Sydney Cricket Ground a sea of pink to celebrate Day Three of the Australia vs. India Test
An enormous pink banner with the late Jane McGrath’s image has been unfurled, emblazoned with the quote “no one should go through cancer without care” as a pink wave took over the SCG. See the pictures.
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The flood of pink dominated the stands, with both Indian and Australian fans shrugging off the national colours to show support for the McGrath Foundation’s cause.
Some families and groups of mates rocked up in matching outfits while others kept it simple and popped on fluoro pink hi-vis shirts.
Even the NSW police officers patrolling the stadium got involved, wearing pink versions of their usual blue caps.
Wearing flamingo-themed hot-pink ‘pj’s’ were Henry Thomas and his mates who were basking in the sun and lapping up the atmosphere.
“The sun’s out, it’s a beautiful day, and the atmosphere is electric,” Mr Thomas said.
The 21-year-old is like many in the “party stands” of the ground and is enjoying every minute at the SCG.
Even when India was on the brink of losing the series, the Bharat Army were up and about, wearing special edition punk shirts, banging their drums whenever fortune favoured the touring side.
Pankaj Biwal, the leader of the army, says the Pink Test is such a special place because of the historic scenery.
“Sydney is an amazing ground; the redevelopment besides the Members stand and the Ladies Pavilion makes the SCG so special.”
Next to the Bharat Army is the bay-filling Pink Flippers Club, who make up a strong presence of the Brewongle Stand.
Each member of the exclusive club wears a pink towel hat, which is as precious as the Baggy Green for them.
The club’s team leader is Jack Begg, who organises the club to come to a day at the cricket all across the country.
“You come one year, you bring a mate the next year...it’s all about catching up,” he said.
“It’s the time to be living, watching the cricket, what more could you want?”
With the pink carpet rolled out atop a sunbaked field, the Jane McGrath Day - the third day of the Pink Test - kicked off with a soulful performance by Australian country songstress Amber Lawrence.
The singer roamed the grass with a squad of McGrath Foundation supporters in tow.
An enormous pink banner with the late Jane McGrath’s image has been unfurled, emblazoned with the quote “no one should go through cancer without care”.
Co-founder of the McGrath Foundation and Australian cricket legend Glenn McGrath shook hands first with the Australian team, then jogged over with his daughters and the charity’s director Tracy Bevan and CEO Holly Masters to welcome the Indian team onto the field.
The players ran out with pink baggy caps donned specially for the parade, switching them out for their regular green. The “baggy pinks” will be auctioned off, the money raised going straight to the McGrath Foundation.
The Ladies Pavillion has been rebranded to the Jane McGrath Stand in her honour, and the entirety of the SCG crowd is awash with pink.
HIGH TEA FUNDRAISER
Next door to the SCG, at Allianz Stadium the McGrath Foundation hosted its annual high tea fundraiser, with stars of the sporting and broadcast world on the guest list including Steve Smith’s wife Dani Willis and American tennis great Jim Courier.
Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton was among the famous faces in attendance, and told
The Daily Telegraph the charity’s cause hit even closer to home this year after losing a friend to cancer over the Christmas period.
“I’ve been coming (to the high tea) for many years, and see a lot of familiar faces, but a lot of new faces as well,” he said.
“It’s one of the most amazing charity organisations in the country and the work that they do, particularly for women but now for patients of other cancer types, is quite remarkable.”
Pink spritz cocktails were on hand as guests were ushered into the Hirer’s Dining Room, before being seated for their meal and presentations at the Jane McGrath High Tea, emceed by Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew, who recently revealed her own cancer diagnosis - myeloid leukaemia - on-air.
Bartholomew was joined by Kellie Finlayson, wife of AFL player Jeremy Finlayson, McGrath breast care nurse recipient Leanne Moss and Channel 10 TV personality Barry Du Bois for a panel discussing their own cancer journeys.
Du Bois, interior designer and co-host of The Living Room, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called solitary plasmacytoma in 2011, which later developed into incurable myeloma. However the 64-year-old said his experience with the disease started long before his own diagnosis.
“In the beginning I went through cancer with my mum, in 2004, (and) only twelve months after that - after twelve failed IVF attempts with my wife - my wife got cervical cancer,” he said.
“I’m very lucky - I live in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, I’m a man of means ... so I have an incredible support team behind me ... and I’m very conscious of those people who are from regional towns or don’t have the support network I had.
“That’s why I’m so passionate about this foundation and the work they do, because I know that care and sense of empathy ... nurture and trust is such a beautiful fuel ... to thrive.”
Kitted out in a pink sari and joined by friends Tabitha Satkunarajah and Claire Briggs, doctor Nisha Sachdev said she’s also a regular at the annual tea, with the cause deeply personal to the trio.
“We’ve all got friends that have cancer or unfortunately have passed away,” she said.
“The cause is really good because that’s what you need - you need the support from cancer nurses.”
“Whenever you’re in the hospital, the doctors are amazing, but it’s the nurses who carry you through,” Ms Satkunarajah added.
KONSTAS WOWS THE CROWD
The crowd were up and about for the short but entertaining innings from the local boy Sam Konstas, with the ground riding every shot from the 19-year-old.
Although the wickets fell, the Sydney crowd was still excited as thousands rocked up to witness history and see Steve Smith surpass 10,000 test runs.
However, the script wasn’t a fairytale for the crowd or Smith, as he got out one run short of the milestone.
The disappointed Australian crowd went silent, but the roar of the Indian fans lit up the SCG.
More to come.
Originally published as Sydney Cricket Ground a sea of pink to celebrate Day Three of the Australia vs. India Test
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