5 Australia Cricket facts that sound fake but are actually true

Australia is deemed as the most decorated nation in the history of the cricketing world. With five World Cup titles in their cabinet, the cricketing giant have domination written all over them. Australia have had a long and rich history of plying their supremacy in gentlemen’s game and have witnessed the various type of moments in them. Though prestigious and proud moments have come their way often, there also have been several incidents that are a little hard to believe. Right from their Test debut in 1877 and rubbing their shoulders in high profile Ashes, Australia have seen it all. They have some weird incidents as well as the pure saga of domination in their history which will leave fans in a state of dilemma Let’s take a look at- 5 amazing facts about Australia’s cricket 1. Adam Gilchrist used a squash ball in his batting glove in 2007 WC final Adam Gilchrist’s squash-ball. (Photo Source: Twitter) Adam Gilchrist is celebrated as one of the best wicketkeeping-batsmen in the history of Australia. However, the masterclass he brought on the table during the 2007 World Cup final became the saga to remember for years. Australia were on their way to clinch their second straight World title when Gilchrist appeared in the form of his life. He smashed 149 runs off 104 balls, becoming the highest run-getter in the WC finale, and claimed the fastest ton in the mega event (72 balls). Australia won the clash and Gilchrist was declared as the player of the match for his sensational innings where he batted with a squash ball under his gloves. It was later revealed that the batter used a different technique under pressure situations and it worked out too well for him. 2. Dennis Lillee came to bat with an Aluminum bat in Tests against England Greg Chappell walks away from Mike Brearley, showing his disgust at Dennis Lillee’s aluminum bat. (Photo by Adrian Murrell/Getty Images) Denis Lillee is regarded as one of the most outstanding pacers of his generation. Apart from being the best in his business, he displayed a fiery temperament on the field as well. However, an incident related to him during the 1979 Test series against England caught much attention. Australia was up against England and Lillee remained unbeaten on day 1 at stumps and he batted with a conventional wooden bat. On the next day, he walked up the field with an aluminum bat which shook everyone. When he tried to hit the ball, it produced a great amount of sound but the ball couldn’t touch the boundary line. Australia skipper Greg Chappell signalled him to go for the wooden bat but the pacer continued in his action. Ten minutes later, Chappell himself walked on the field with a wooden bat and Lillee realized that he has no option left. He literally threw his aluminum bat and continued with the wooden one. He later revealed that he used the other bat purely for a marketing purpose as it was his business friend’s idea, who was also a club cricketer. 3. Australia didn’t lose a Test at Lord’s for straight 75 yrs Australia team . (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images) Lord’s is considered as Mecca of cricket and every team or player wishes to make a mark there at least once. Talking of cricketing heavyweights Australia, they ruled the venue like ultimate Kings and remained unbeaten there for as long as 75 straight years. During 1934, they lost the second Test match of the series against England but what continued next there was a fairytale. Kangaroos played as many as 18 Tests on the venue till 2009 and won 9 out of them, a record which is a hard nut for any visiting team. Their golden record got broken in the year 2009 by England when they succumbed to a defeat by 115 runs. However, a record as dominating as this on an away venue speak volume about Australia’s strength in the cricketing world. 4. David Warner made his international debut for Australia without playing any FC game David Warner of Australia. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Warner is regarded as the one of best batsmen to have blessed Australia cricket across all the formats of the game. His sheer class and skills have put him on the top of the charts in all these years and he continues to shine as ever even now. However, not many would know that the ace batsman didn’t appear in a single FC game before marking his international debut in 2009 against South Africa. It happened for the first time since the team’s debut in Test cricket in 1877. However, his ultimate class and clean striking opened avenues for him in the ODIs as well. It was said that Australia were looking for a replacement for Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist who were good in their business. However, Warner just had a great domestic season just before his debut against SA and hence was picked immediately. Later, Warner proved the decision every bit correct. 5. George Bailey captained Australia on his International debut George Bailey. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Bailey was former cricketer and captain of the Australian and carried responsibilities of the team in absence of Michael Clarke. His ODI records were good enough as in 90 games, he breached the 3000 run mark and averaged over 40. However, an amazing fact associated with the former cricketer is that he captained Australia in his first international game for the nation in 2012. After bagging a great amount of success as a skipper of Tasmania, he carried the legacy for his national side as well. Australia won the series under his leadership and he became the second-ever cricketer from his nation to captain the side on debut. Before him, the record was on Dave Gregory who led the side in the first-ever Test in 1877.