THE CRICKET call down the Midland Highway this week was bold: Geelong should host the fifth Ashes Test up for grabs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While not technically out of the realms of possibility for an elite stadium - one already an alternate home for Big Bash League franchise Melbourne Renegades - it was a big call highly unlikely to go anywhere.
Even Kardinia Park's stadium boss played the diplomatic straight bat and said Geelong could not do the match justice due to ongoing redevelopment works.
But if we are going to make big calls on where England might feel more at home, having played a past fixture in the city - one key pointer Corio MP Richard Marles served up - the English should like Ballarat better.
To be clear, this column is not saying Ballarat should make an audacious bid to host the Ashes this summer. A lack of capacity is the most glaring issue.
But it should get us thinking about our next bold play.
This city has a rich cricket history and the English have shown us a lot of love before.
You only need look to the beloved Dutch Elm standing watch over Eastern Oval for a reminder. One of England's greatest cricketers, WG Grace, declared the ground to be the most English-like of cricket grounds in Australia. The tree was planted in his honour in the 1870s.
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting did a spot of gardening and added his own tree at Eastern Oval more than 130 years later.
And we have hosted international cricket before.
More than 12,000 fans packed into Eastern Oval to watch Sri Lanka in 1992 World Cup cricket action.
Not to mention how Buninyong had been a resting place for English players in past Ashes series, relaxing at the home of former English cricket captain Andrew Strauss and his now-late wife Ruth.
Our history is incredible but we must always be looking to learn from the past and build on such a legacy.
For decades, many laughed at the notion Ballarat could or ever would host an AFL game for premiership points.
Visionaries like Ken Eyres sowed the seeds for this with improved facilities and in pushing a marquee Ballarat team into the state league spotlight.
This week the AFL elevated Ballarat for an Anzac Appeal round match between Western Bulldogs and Adelaide on April 23.
We know this city can host elite sporting teams, international and national, across different sporting codes and stepping up our cricket duties should not be completely out of Ballarat's ball park.
Had COVID conditions been different, Eastern Oval would have hosted a Women's Big Bash League match this season.
We have had the likes of Sri Lankan Muthiah Muralitharan put his spin on display for a Renegades practice match at Eastern Oval in 2013.
We need not be so bold or cheeky as to put our hands up for an Ashes Test - yet - but we should never stop pushing our game to the next level as a sporting city.
We need to build on what we have got.
Otherwise, all we have are nice memories from times when others saw the potential in us.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.