Cricket

Mr DULUK (Waite) (15:24): I would like to talk about a topic very dear to my heart and that is cricket. Whether it is the 11 wonderful players who wear the baggy green in a test match, to witnessing a century as a spectator, to cricket on Christmas Day in the family backyard, it is certainly a sport that brings a nation together.

Over the weekend, Adelaide hosted the second match of the Domain Test Series against Pakistan. Unfortunately, the weather was not so kind, but we still had a brilliant test match here in Adelaide going over four days and seeing Adelaide Oval host 91,879 fans, which is truly a fantastic effort by South Australia in supporting the Adelaide Oval test. It is an incredible number, showing that not even the wet can dampen the spirits of South Australian cricket tragics.

Picturesque world-renowned Adelaide Oval was once again bustling with spectators and the atmosphere was fantastic. Compare this with the test match a week ago in Brisbane, which was played a week earlier. Brisbane could barely put together 45,000 for the test match, despite the fact that the city is home to a much larger population than Adelaide. Indeed, if we want cricket to be alive in this country, we need to ensure that it is well supported right across Australia. Our international players, men and women, deserve to be playing in front of a large audience.

That is why it is so disappointing that, once again, we get to the end of the 2019 year and we are talking about whether Adelaide is going to host a test match next year. It is so important that Adelaide Oval does indeed host the test series next year. More importantly, it is because India is coming. India is a powerhouse in the game of cricket, but also a powerhouse in terms of communities that are in Adelaide of Indian descent. We know that they certainly come out and support the Indian team when they travel.

Adelaide Oval continues to draw crowds year in, year out, no matter what, even despite the beer prices. SA has long celebrated cricket and we have a great culture. I think we have one of the best pitches in the nation and that is why it is so important that as a government we continue to promote and want the Adelaide Oval test to remain. Just look at last weekend: hotels were booked and the bars and restaurants were packed. There was a huge focus on cricket. People were talking about it in the streets and, of course, I know that resonates into our communities as well.

Australia has an important relationship with India beyond the game of cricket, however. Cricket is a strong cultural connection between our two nations. India right now is seeing high economic growth and India is number four for South Australia in terms of our major export destinations for 2017-18. The high economic growth rate in the last two decades has led to increasing demand for minerals from Australia. The mining sector is an important segment of the Indian economy and is very diverse, spanning most geographical regions.

India has also maintained its position as the largest buyer of Australian almonds and, of course, South Australia is a huge exporter of almonds as well. Prime Minister Morrison has accepted an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Modi to visit the country in January 2020. This will be a huge opportunity for Australia to further strengthen our cultural ties, our shared values and, really importantly, that economic stimulus and drive that is driven from exports between the two nations.

What better way to focus on bilateral trade from a South Australian perspective than through the prism of cricket and that will hopefully be through the Adelaide-India test match at Adelaide Oval in 2020, which will hopefully be under lights. It will be a great boost for tourism for our state in showcasing what is so fantastic here in Adelaide in South Australia to a huge cricket-loving market and a nation with a population of over one billion. I hope Cricket Australia sees sense and ensures that Adelaide Oval is awarded the India-Australia test match next year.

Sir, you will be very pleased to know that 2020 will see the launch of SA Parliament Friends of Cricket, which I am pleased to be a co-chair of, together with the Leader of the Opposition. We are looking to have our first charity event as a pollies versus media match at the Karen Rolton Oval early in the new year. The member for Florey was telling me the other day how she remembers opening the batting with former member of the upper house Angus Redford. It was Bedford and Redford opening up the batting for the South Australian team.

I have some great clubs in my community: the Coromandel Cricket Club, Belair Cricket Club, Coromandel Valley Ramblers Cricket Club and Unley Gunners Cricket Club. They compete in various competitions across suburban Adelaide in summer. They are fantastic clubs and I wish them all the best for the 2019-20 season.