Wimbledon, Cricket World Cup and Origin set up Cinderella stories

An epic week beckons: a World Cup cricket semi, State of Origin decider, and a fairytale Wimbledon.

Dave Warner, Ashleigh Barty and Mitchell Pearce will be in action this week.

An epic week is upon us. A World Cup cricket semi-final against the bloody Poms. A State of Origin decider between sworn blood enemies. A Wimbledon campaign that could not be more of a fairytale if Ash Barty was wearing a glass slipper to a royal ball.

They’re the sort of high-stakes and prestigious battles that bring to mind Orwell’s description of sport as “war minus the shooting”. Unspeakable glory for the victors, absolute devastation for the losers. All relative, of course — none of the casualties will require a flag to be lowered to half-mast — but in the sporting landscape, there’s some heavy-duty conflict to come.

Barty’s dream Wimbledon draw was always going to get her into the second week. It was her reward for being the world No 1.

But her likely quarter-final tomorrow night, against Serena Williams, is dangerous for one reason above all others. According to those huddled in Williams’ corner, it will be the first time in about 20 years in which she won’t be burdened by favouritism. The 23-time major champ has been expected to win practically every match since she claimed the 1999 US Open but against the fresh-minted Barty on grass, she will feel like the underdog — and that is a status she desperately wants.

First, Barty must beat Alison Riske tonight, and Williams must beat Carla Suarez Navarro. Here’s hoping. Barty annihilated Harriet Dart in round three. Anyone who saw the English lass lose 6-0 6-0 to Maria Sharapova on Rod Laver Arena in January and promptly burst into tears knew the enormity of Centre Court at Wimbledon would poison Dart. The 6-1 6-1 scoreline flattered her.

Meanwhile, out on Court 1, Williams was playing angry against Julia Goerges, grunting so loudly she could be heard on Centre, hitting fast and furious in a 6-3 6-4 victory. Barty versus Williams would be artistry versus animalistic competitiveness. Williams would treat it like a proper Orwellian dispute, all guns blazing. Again, here’s hoping.

“It’s the most beautiful court in the world, isn’t it?” Barty said after throwing Dart out of the tournament. “I promised myself when I walked out there, that I’d smile.”

 

If the showdown with Williams eventuates, she’ll be the only person grinning at her surroundings. As Williams said, “I play pretty good when I’m calm — but super-intense.”

Origin bitterness is as palpable as ever. The unlikeliest of halfbacks are in the thick of it. NSW’s Mitchell Pearce was once told by Johnathan Thurston to get a selfie with the Wally Lewis statue because that’s as close as he would ever get to the Origin shield. Now Pearce has a chance for the last laugh, a Thurston-style, kookaburra-scale laugh, if he pilots a series win at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.

If the Blues prevail, he should take the shield and ask Thurston, now a sideline commentator, to take a picture of him with it. Why not? But I think Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans is even more under the pump. He hasn’t been the Maroons’ faithful’s cup of tea in years gone by and if he’s at the helm for another series defeat, the same murmurs will arise about whether he’s been the right personality fit for the job.

“I don’t see it as the biggest game of my life,” Cherry-Evans has said to the groaning disappointment of Queensland followers who want him to see it as, well, the biggest game of his life.

Pearce and Cherry-Evans have both seemed destined to be Origin outcasts. One of them is about to grab a significant win while the other goes back to being the punching bag for disgruntled fans and analytical media. Pearce or Cherry-Evans as an Origin hero? It’s about to happen. For one of them. That was Prince of Penzance odds a short while ago.

Pearce’s halves partner, James Maloney, says: “It’s good to see him back. I’d love to see us get the job done and for him to right a few wrongs. He’s been a scapegoat for a long time and I don’t think that has ever been justified.”

If Barty versus Williams (here’s hoping) lacks anything, it’s a long-term rivalry. If the 39-year rivalry of NSW versus Queensland in rugby league lacks anything, it’s the 142 years of history between Australia and England in cricket.

Thursday night is the biggest match of the lot because Barty will get more chances at Wimbledon and anyway, Williams likes her as Gru adores his little Minions. Origin III will explode for 80 minutes but the NRL season is the most deep-and-meaningful journey for every player. It’s the Australia versus England World Cup semi-final that has history’s pen poised. It’s the sort of contest in which, really, the result is all that matters.

It will be a horror film for some, a thing of beauty for others. Def­eat will resemble the shower scene from Psycho, whose creator, Alfred Hitchcock, once said: “There is nothing to winning, really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind — and no scruples whatsoever.”

The post-sandpaper era has been stamped by an injection of scruples from coach Justin Langer. If he leads former villains David Warner and Steve Smith to a World Cup triumph, there’s your Cinderella story.