Cricket is a cruel game! Nobody understands that better than Indian cricket fans at the moment. After steamrolling every opponent through their way to the finals, the Indian cricket team looked almost invincible and probably the most deserving team to lift the World Cup this year. Alas, fate and the Australian cricket team had other plans. Not only did they restrict the solid Indian batting line-up to a meager total in the finale, but they also chased down the target against the formidable Indian bowling attack, thereby winning their 6th ODI World Cup.
But what makes the Australian cricket team such a dominant force in ICC tournaments? Perhaps, some adverts on Australian cricket could answer that question for us.
So, here we are with 5 amazing Australian cricket ads that present the perfect tribute to the sheer dominance of Kangaroos in world cricket.
1. Cricket Australia: Made of Cricket
This 1-minute commercial by Cricket Australia perfectly summarises the Australian way of cricket i.e., stepping up when it matters the most.
The ad showcases some of the biggest modern-day Aussie cricketing stars from Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry to Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon. The ad portrays the deeply rooted cricketing culture in Australian society and highlights the deep passion that Aussie cricket lovers have for the game.
2. Star Sports: The Ashes
It’s a fact well known that Australians like their cricket hard. There simply isn’t any room for the tenderfoot, especially if it’s an Ashes series. This 40-second advert clearly defines what Australian cricket is all about.
Sledging, on-field banter, attacking field placements, quick bouncers, inswing toe-crushing yorkers, deadly stares, and cracking shots to clear the infield- these are some of the scenes that we cricket fans grew up watching every time the Aussies took to the field. This 2015 promo by Star Sports offered the Australian side a guidebook on what their fans were expecting from them in the upcoming Ashes series.
Unfortunately, the Baggy Greens couldn’t live up to their fans’ expectations and went down fighting in a closely contested series that saw them lose 2-3.
3. Channel 9: C’mon Aussie
The Australian cricketing history is replete with numerous dramatic moments that made us all go “WHOAH”. This Channel 9 promo for the 1994-1995 Australian cricket season features some of those iconic moments and is backed by an amazing soundtrack that you’d find yourself humming long after this advert is over.
The 1-minute promo shows some of the most memorable moments in Australian cricketing history from Rod Marsh’s broken bat and Rick McCosker’s broken jaw to John Dyson’s unbelievable catch and Shane Warne’s incredible ball to dismiss England’s Mike Gatting. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that these legendary cricketers and their remarkable feats have played a critical role in helping the Aussies rule international cricket for such a long period.
4. 3-Mobile: It’s Good to Be Three
While the Australian team has always been a strong side in international cricket, any cricket lover who’s watched cricket through the late '90s to mid-2000s would testify to what a beast they were during this period.
This 60-second advert, which was probably shot during England's tour of Australia during Ashes 2006-07, presents the Baggie Greens as an extraordinary side, and rightly so. I mean they won pretty much everything between 1999 to 2007. Three consecutive world cups, a Champions Trophy, multiple Ashes series, and a Test series victory on Indian soil- the Aussies won everything as they kept decimating their opponents one after another. Hence, this 3-Mobile commercial showcases the invincible nature of the Australian cricket team as it features all the major Aussie players of that era.
5. Star Sports: Boss Babies
And here comes my favorite Australian cricket commercial- not because it’s hilarious but because it gave everyone a hint of what was about to happen in the World Cup 2023 finale while we kept thinking that it was about the 2019 ODI series between the Indians and Kangaroos.
To give you an overview, the Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was sledged in the 2018 Boxing Day Test match by the then Aussie skipper Tim Paine, who asked him if he could babysit his kids. After India won the test series, Star Sports took this banter to a whole new level with this ad featuring former Indian batsman Virendra Sehwag who is shown babysitting kids donning the Australian jersey.
But Sehwag also looks a bit circumspect of the Aussies playing spoilsport to the Indian team's plans of winning the upcoming T20 series against them after one of the babies takes a leak while Sehwag is holding them in his lap. And damn he was right. The Aussies not only won the T20 series but also won the 5-match ODI series 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in the series.
This was probably a prelude to what was about to happen in World Cup 2023 with the Aussies ripping apart the famed Indian batting line-up in the World Cup finale after losing to the men in blue in their opening game of the tournament.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of the best Australian cricket commercials. The Aussies are one of the most difficult teams to beat in international cricket, which explains why they have the maximum number of tournaments under their belt, both in men’s and women’s cricket. They have always been known for their never-say-die attitude and it shows in all the five adverts covered in this blog.
If you are a true cricket fan like me, don’t miss our blog on some of the most iconic ICC cricket World Cup commercials that we covered before the World Cup finale.
We’ll be back with more amazing commercials for you. Till then, stay tuned!