The atmosphere at the stadium was unlike anything that I have ever encountered. The crowd of 17,018 was so silent, that I often had to remind myself that I was at a cricket match. I have never encountered any crowd in Australia, let alone in Perth, where a limited overs crowd were so deathly silent that I could hear my own thoughts shouting within at the top of their figurative lungs. It was a completely surreal sensation to deal with. Even the usual background noise of thousands of people murmuring, chatting away like a series of dull buzzing, or a series of computers humming away were completely absent. I cannot stress just how bizarre and unusual this was. It was really jarring and would make my viewing experience for this game rather challenging to enjoy fully for what it was; a T20 game that is just for fun seeing big hitting and wickets.
Though once the West Indian batsmen started to open their arms and began to take to the Australian bowling after crashing to 5 wickets for 80 runs. They were looking like what they went through in Brisbane for the test match. Big hitting from Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell gave the Windies a very respectable and defendable total of 220 with only the loss of 6 wickets. This was the West Indies' highest score against Australia in Australia and against Australia. This was going to be quite the mountain for the home team to overcome. The records kept being made for this game as this was an all time high for the highest 6th wicket partnership in T20 cricket with Rutherford and Russells big hitting of 139 runs. Amongst that carnage, Adam Zampa's 1/65 was the most runs an Australian bowler has ever conceded in T20 international cricket.
The damage was done by the Windies, so now it was Australia's turn to chase down a rather daunting target and the crowd seemed to have magically come to life during the bombs dropped by Rutherford and Russell. Almost as if someone realised that the crowd audio was switched off and rushed to the TV producer's office and flicked the switch and everything came to life. The crowd started to get excited, clap, cheer and ooo and ahhh at what was happening. This would continue with the Australian batting as David Warner took it to the Windies attack with a fast paced 81 that was looking ominous for the visitors. But once Warner departed, the wickets were then tumbling at a rather regular pace and the runs were not being stacked on. The pressure was building upon the middle order and the overs were just starting to be chewed up as time went by. The tight West Indian bowling and the inability to get the ball away for any big hitting proved to be too much with the Australians batting their full 20 overs for 183 runs. The Australians were just choked out of the contest and just never looked like being a threat to chasing the runs down.
Now onto the food and drinks. Popcorn was for 8 dollars and while my partner in crime did not enjoy how salty they were, I thought they were rather nice and hit that spot; I do enjoy popcorn that is salty and buttered well. However, they were not buttered as what I would have liked, but the flavour with the salt just did it for me. Though for 8 dollars, I think that is 2 dollars too much and a bit of a rip off. The chips with the butter chicken with it was very nice and I did need to salt the chips a little as they were just the fries with no seasoning. Though with the butter chicken curry sauce it wasnt too bad, the only issue was with that was the butter chicken curry sauce wasnt a lot in quantity. That was priced at 13.50 and i think for the size it is ok, just could do with more butter chicken curry sauce and chicken itself.
Water was basically 5 dollars at 4.90 and I think that is ridiculous. Water should at most be not more than 3.50 and virtually on par with cool drink which is 2 dollars more is ridiculous; need I say more on this? Captain Morgan rum and cola were 13.50 and this time they were full strength. In the photo I am showing the mid-strength as I bought that when we left the member's section of the stadium. You can only get these if you are a WACA member, so if you are just a regular joe getting anything similar, you wont get full strength. So for full strength it is barely acceptable for its price. But I have never been a fan of how expensive alcohol is in sporting venues in this country. Also purchased was Bulleit bourbon which was full strength and the same price of 13.50.
Lastly, was the habanero spicy chicken. Now these were not as good as the previous time that I consumed these at the cricket as they were a little on the overcooked side of things. That meant that they were a little drier than usual and a bit more crunchier and crispier for their coatings. However I did try their dipping sauce, the creamy pickle mayonnaise and my goodness that complimented them so well. They were not super hot or that intense that it would cause discomfort, though for a sporting venue tailored for people who cannot stand any form of space, they were really good. There was still a bit of a kick that would not only have me enjoying the chicken, but also the spices and the sauce would further compliment the experience. These were priced at 15 dollars and you did get a fair amount of chicken. So I would have to say that these would be the only thing that would be in line with its price.
Once again a decent experience at the cricket. The game was enjoyable and the rum went down well and the habanero chicken was the real winner. However, ultimately the prices for food and beverages at Optus stadium are not ideal and it isnt bad for a visitor, or a couple to buy just a few things and then theyre done with those. If I was to bring the entire family and they would want food, then something sweet and then a snack with drinks to be added on top and throughout would cost a fortune. It thus makes going out a difficult experience. I only saved as I am a member and also used my guest pass, thus saving 50 or 60 bucks straight off the bat. Despite that, it is a wonderful venue and always a pleasure watching cricket there.
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