Season 3 - Episode 47

Bluey - Cricket

In a casual game of neighborhood cricket, the dads find it challenging to get Rusty out.

The episode starts with Bandit telling a story about a time when he, Stripe, and Pat tried to get Rusty out in a game of cricket. The game is taking place on a kid’s birthday, and Bandit catches a tennis ball and hands it to Bluey, who is bowling. Bluey bowls to Bingo, who knocks over the plastic stumps with her bat and gets out. Stripe is up next and scores six by driving Bandit’s delivery straight into a neighbor’s yard. Pat calls out to see who hasn’t batted yet, and Bluey mentions that Rusty hasn’t had a turn.

Rusty is busy demonstrating fielding technique to his little sister, Dusty. Bluey gets bored and suggests playing tiggy instead, saying that cricket is just about hitting a ball around the grass. Bandit disagrees, saying that cricket is about more than that, and they’ll stop playing as soon as they get Rusty out. However, Bluey warns him that they’ll never get Rusty out. Bandit makes a gentle delivery to Rusty, who drives it straight for four, narrowly missing Bandit. Bandit’s pride is wounded, and he asks Rusty if he’s okay with him swinging the ball.

The scene cuts to Rusty’s house, where he’s playing cricket with his brother Digger and sister Dusty. Rusty takes his cricket seriously and is seen training on his own by bouncing a tennis ball against a wall with his bat. Back at the park, Rusty easily handles Bandit’s swing, cutting it to gully and scoring multiple runs. The dads come up with a plan to get Rusty out, but it backfires as Rusty has practiced for this exact situation. At home, his square cut would accidentally go through the kitchen window, infuriating his mum. Rusty has been carefully perfecting his square cut, practising until he can bounce the ball off the side of his house to knock a tin can off the top of a stick. Stripe takes the ball from Bandit and asks Rusty if he can handle spin bowling. Rusty has had plenty of practice handling rough wickets and easily hooks Stripe’s delivery out to leg side.

Bandit comments that every batter has a weakness, and for Rusty, it’s pace attacks. Pat asks Rusty if it’s okay if he has a go, and Rusty looks frightened as he remembers playing against his older brother’s mates, including a terrifying pace bowler called Tiny. The scene cuts to Rusty’s past, where he’s playing against Tiny and gets hit by a fast delivery. However, with encouragement from his dad, who is on deployment, Rusty learns to face his fears and plays a pull shot, scoring a four.

Back at the park, Pat bowls a ferocious short-pitched ball, which Rusty pulls out to leg side. Chilli calls out that it’s time for lunch, but Pat is determined to get Rusty out and makes him return to the crease for one more. Rusty pulls out to leg side again, and Pat bowls with everything he has. This time, Rusty chooses to hit a full toss straight to his little sister, who catches it and gets him out. Bandit explains to Bluey that this is what cricket is about. The episode ends with Rusty praising his sister and imagining himself playing cricket at the Gabba, where he’s an adult version of himself, dressed in the Australian national test cricket team kit.

Release date June 11, 2023

Runtime 7 min

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Cricket — Trivia

Dusty, Digger, and Tiny, Rusty's siblings, make their first television appearance in this episode. The episode also introduces Rusty's house and the exterior of Jack's house.
Character
Cricket was ranked #1 in Blueyfest and featured a new extended intro before its debut. The episode description on ABC IView noted it as the #1 Bluey episode as voted by viewers.
Production
Bandit narrates this episode, making it the third narrated episode and the first narrated by an adult character who appeared before the episode they narrated.
Production
Rusty, a middle child who loves cricket, practices his skills at home and plays on rough wickets. Despite being weak against pace bowling, he has improved by facing his older brother's friends and shows potential to become a professional cricketer.
Character
Lucky and Pat's shared love for cricket is further developed in this episode, building on Lucky's brief play in 'Fairies' and his plans to watch cricket with his father in 'Dad Baby'.
Continuity
The 'Cricket' episode was moved from Season 3, Part 4 to Part 3 as a surprise bonus to coincide with the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship final between Australia and India. The episode's release date was leaked a few days before its official announcement.
Production
The cricket match in the episode follows rules similar to Backyard Cricket, using terms like 'six and out,' 'four bits,' 'square cut,' 'gully and point,' 'off stump,' 'spin,' and 'pace attack.'
Continuity
The park featured in this episode is based on Wittonga Park in Brisbane's The Gap, and it includes the same gazebo with decorations from Lila's birthday party in 'Pass the Parcel'.
Location
Bluey asks her father if they can play 'tiggy' instead of cricket, a game also known as 'Tag' or 'It' in Australia.
Reference
The episode ends with Rusty fist-bumping his older self, who is entering a cricket stadium in a uniform similar to the Australian National Test cricket team. This is the third episode to feature a flash-forward, following 'Camping' and 'Daddy Dropoff'.
Continuity
The original concept for this episode, 'Red Rover,' involved Bandit and Stripe sharing a childhood memory of playing the game, but it was scrapped over safety concerns and later reused in 'Cricket' and 'Fairytale.'
Production
Rusty's journey in learning to bat in cricket follows a hero's journey arc, with challenges and support from his family and Digger's teammates.
Continuity
On Rusty's family house roof, a green tennis ball and an Australian Rules Football are visible, along with two more green tennis balls in the corners.
Continuity
Bluey struggles to throw the ball to Bingo, indicating this episode occurs before Stickbird and Relax, where Chilli is surprised by the girls' poor throwing skills.
Continuity
Bandit bowls swing, Stripe bowls spin, and Pat bowls pace.
Character
Bluey demonstrates poor bowling skills, a callback to her throwing in Stickbird, but she shows slight improvement.
Continuity
Cricket is the first episode since Fairies to include 'flossing'. The animation of Bingo trying to do a handstand is reused from the episode Handstand.
Continuity
Cricket shares the highest IMDb user rating of 9.8/10 in Series 3 with Sleepytime.
Production
Cricket is the third episode to feature a flash-forward moment, following 'Camping' and 'Daddy Dropoff'.
Continuity
The official website's character section for 'Cricket' shows Rusty in cricket gear, Bluey holding a ball, Bingo doing a handstand, Bandit, Stripe, and Pat throwing balls, and Chilli holding a spatula and bread.
Production
In the USA, 'Cricket' airs with the episodes 'Dirt' and 'Driving'.
Production

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Bluey - Cricket

Cricket — Trivia

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