Your first live international cricket fixture.

[undertaker]

I honestly couldn't pin point it as dad took me to a day of the test and a one dayer every year since I can remember right up until they stopped selling full strength grog!

Highlights that I remember from when I was really young was the match where Bevan hit a 4 to win off the last ball (94 maybe??) and I remember the crowd absolutely giving it to Pay Symcox one match causing a delay in play (96 maybe??)

Bevan's 4 off the last ball was New Year's Day 1996. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago (man, I'm getting old!)

I recall an ODI in 2000/01 at the SCG where the game was ruined by a thunderstorm but Lara was tearing us a new one.

Magical night, ruined in the end.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/engine/match/65604.html

That night - along with Douglas Marillier's scoop shots that took Zimbabwe to within one run of Australia at the WACA - were the two highlights of what was one of the most boring, uncompetitive summers of cricket. Had it not rained, the Windies would've gone very close to chasing down Australia's total had Lara still remained.

The biggest rort of that summer was Brian Lara being named man of the ODI series ahead of Mark Waugh, even though Waugh scored 3 centuries and 2 fifties, was the highest run scorer (170 more runs than Lara) and averaged 108.40. I clearly remember the controversy in the media and the big boo that reverberated around the MCG during the post-series presentation of the 2nd final when the announcement was made. Whoever made that decision must've been the same person who decided to give Johnathan Thurston the Clive Churchill Medal last year.

Unless India shows up for the ODIs, this summer is going to be up there with 2000/01.

My first international was Australia v West Indies at the Gabba in 1996.

I remember watching Mark Waugh hit a really nice century to help us set a big total, only then to watch Carl Hooper and Brian Lara each hit centuries and cruise to victory.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65547.html

That was 1997, and as I've stated in another post, I went to my first international 9 days later when the West Indies played Pakistan @ SCG in a dead-rubber (after Australia were out of finals contention via their loss at the WACA a couple of days earlier).

 

[Twizzle]

I honestly couldn't pin point it as dad took me to a day of the test and a one dayer every year since I can remember right up until they stopped selling full strength grog!

Highlights that I remember from when I was really young was the match where Bevan hit a 4 to win off the last ball (94 maybe??) and I remember the crowd absolutely giving it to Pay Symcox one match causing a delay in play (96 maybe??)

ah, the good old days when they sold real beer at the cricket

those were the days

 

[Mr Angry]

Viv was the man

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65378.html

My dad took me.

 

[Iafeta]

Gee the West Indies struggled with Bob Holland and Murray Bennett that day.

 

[JJ]

Viv was the man

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65378.html

My dad took me.

He was indeed, he could play a bit that fella

 

[Timbo]

Day 1 of this test:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63665.html

The old man took me, front row of the O'Reilly stand.

Was never really sold on cricket to this point, but fell in love with the game that day and made dad buy tickets for the rest of the match. Got to see Atherton declare on Hick which was I remember the old bloke found hilarious.

 

[The Charlatan]

Ashes SCG Test 02-03.

We were up 4-0 and we phoned it in and lost by 200 odd runs, old man Caddick went apeshit and took 7fa in the second innings.

 

[undertaker]

ODI between West Indies and Pakistan at the SCG, January 1997

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65551.html

Managed to sneak past security with my father during the dinner break into the old Bradman Stand (before the SCG renovation a few years ago) and got Ian Chappell's and Greg "Fat Cat" Ritchie's autographs, as well as photos with both of them.

I remember most of the crowd were very disappointed the Windies rested Lara, Ambrose and Walsh. Went to this match as it was a reward from my parents for previous years' school grades, but both the Australia vs West Indies and Australia vs Pakistan SCG matches sold out. Back before T20 cricket, most ODIs involving Australia sold out and were very hard to get tickets to (this was in the days before buying tickets online, and the only way was to battle the clogged phone lines).

Finally found highlights of this game:


Windies lost their last 8 wickets for 25 runs, Saqlain Mushtaq in sublime form. Patterson Thompson was a real chunky bowler. Amazing he ever played cricket at international level.

 

[Headless Chook]

World Series Cricket Supertest - Jan 1978. Aust v World XI at the old Sydney Showground. WSC wasn't played at the SCG nor were they allowed to be called Tests.

I remember the day I went it pissed down rain for pretty much the whole day and only about 15 overs were bowled. Spent most of the day watching the Aust team playing cards looking through the dressing room windows. Chappell, Marsh, Dougie Walters, Gilmour and co drinking tinnies and smoking ciggies in between the rain breaks. Fantastic.

 

[madunit]

January 2, 2005.

Watching Salman Butt score a boring 108 as the Paki's batted all day.
I didn't go the next day and Punter scored 155.

SO pissed off.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/i/engine/match/63699.html
http://www.espncricinfo.com/i/engine/match/63699.html
That my first live game,Wasim Akram so scary to see in person

 

[King hit]

I was at the first test of the 2010-11 ashes on the day where Haddin and Hussey batted out a full day almost. Was one of the few postives in an awful series.

 

[DC_fan]

My first international game was 4th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 4-9, 1975. Which we won by 171 runs. It was Rick McCoskers debut test, scoring 80.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63139.html

 

[Front-Rower]

Aus v Sth Africa at the SCG in 1994.

Went to the first 4 days though my folks deceided not to go to day 5 because it would of been a waste of time traveling in as we needed about 60 runs with 9 wickets in hand.....

http://m.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63629.html

 

[Bazal]

Australia v Sri Lanka ODI at the SCG in December 1995. Sat in the Churchill Stand, but as the run chase came to a conclusion, I wandered down to the seating either in front of the Doug Walters or Bill O'Reilly Stand, and recall the crowd chanting for Shane Lee.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65530.html

This was my first match as well tbh. I think. Certainly the first I remember.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Australia Vs South Africa, 2nd test, 1998 at the SCG

It was Steve Waugh's 100th test and had a good partnership with brother Mark. Junior got a ton and Steve fell a bit short. I remember Ponting hit a big six towards the Ladies Stand. Paul Reiffel who was in pretty good form with the bat got a duck and played one of his last tests.

Of course this was the test where Warney got his 300th wicket but I only attended Day 3. Still pretty memorable.

 

[the rebel]

First live game for me was in 1994 New Zealand vs Australia in Hamilton. Jeff Wilson hit the winning runs and in absolute thriller. I remember Merv Hughes hit a massive six that went out of the Seddon Park. Other games I have seen live include New Zealand vs England when Jesse Ryder and McCullum went nuts and put on a 150 run stand. Absolutely pic. Favourite was in the Chappell Hadlee series in 2007 when NZ chased down 340. The crowd that day was unreal. Hayden's innings was a gem and it was raining sixes that day.

 

[Mogsheen Jadwat]

2006 Ashes, Gabba test. My boss at the time had a couple of five day passes and so my wife and I grabbed them and went for two days. Nice to see Warne and co take a few wickets before their retirement.

The thing that struck me the most was the contrast between crowd in cricket and basically any other team sport. Usually the crowd is frothing at the mouth etc, but people seemed content to read the paper, pay no attention to the cricket for a good period and just check in every now and then to see what was happening.

it was... bizarre at first. but i guess unless you're a cricket tragic it's probably hard to watch every ball intently.

 

[undertaker]

First live game for me was in 1994 New Zealand vs Australia in Hamilton. Jeff Wilson hit the winning runs and in absolute thriller. I remember Merv Hughes hit a massive six that went out of the Seddon Park.

That 1993 Australian tour of New Zealand was never televised in Australia, and only bits and pieces have surfaced on YouTube (e.g. Shane Warne's wickets from the test series).

The 5 game bilateral ODI series (from reading reports online) was one of the best in the '90s. Have looked all over the internet and haven't found any highlights.

Aus v Sth Africa at the SCG in 1994.

Went to the first 4 days though my folks deceided not to go to day 5 because it would of been a waste of time traveling in as we needed about 60 runs with 9 wickets in hand.....

http://m.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63629.html

The folk living in Sydney must be filthy they missed out on one of the closest finishes to a test match, as back then Ch9 only broadcast the first 2 hours of an ODI or last session of a test match into the host city if it wasn't a sold-out attendance.

My first international game was 4th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 4-9, 1975. Which we won by 171 runs. It was Rick McCoskers debut test, scoring 80.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63139.html

Wow, you've been around for a long time. You've been lucky to have witnessed a lot of great cricket since then.

 

[axl rose]

One dayer Australia vs South Africa at the Gabba in about 1999. All i remember is we lost and someone threw a drumstick at Pat Symcox.