Sachin in stands
Much as the entire nation and Team India would have wished, Sachin Tendulkar will not be there blasting away the Pakistanis in the middle this Sunday. But don’t underestimate the power of the common fan because Sachin will be joining them in the stands to cheer his former colleagues with the same gusto with which he batted out Pakistan on so many occasions in so many World Cups. The legend has been invited by the South Australia Government for this special match and is also ICC World Cup’s ambassador for this edition.
Big B not coming
If one legend is coming, another one is not and TV cameras will miss Big B’s towering presence in Adelaide. Much has been said in the news about him commenting on the match and he was expected to be doing so live from here. But the South Australian Tourism confirmed on Wednesday that the star will be unable to make it due to a heavy schedule back home and will be commentating live on radio from Mumbai itself.
Oh Sir Don!
Adelaide may not have the MCG or the Sydney Opera House to broadcast to the world that it has sporting tourism pedigree. But it has what none of the other two more celebrated cities have — it has the singular distinction of being home to none less a legend of cricket than Sir Donald Bradman and being the proud sponsor of the famous Bradman Museum within the precincts of the Adelaide Oval. Bradman may have missed getting the title of Australian Man of the Century in 1999, having been beaten by a Chinese origin heart specialist, but that has not taken away from the tales around the legend. He used to live five km east of Adelaide and was not just a cricketer. He worked as a stockbroking agent to make ends meet and was a known pianist. The family no longer lives in his original residence but his granddaughter has kept up the tradition of music in the family by excelling as an opera singer of repute.
Jay all the way
The Adelaide Oval is a much improved, much expanded entity now, thanks to the consistent efforts of SA premier Jay Weatherill. His Government spent 1.2 billion dollars to make it a World Cup asset and bag big matches. However, the Oval, much like its icon Bradman, does not dote on singular achievement of cricket. The celebrated cricket ground where the main statue at the gate is not of any cricketer, but of an Australian footballer telling you how multi-hued it can get. That’s not all. it also has a pullout pitch, to be removed when soccer happens and that’s pretty often. There’s culture too unfolding in the middle at the Oval here. The Rolling Stones did a jam-packed concert at the South Gate outside of the football season last year and now.
On the Fringe
If it is happening anywhere in Australia, it is in Adelaide and it is not only about the cricket mate. From today, Adelaide will be in the grip of its annual, much touted Fringe Festival of Unearthly Delights. Close to 5,000 Australians have streamed in from various parts of this continent country to be with this high profile art and culture festival. A street parade, midnight concerts in central parks, French cuisine, fashion shows and the like has already generated a lot of buzz around the festival which is just not cricket!