How the Australian Cricket Team Broke a 10-Year-Old’s Heart

I, like many Australians, woke up this morning to some heart-breaking news.

As I learned what had happened in South Africa overnight, I felt cold all over. I had a lump in my throat and felt like everything around me was a little surreal.

This is not the first instance of ball-tampering in a cricket match. But what happened in South Africa over the weekend was the first time I felt personally insulted by an Australian sportsperson cheating.

My brother has two incredibly handsome, loving, cheeky boys. The eldest is 10 years of age and is cricket-mad.

There are kids who love cricket… and then there is my nephew, Will. He has an unbelievable obsession for the sport. And not just for the Big Bash or the one-dayers. This is a kid who loves test cricket as well. He could watch it for hours. He has the whole kit. He has books on cricket, both targeted at children his age and some which are heavier reads also. If, for whatever reason, he can’t go to the park to play cricket, he has enough video games of cricket to keep him entertained.

I remember calling Will for his 9th birthday last year, and his first questions was, “Hi Aunty Cat, guess how many wickets Mitchell Johnson took in the Big Bash today?”