Who likes Cricket?

[Mycernius]

or likes playing it. I know it is seen as an English sport. but it is played in various other countries in the world. There are the major players, known as the test playing nations, these are; England, The West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is also a international league for other nations. I do know that the Netherlands play in the English minor counties league. They have suffered from cricket violence in India and Pakistan, which shatters the idea it can be a boring game.
I like playing the game (straight r/h bowler, medium to fast), but watching it can be tedious. If it is on I will dip in and out of the game, just to see how things are going. My brother on the other hand (spin bowler r/h, slow to medium) is a total cricket fan and will be watching this years Ashes. Is there anyone else who even takes an interest in the game?
(How is it viewed in Japan?)

 

[Davey]

Hello MYC.. i will just come for the BEER !!!! LOL

excualy i dont really know the rules of the game, and never watched it! tell me more about it. maybe i get interrested

 

[Mycernius]

You want the rules?!? Okay lets start with the basics
There are two teams of eleven. It is played on an large oval field with the batting area (called the wicket) in the middle. One team fields while the other team bat. There are two batsmen out in the wicket at any one time.
At either end of the wicket are the stumps (3 upright sticks) and the bails (two small sticks that rest on top of the stumps). They are set 22 yards away from each other. The batsman stands just in front of the stumps and defends them with his bat while a bowler at the other end bowls overarm to him trying to hit the stumps. If the stumps are hit the batsman is out and is replaced with a new batsman. If the ball hits his legs because they are in the way of the stumps he is out. This is called an LBW which means Leg Before Wicket. If he hits the ball he can then take a run. When this happens both batsmen run to the other batsmen end. This counts as one run. However if the ball is caught by a fielder he is out. If, during the running, the ball is fielded and thrown at the stumps and hit before he is in the safe zone he is out. This can apply to either batsman, not just to the one who hit it. The safe zone is a line just infront of the stumps called the batting line or crease.
If the ball rolls to the boundry before being stopped by a fielder it is counted as four runs. If the ball is hit over the boundry before hitting the ground it is counted as six runs.
The ball is bowled 6 times from one end of the wicket. This is called an over. At the end of the over the ball is then bowled from the other end of the wicket. When ten men are eventually out the fielding team then take their turn at batting. Each team batting is called an innings. There are usually two innings per game. This can change, depending on what the other team scored. You can also have limited overs games ie: 20, 30 or 50 overs per inning. These are normally one day matches. Then there are the test matches. Each game is played over 5 days. When England play the other test playing nations there is 3 or 5 games per test, depending on the country we are playing. Australia are normally 5 game tests. The recent one we played against Bangladesh was a 3 game test.
These are just the basics and it is fairly difficult to discribe the sport in detail to someone who has never watched it before. most English children from about 7 or 8 know how to play the game. we must have a cricket gene in us somewhere. My mother and grandfather taught me how to play. My grandfather taught my brother how to spin bowl.
Hope this claers a few thigns up for you. Next time I will try to find a site that expalins things a little better. Any mistakes I have made are purely my fault and I will probably get corrected on a few things by other cricket players (Other Brits, Aussies, Kiwis or Indians)

 

[TwistedMac]

Now you got him going, DB... ok, let's have one of those fantastic 48hour games... my pins are not yours to knock, biznitch.

 

[Mycernius]

Yer cheeky young bugger.
I have found a couple of links for you. The first one is easy to understand, the second one are the official rules

Basic rules

Official rules

 

[Sensuikan San]

Sorry Bro !

Fellow Brit I may be ... but ... I'm sorry ....!

Cricket is ... like watching paint dry!

I dumped it in 1957!

... and the ball is too hard, too! It bloody hurts!

I took up rowing - a much more sensible sport. And since I moved over here ... Baseball is much more interesting, and far more challenging than most English guys imagine !

:sorry: :sorry: :sorry:

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[Mycernius]

I have Canadian cousins and one of them told me that he found baseball incredible boring. I can always remember one of The Simpsons Episode, when Homer was off the booze. He went to a baseball game sober and said he never realised how boring baseball really was. Never really watched it myself. Overblown rounders, isn't it?

 

[Sensuikan San]

I have Canadian cousins and one of them told me that he found baseball incredible boring. I can always remember one of The Simpsons Episode, when Homer was off the booze. He went to a baseball game sober and said he never realised how boring baseball really was. Never really watched it myself. Overblown rounders, isn't it?

:frown:
No sir ... it most certainly is not !

And I am most distressed that you have uncharacteristically lowered your sights so low ... that you can accept Homer Simpson as an authority!

Shame! Shame upon you sir!

You have obviously never been in the situation of seeing your team down by three runs in the final innings of a World Series. It's your last batter at the plate, he's your champion, your ace .... but he's down two strikes ... and the pitcher is a piece of artillery with cap on his head and a few tricks up his sleeve.

The bases are loaded ... the crowd is on its feet ... the beer is watery, nearly five bucks a plastic cup and the hot-dogs are stale ... but what the hell !

The crowd is hushed ... the pitcher stands on the mound - what's it gonna be ? (If it's a fastball - we're OK... but this guy has a mean curved ball which our guy doesn't like ... and that umpire is pretty mean with his strike zone ...!)

He takes his stance ... he begins his slooow windup ... he pauses ... the catcher whips off his mask, stands and approaches the mound ... they converse ... no-one can read their lips!

The catcher returns to the plate; he squats ... a few brief signals ...

The pitcher nods - begins his windup ...

... leans back ... lifts his leg ... and ...

FASTBALL !

There is a microsecond of suspense - a swing - a crack ... a solid crack!

... and a ball arcs to left field ... high and true .... the outfield raise their eyes and don't even bother to run ....the ball is already over the upper deck and fans fight to catch the prize!

You spill your beer ... you drop your 'dog!

Four-Run Homer! "Grand Slam"!

The perfect ending to a perfect year!

And TORONTO WHUP THE YANKS TO BRING THE "WORLD" SERIES TROPHY TO CANADA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!

...and I saw it !

(And they did it the next year, too!) Of course ... that was a long time ago, now...!

But - Nah ! ..... it ain't boring!

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[Mycernius]

Youmean you never got a thrill when England were the first team to beat Pakistan at their homegound?
How can you stand watery beer? Your an Englishman for gods sake. Demand warm Bass bitter. I must admit I have never really watched any baseball, but I did see the Toronto Raptors beat The Washington Wizards at basketball.
One thing I do remember about baseball, or rather its softball version, was from several years ago. I was at an Amikaro (international scout camp held in Warwickshire) and we had a lot of Canadian Scouts there. They decided to challenge a few of the English Venture scouts to a game of Softball. Of course the Canadians won the first game, as the English really didn't have a clue what was going on. The second game was a tie and in the third game the English had worked out what to do and thrashed the Canadians. What the Canadian leaders were most amazed about was the fact that the English would catch the ball without the use of a glove. Cricket really hardens up your hands.

 

[Sensuikan San]

Obviously, what your Canadian scouts lacked was what Canadian baseball thrives on ....

Players from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the United States !

And yes - that bloody cricket ball is damned hard ! Whenever I saw one "coming out of the sun" at me .... I used to run like hell!

... and it doesn't only hurt the hands ! I found it could be quite irritating on the side of the head, the face, the shoulders - and several places rather lower down on my anatomy!

Mind you - you wouldn't want to receive a home run from Barry Bonds in your "clock", either !

Painfully,

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[Mycernius]

I got knocked out by a cricket ball once at school. I had just bowled and the batsman returned it to me. The next thing I can remember was looking up at the games teacher asking if I was alright.
I know baseballs are also hard. Got one somewhere in the house

 

[Flashjeff]

I've seen highlights of cricket games on FOX Sports World and it always left me scratching my head from utter confusion as I can't figure out that game to save my life. And they play the same game for days on end? URGH! No thanks! I'll stick with plain old boring baseball!

 

[Kara_Nari]

I think that maybe I enjoyed playing cricket when I was 7? Or *memory reminding me* I was forced to play it, and being the only girl relative out of a bunch of guys, I kinda got stuck playing... I only ever liked hitting the ball though... thats it. So I guess that was my hey day as a 'batter'.

 

[Mycernius]

Okay. England have had me chewing my fingernails today. Trying their best to throw the game away, but we are finally leading Australia in the Ashes. Why do England always seem to try their best to throw it away with the Aussies? Not only at cricket, but we do it with rugby as well. Our sportmen seem to have a mental block when playing Australia. Oh well, we only need a draw at the Oval. (I bet all of you non-cricket peple are now thinking "The Englishmans lost it" or "What the hell is he on about now?")

 

[smoke]

Watching cricket is coma inducing.

 

[Rich303]

No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!

Watching cricket is coma inducing.

I quite concur. Absolute borefest. Yawnarama!

 

[Kara_Nari]

Hmm being at a live Cricket game, I forget what the name of the BIG BIG games are, but in New Zealand I had to work at one of the games, and was allowed to watch the whole game for free after I finished (which was before the game started) anyway before that I was like "pfft, why would I want to hang around and watch a boring game of cricket" anyway I stayed for a wee bit, and it was rather exciting watching a live BIG game. But to watch it on t.v. oh no, I fully agree with the coma inducing comments made....

 

[Sensuikan San]

Okay. England have had me chewing my fingernails today. Trying their best to throw the game away, but we are finally leading Australia in the Ashes. Why do England always seem to try their best to throw it away with the Aussies? Not only at cricket, but we do it with rugby as well. Our sportmen seem to have a mental block when playing Australia. Oh well, we only need a draw at the Oval. (I bet all of you non-cricket peple are now thinking "The Englishmans lost it" or "What the hell is he on about now?")

Oh, Mike! Mike ...!

Yes ... I see what you mean .... but you're quite right ... some of us "non-cricket" people ..... are indeed thinking ... what you said ...!

I think it a great shame that you are in contact with me ... and not my father ... who was quite passionate about the sport !

Unforunately he introduced me to the game with a "home-made" cricket bat ... and when I was left one afternoon with a handle in my hand - and the rest of the bat on the boundary ..... a "rot" set in ... !

Most embarrassing! Took me years to get over it ! (Rowing was the therapy I chose ...!)

You cricket fans just don't know when to give in !

Reluctant Regards,

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[EddyKola]

Cricket is ok, but like most sports...its better to be playing it than watching it...

Like Golf, American Football & Baseball.

 

[Jack]

too right, i could never sit and watch a game of cricket because;
a)dont know rules
b)bit boring

 

[indian_sukhoi]

Cricket is an Awesome Game and one of my Favorite

Here in India. Cricket is more like and Religion.


Btw, Do Cricket famous in Japan or??

 

[EmperorHirohito]

Cricket is a lovely game, if its being shown live on tv then wild horses couldn't drag me away from the screen.

Just a pity that the famous British weather stopped us from beating the West Indies in the country last week, was looking forward to it.

 

[made of stone]

Cricket is a lovely game, if its being shown live on tv then wild horses couldn't drag me away from the screen.
Just a pity that the famous British weather stopped us from beating the West Indies in the country last week, was looking forward to it.

Not long to wait now for the first English victory!

Vaughney back with a bang, Pieters looking good...what in Heaven's name has happened to boost the usual meagre efforts at our Once-and-Good Game??!

ex-Headingley resident mos

 

[EmperorHirohito]

Here is the latest scores from the second test against the West Indies.
England won the coin toss and decided to bat first, in their first innings England scored a massive 570 runs and declared after losing 7 wickets.
The West Indies were bowled out after only making 146 runs and the follow-on was enforced and they were made to bat again. At the end of todays play the West Indies were 22 for the loss of 2 wickets. They trail England by 402 runs with just 8 wickets left.
Hopefully the British weather will be nice for once and England may win a game at home.
Keep your fingers crossed Made of Stone, we may win lol.

 

[Mycernius]

Judging by the weather forcast we should be able to continue play and England should win by an innings, unless they bottle it.