy who was hurt was speaking on a mobile when the six hit him.
It was a very touching scene after the boy was hit, as he started to cry.
Warner’s gesture of gifting the boy his gloves after signing them at the end of the match was lauded by everyone, and surely they will be among the most treasured gifts in the boy’s life.
The WACA is designed in such a way that sitting on the mound gives one a feeling that you are part of the field because, unlike at sub-continent venues, here there are no wire fences that separate fans from the players.
However, unlike fans in other countries, they dare not run on to the field here. When I asked a volunteer about this, she said: “If you are rich enough to pay a fine of A$10,000 (Dh28,725) and have the time to spend 12 months in jail, then you are free to do it.”
A 60-year-old volunteer narrated an incident that happened way back in the 1982-83 Ashes series, when two dozen spectators ran onto the WACA ground and one of them clipped Terry Alderman behind the ear as he sprinted past. An angry Alderman ran after the spectator, fell down and dislocated his shoulder and had to stretchered off — and he spent the whole of the next year recovering from the injury.
Interestingly, the fine and jail term are both less harsh in New Zealand. A 21-year-old streaker at Hagley Oval in Christchurch during the match between England and Scotland on February 23 faces a fine of NZ$5,000 (Dh13,898) and a three-month imprisonment.
Australia skipper Michael Clarke was in a jovial mood after his team’s big win over Afghanistan. During post-match press conferences, very often a microphone is tossed to journalists so they can be heard when asking questions. So, when a scribe, did a good job of catching a tossed-up mic, Clarke remarked that it was a good catch at second slip.
The South Africa team has a large support staff. Apart from coach Russell Domingo, they have Mike Hussey and Gary Kirsten as batting consultants, Charl Langeveldt as a death bowling coach, and Allan Donald as bowling coach. So the joke doing the rounds is whether too many cooks will spoil the South African broth in the World Cup.
