Cricket in Victoria, Australia, has a rich and storied history, deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of the state. From iconic cricketing venues to grassroots clubs nurturing future stars, Victoria has made significant contributions to the sport both domestically and internationally.
Cricket was first played in Victoria during the early years of British colonization in the 19th century. The sport quickly gained popularity, with matches organised in various towns and settlements across the state. The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), founded in 1838, played a pivotal role in promoting cricket and establishing it as a significant sporting pursuit in Victoria.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, affectionately known as the MCG, is synonymous with cricket in Victoria. Established in 1853, the MCG is one of the world's most renowned cricket stadiums, boasting a capacity of over 100,000 spectators. It has been the venue for numerous historic cricketing events, including Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and World Cup finals. [1]
Cricket Victoria (CV) serves as the official governing body for cricket in the state. Established in 1875, CV oversees various aspects of the sport, including:
The Victorian cricket team, known as the Victoria Bushrangers in domestic competitions, represents the state of Victoria in Australian domestic cricket. The team competes in the Sheffield Shield, Australia's premier domestic first-class cricket competition, as well as the Marsh One-Day Cup and the Big Bash League (BBL). Over the years, the Victorian team has been a dominant force in Australian cricket, producing numerous international players and winning multiple domestic titles. [3]
Women's cricket has seen significant growth and development in Victoria in recent years, thanks to initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and inclusion in the sport. The Victorian Women's Cricket Team competes in domestic competitions such as the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), contributing to the overall growth and popularity of women's cricket in Australia. [4]
Victoria has produced some of the most iconic figures in cricketing history. Legendary cricketers such as Shane Warne, Bill Ponsford, and Keith Miller are synonymous with Victorian cricket and have left an indelible mark on the sport both domestically and internationally. Their achievements continue to inspire generations of aspiring cricketers in Victoria and beyond.
Australian rules football, also called Australian football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts, or between a central and outer post.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as The 'G, is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, with 95,000 seats and an additional 5,000 capacity in standing room for a total of just over 100,000 it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the 11th largest globally, and the second-largest cricket ground by capacity, after the Narendra Modi Stadium. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre and is served by Richmond and Jolimont railway stations, as well as the route 70, route 75, and route 48 trams. It is adjacent to Melbourne Park and is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company, limited by guarantee.
The Victoria men’s cricket team is an Australian first-class men's cricket team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The men’s team, which first played in 1851, represents the state of Victoria in the Marsh Sheffield Shield first-class competition and the Marsh One Day Cup 50-over competition.
Junction Oval is a historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team that is touring Australia during the southern summer. It begins annually on Boxing Day and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The state of Victoria, Australia, has a strong sporting culture and includes many popular sports.
Soccer is the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA), which until 2019, organised the A-League Men, A-League Women, and still organises the Australia Cup, as well as the men's and women's national teams. The FA comprises nine state and territory member federations, which oversee the sport within their respective region.
Australian rules football is the most watched and second most participated code of football in Victoria. Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in the late 1850s and grew quickly to dominate the sport, which it continues to. Victoria has more than double the number of players of any other state in Australia accounting for approximately 42% of all Australian players in 2023 and continues to grow strongly. Soccer is the only football code that is more popular than Australian rules in Victoria, though it has made up much ground lost to soccer over previous decades. Today, they have a similar number of players. The sport is governed by AFL Victoria based in Melbourne. The national governing body, the AFL Commission is also based in Melbourne.
Rugby Victoria, formerly the Victorian Rugby Union, is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia. Within the state of Victoria, it is the governing body for the sport of rugby union.
Cricket is the most popular summer sport in Australia at international, domestic and local levels. It is regarded as the national summer sport, and widely played across the country, especially from the months of September to April. The peak administrative body for both professional and amateur cricket is Cricket Australia. The 2017–18 National Cricket Census showed 1,558,821 Australians engaged in cricket competitions or programs – an increase of 9% from the previous year. 30% of cricket's participants are now female, and 6 in every 10 new participants are female, one of the highest year-on-year participation growth figures. In terms of attendance figures, more than 2.3 million people attended the cricket during the 2017–18 summer, surpassing the record of 1.8 million set in 2016–17.
Sport is a significant aspect of the culture on the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Outside general recreational activities such as walking, gym or bushwalking, the most popular sports in Tasmania are swimming, athletics/track and field, cycling/mountain biking, golf and Australian rules football. Netball ranks as the most popular team sport for female participation, while cricket leads among male participants. The most widely played team sport is soccer, with an estimated 36,773 Tasmanians, comprising 6.8% of the state’s population, participating annually.
Cricket Victoria (CV) is the governing body for the sport of cricket in the Australian state of Victoria. It is integrated with the Victorian Women's Cricket Association to include funding, programs, office accommodation and staff assistance.
The Big Bash League is an Australian men's professional club Twenty20 cricket league, which was established in 2011 by Cricket Australia. The Big Bash League replaced the previous competition, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, and features eight city-based franchises instead of the six state teams which had participated previously. The competition has been sponsored by fast food-chicken outlet KFC since its inception. It was in 2016/17 one of the two T20 cricket leagues, alongside the Indian Premier League, to feature amongst the top ten domestic sport leagues in average attendance. The winner of BBL 13 (2023/2024) was the Brisbane Heat, who beat the Sydney Sixers by 54 runs in the final.
Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. The team is coached by David Saker and captained by Nic Maddinson.
Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
While not being urged to avoid competition, women had few opportunities to compete in sport in Australia until the 1880s. After that date, new sporting facilities were being built around the country and many new sport clubs were created.
The Women's Big Bash League is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 season through to 2014–15. The competition features eight city-based franchises, branded identically to the men's Big Bash League (BBL). Teams are made up of current and former Australian national team members, the country's best young talent, and up to three overseas marquee players.
Kirsty Maree Lamb is an Australian rules footballer playing for Port Adelaide in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. She has previously played for the Western Bulldogs Lamb previously played cricket for Victoria in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and for the Melbourne Renegades in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).
Ruwantha Prasad Kellepotha also known as Ruwantha Kellapotha is a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer who currently resides in Australia. He has played in 21 first-class matches with 20 of them coming in Sri Lankan soil between 2011 and 2013 while a solitary first-class appearance came in Australian soil.
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