The Cricket Star
Jackson Markey | Torquay Coast Primary School |
English | Term 2, 2024
“BEEP BEEP BEEP!” I awake to the piercing sound of my alarm clock. The day I had thought would never come has finally arrived. I glance towards my cricket bat leaning against the wall. My stomach churns. Grand Final Day. The Sharks versus the Titans.
I dash downstairs and find Mum and Dad making breakfast.
“Here comes the cricket star!” My dad shouts in delight.
“Thanks,” I reply nervously. I pour my cereal and stare at the picture of Steve Smith on the cereal box.
“I hope I play like you today,” I whisper. Just as I am about to take a mouthful of cereal, I freeze. Steve Smith winked right at me! I sit there blinking in shock. I can’t speak. “Did that just happen?” I wonder. “Surely my mind is playing tricks on me,” I think to myself.
I bound upstairs and get changed. “Can’t forget my cricket bag,” I say to myself. Butterflies dance around my stomach as I pack my bag.
“You ready champ?” Dad shouts from downstairs.
“We’ll be in the car,” Mum adds excitedly.
“Coming!” I reply as I hoist my bag over my shoulder.
We drive towards Geelong. I can see the excitement on Mum and Dad’s faces in the rear view mirror. I think about telling them about Steve Smith winking at me from the cereal box but suddenly Dad yells, “We’re here!”
We see Ethan and Caleb walking onto the vast oval. I catch up to them and we chat nervously about the game.
“Did you see the trophy?” Caleb asks.
“Check it out!” Ethan exclaims.
There in front of the club house sits an enormous, shiny trophy in a tightly sealed glass case. I stare at it in awe. I start to imagine holding it above our heads when Coach Matt interrupts my thoughts.
“Guys, I want you to focus on what is happening on the pitch. Put all of your effort into this and believe in yourselves. But most of all… have fun! Ok, get out there and enjoy it! Sharks on three… one two three… SHARKS!” We all yell.
Everything starts great. We win the coin toss and elect to bowl. I stand at second slip for the first over. Archie bowls the first ball of the innings. It is pure magic. A swinging yorker that could send your toe to your ankle. It smashes the middle of the wicket and sends the bails flying! The Sharks celebrate and jump around Archie! Our excitement doesn’t last long as this this new batter is good. He piles on the runs effortlessly and makes a 50 partnership with his teammate in no time. The runs continue to flow while wickets are scarce. Each wicket is a sigh of relief as the Titans continue to push their total. In the end they manage 217 runs off 30 overs. We need to work hard if we want to win.
“Good luck,” I say to our two openers, Ethan and Caleb. But it doesn’t start well.
“How’s thaaaat….?!!” the Titans cry. The umpire’s finger raises. Caleb is out for a duck. He plods off the field with his head lowered. Not a good start at all.
“Don’t worry Caleb,” I say, trying to sound encouraging. I shuffle about nervously waiting for my turn. Not long after, Ethan is caught out. Wickets are tumbling and runs are tough but the boys are putting up a challenge.
Eventually, it’s my turn. I walk nervously out to the middle and nod to Rory.
“Watch the ball,” I say to myself. The bowler charges in. I swing and… miss. The bowler seems surprised that I almost gave my wicket away. The next few balls are better. I finally get off the mark and make some extra runs as overthrows. I keep my composure and stand fiercely at the crease, gaining momentum. Rory and I make a 50 partnership in no time. I am well on my way to 50!
The score is four for 183 and I need one more run to bring up my 50. The bowler bounds towards me and I hear my bat whack the ball and I make an easy single. I raise the bat up in the air proudly and soak up the burst of applause from the spectators around the oval. I am delighted. The crowd continues cheering.
I notice Rory seems to be getting more nervous with the increasingly loud crowd. He mistimes his shot and edges it to first slip. The opposition spectators go wild and the Sharks spectators go quiet. We are in trouble. It’s five for 192 and we are getting into our keeper and bowlers. I am now on 57 runs and we are getting closer to the target. To my surprise, Liam our wicket keeper goes out for another duck. We are in shambles right now. I can see Coach Matt attempting to be encouraging. One of our star bowlers looks nervous coming into bat. “We can do it, Tyler,” I say, attempting to sound confident.
“Right Jackson, time to play more aggressively,” I think to myself.
We are so close to the target. I go for a six but hit the ball up in the air, towards the man in the deep. I bite my tongue as I watch the ball fall from the sky… will he catch it? I am relieved to watch the fielder dive and miss the catch. “Phew,” I whisper.
I redeem myself by hitting 17 runs, bringing myself to 74 not out. Tyler hits two runs to ease the pressure. Six runs needed with two overs left. Tyler is on strike but cannot find a way to break through. He attempts a six but is caught out in cover.
“Good luck Jacko,” he says with a worried tone as he leaves the middle.
I am on strike. Six from six balls. “Easy, right?” I try to tell myself.
First ball… second ball… I keep missing until the final ball. We need six off one ball. The Titans players think they have won. The crowd cheers. I blink hard… trying to focus. The ball flies towards me and I hear “CRACK!” as the ball hits my bat. Suddenly the screams from the crowd seem to fade… Everything goes black.
Suddenly, I hear crowd noises again. It gets louder. I open my eyes and notice I am lying on the pitch. Everything feels different. The crowd seems louder. There are flags. I look around and see fans tightly packed in a colossal stadium. “There can’t be this many parents here,” I think to myself. I jump to my feet and as I dust off my pants I realise they’ve changed colour. I look at my chest and notice I am wearing an Australian cricket shirt! I look around dazed and confused.
“What is going on? Where am I? Why is the grass so… neat?”
I look up and see Stuart Broad at the other end of the pitch, hyping up the crowd. He is preparing to bowl to…me! My stomach drops and I brace myself.
“Ok Jackson, concentrate. Think about your stance and focus on the ball.”
Stuart Broad strides in. I smash the ball down the ground for a beautiful cover drive. The crowd rise to their feet and applaud. Australian flags wave around the stadium. Stuart Broad seems to be in disbelief!
“Yes!!” I yell as I check the scoreboard. Three for 247. We are chasing 361. Steve Smith walks towards me.
“Top shot, keep going,” he whispers.
I am in shock. “Am I in a dream?” I wonder.
The next few overs are amazing. We pile on the runs and I feel ecstatic. “Can I make a century?”
I am on 14 runs and Steve Smith is on 79 runs. We are three for 263. Butterflies are going crazy in my stomach but Steve Smith seems really confident. Suddenly things start to change. Smith gets deceived by the spin and is trapped LBW.
I am in disbelief as I watch Smith walk off the field. The England team celebrate loudly. Cameron Green is up next.
“Any tips for this pitch, Jackson?” he asks as he reaches the middle.
“Watch the ball and play your shots carefully” I reply.
I had hoped that he would start well, but suddenly he is clean bowled by James Anderson. Australia is in real trouble, but not all hope is lost. Alex Carey gets off the mark with some simple runs. 94 runs needed but we are five for 267.
With some luck along the way, Alex Carey and I put on a masterclass and edge the score closer so we can win the Ashes. 62 runs needed and I am five runs away from making a well-deserved 50! The English crowd is building momentum, getting louder and louder and trying to deter me. I stay calm and attempt to smack the ball through the gaps for four.
The England captain makes a change to the field: second slip is moved to mid-off. So I follow my plan and cut the ball way past gully. One run needed! I go for a straight drive but edge it to 2nd slip! By pure luck the fielder had moved the over before, so there was a big gap between first slip and third slip. The ball races towards the boundary for a four! The crowd roars as I raise my bat in the air to celebrate my 53 runs!
“Great work, buddy!” Alex Carey exclaims as he pats me on the shoulder. I blush.
We need 54 runs to win the Ashes. Alex Carey and I continue to block and smack the ball all over the ground, leaving the fielders bamboozled. Suddenly Carey chops the ball onto the stumps and is out. He walks off the pitch, devastated. Now we are in all sorts of trouble.
Mitchell Starc stretches and swings his bat as he walks out to the middle. I’m on 80 runs and we are so close to the end. Starc plays aggressively but luck is not on his side. He scores 5 runs and then is caught out.
“Come on Jackson, win it for us,” he says and forces a smile.
“I’ll do my best,” I reply nervously.
My mindset changes when I see the next batter heading out to the middle. Pat Cummins. I feel a surge of energy run through my veins.
“Let’s finish this off Jackson!” He says encouragingly. This is my time to shine. I sweep the ball into the gap for four, edging the score closer to the target.
We manage to get the score down to 18, making our intentions clear. Pat Cummins smiles as I smack 10 runs off 6 balls. I am on 94 runs! My belly is churning with fear as I face the next ball. I block the ball to allow Pat Cummins to take over. He nods, then hits 12 of the 18 runs in an over.
It is my turn on strike. The ball pitches fuller than usual. I smack it out of the middle… for six! I drop my bat and take off my helmet. I have made my first century and we have won the Ashes in Australia! The crowd is ecstatic! The Australian team celebrate and lift me up in the air! I think about the Sharks and how I would love to share this win with them. I picture the trophy and how happy my team would have been if we won.
Suddenly, the crowd noise fades and I hear familiar voices.
“He’s awake, he’s awake!” someone shouts. I look around and find myself lying in a small medical bed in the middle of a room. Faces flood my eye sight. I wriggle myself up so that I can see the whole room. There surrounding me are the Sharks… Archie, Tyler, Ethan, Liam, Rory, Coach Matt and Mum and Dad. I am confused, but suddenly so happy.
“Did we win?” I ask, softly. No one speaks. Caleb reaches behind him and raises a huge glistening trophy. I gasp.
“Is it ours?” I croak.
“Yes!” they say excitedly. “You hit a six and managed to knock yourself out!”
I am shocked and thrilled at the same time. We chat about the game and the boys help me regain my memory.
When I return home, I notice the cereal box sitting on the shelf. I pick it up and smile at Steve Smith. I wink at him.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Jackson Markey | Torquay Coast Primary School
