Sit Down With Sam

As a cricket fan, I hadn’t had the opportunity to watch nearly as much of the World Cup as I would’ve liked, so when Australia made the final of the tournament in India, I knew I had to make an effort to watch it.

I wouldn’t say staying up until 2:00am Monday morning was much of a choice; as Australia started their run chase and Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne closed in on the target, I simply couldn’t turn it off.

Defeating India in India is no small feat and I’ll admit I wasn’t confident, but listening to Australia bowl on the radio as I drove home from Townsville on Sunday night and watching the rest after I got home, it was clear that Australian Captain Pat Cummins had a plan and was implementing it perfectly.

From what I’ve seen, every player played their role throughout the tournament, and as Glen Maxwell hit the winning runs and the team stormed the field in elation, I was filled with a pride for this Australian team that has waned over the years.

My love of cricket is peaking just in time for an exciting Australian summer of cricket, a time of year I look forward to every year.

It’s also got me very keen to get back out on Barry Richards Field this Saturday after missing the last few weeks.

Make sure to check out our sport section at the back of the paper this week; from BMX and motorbike racing to boxing and bowls, our local athletes are celebrating some wonderful achievements.

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