I wish more Americans were into cricket, it’s cliche to say this but if you like baseball you’re already halfway there
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imagine if baseball had only 1 (or 2) innings, and each inning had 10 outs instead of 3… no walks or Ks, so each team stays up until all their guys get out
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there’s 10 defined ways to get out, including:
-fly out
-1 (one) called strike
-blocking strike zone with your body
-getting tagged leaving your crease
-thrown out
etc
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there’s only two bases, and every time you take a base that’s one run
- since there’s only 1 (or 2) innings, time within an inning is measured in blocks of pitches, or “balls”. 6 pitches = 1 “over”
what makes cricket fun to watch
the field is a circle/oval with the main playing field (the ‘pitch’) in the center. this means you can score with foul shots, or hitting the ball behind you!
captains have freedom to position their fielders in the best way to cover all that space.
Pitches are usually bounced off the ground, and the cricket bat is a paddle with a flat forward side and angled back. this means there’s a lot of technique involved in pitching (“bowling”) as well as batting. cricket batsmen learn to play many shots against different pitches, use footwork, find the gaps, and avoid getting out. to get the batsman out, captains can swap out their bowlers at the end of every over.
(pictures for illustration)
why is it so long?
There’s three main formats of the game:
- 1 inning matches called “ODIs” are limited to 50 overs per side
- There’s a fairly new format called “T20” which lasts 20 overs a side
- 2 inning matches called “Tests” last 5 days morning to evening, and have no limit on overs, but are played as three 2-hour sessions per day. in between there are scheduled breaks (like lunch and tea time
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the length of the matches gives cricket a defined rhythm and pace - beginning middle and end, much more than baseball imo.
rhythm of cricket:
- Team A up to bat: batting team tries to set a strong lead. fielding team tries to minimize runs and give themselves an easy target for victory.
- Team B’s turn: batting team tries to chase down the run total. Team A has to get them all out short of the goal
- If it’s a test match, there’s 2 innings per team instead of 1; this has strategy implications also.
this means that there’s always something to play for; at bat, your side is either trying to set a strong lead and ensure victory, or chasing down a run total in order to win. (again you can compare, if a baseball game was only 1 or 2 innings long, how much higher stakes would be.)
like baseball, the batting order has a top middle and tail of the order. the squad includes up to 3-4 bowlers, so they have to have some ability with the bat.
fans look at matches as a nice day at the park, and have fun in the stands with coordinated displays of support. For TV broadcasts, it’s a great background sport. put it on and pay attention when you hear something interesting happening - a great shot, a run chase, etc.
T20 cricket, while fast-paced, loses a lot. the leisure is the point, IMO!
Why do we play cricket? | Cricket | The Guardian
what are the teams?
The highest form of cricket competition is International play, either one-day internationals (ODIs) or 5-day long Test matches.
national pride drives a lot of passion. Indo-pak matches are massive events; England-Aus and Aus-NZ matches have caused diplomatic controversy.
most countries are either British Commonwealth or former colonies, creating a strong postcolonial dynamic to the matches. (e.g. 70s West Indies team, 80s India, current Afghanistan)
players develop thru domestic competitions like English County cricket or India’s interstate contests like Ranji Trophy.
A shorter form of the game, “T20” lasts 20 overs each and comes out to about 3 hours long. Players usually play much more risky shots since it’s more important to score quickly in the limited time; whereas in Test matches the focus is on not wasting your outs needlessly. The Indian Premier League is one of the best-quality leagues for T20 competition, with teams based around India but players from around the world.
ICC Test Rankings
01 March 2022
Pos Team Matches Points Rating
1 Australia 23 2736 119
2 India 32 3717 116
3 New Zealand 31 3561 115
4 England 41 4151 101
5 S. Africa 26 2622 101
6 Pakistan 30 2787 93
7 Sri Lanka 30 2485 83
8 West Indies 33 2480 75
9 Bangladesh 22 1157 53
10 Zimbabwe 11 342 31
*Afghanistan and Ireland also have Test status
ICC ODI Rankings
12 March 2022
Pos Team Matches Points Rating
1 New Zealand 17 2054 121
2 England 32 3793 119
3 Australia 28 3244 116
4 India 38 4162 110
5 S. Africa 28 2943 105
6 Pakistan 27 2524 93
7 Bangladesh 33 2988 91
8 Sri Lanka 35 2835 81
9 West Indies 36 2788 77
10 Afghanistan 23 1562 68
11 Ireland 28 1445 52
12 Scotland 10 452 45
13 Zimbabwe 23 951 41
14 Netherlands 10 378 38
15 Oman 23 755 33
16 UAE 16 491 31
17 Nepal 11 330 30
18 USA 14 232 17
19 Namibia 12 185 15
20 PNG 13 0 0
how to get started watching cricket?
1st, you can watch highlights of great bowlers and batsmen
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Muthiah Muralitharan, a Tamil Sri Lankan, is often considered the GOAT bowler, w/800 outs (‘wickets’) in international Test matches. his pitches spin into a right handed batsman (“off spin”).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OupilS4qUq4&feature=emb_logo
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the Australian Shane Warne is also one of the greatest bowlers. His balls spin the other way, away from a right hander (“leg spin”). He has 708 Test wickets and is credited with spurring a revival of interest in spin bowling. He died last week at 52, RIP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYQ8aPLT8PQ&feature=emb_logo
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spin has a niche in South Asia, but “pace bowling” is far more common elsewhere. Fast bowlers can make the ball swing through the air like a baseball slider. Pakistan and West Indies had amazing pace bowlers in the 80s and 90s. Here’s Imran Khan and Curtly Ambrose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzA9TTH4on4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4e6k8_oAJk&feature=emb_logo
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fielding in cricket is super hard. only one player, the equivalent of the catcher (‘wicket keeper’), is allowed to wear gloves. everyone else is bare-handed. growing up I idolized the fielding of the South African teams of the 90s. Jonty Rhodes was my fav
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlwywB2OZHs&feature=emb_logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BjsFpyqTyg
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batsmen – too many greats to count. the GOAT, the Australian Don Bradman, averaged 99.94 runs per Test match in his career (1928-48). equivalent to an MLB player hitting .392 career, or an NBA player going 43.0 PPG. it’s been called “the greatest phenomenon in the history of all ball games”
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2nd best batsman: probably Sachin Tendulkar. born in Mumbai, India, he made his international debut at 16, standing all of 5’5". his first 100-run inning (‘century’) was age 17, in England. in his 24-yr career, he became the all-time leading run scorer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH9Efkt4D-0&feature=emb_logo
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Tendulkar was known for deft strokes; whereas others such as Viv Richards were known for their aggressive attack. (balls that cross the edge of the field count for 4 runs; without bouncing, 6 runs.) Richards played '74-91 in a dominant West Indies side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=LmLNofOpUKM&feature=emb_logo
to get the hang of the game, you can watch LAGAAN (2001). It’s a Bollywood movie about Indian villagers learning cricket during the late 1890s, to stand up to the unjust taxation of the British Raj.
For current matches:
- T20 - Start following Indian Premier League. Pick a team to root for, I suggest Chennai, Mumbai, or RC Bangalore.
- ODI/Tests - Watch international matches that are convenient for your timezone
It’s easy to develop cheering interests as you start watching. I end up cheering for south Indians, India, and nonwhite teams in that rough order. Cricinfo is a good site for finding out match timings, and Reddit r/Cricket and Webcric have live chat/streams
https://www.espncricinfo.com/
https://webcric.com/
why isn’t cricket popular in USA?
wiki says US cricket dates to 1700s; competed with baseball for popularity, but declined after Civil War.
in the late 1800s, baseball poached cricket players, who brought innovation. +baseball is easier to set up and play.
in contrast to US independence in 1780s, most non-English cricketing nations (esp nonwhite) spent much more time under the yoke.
cricket gained popularity in England during the 18th and 19th centuries.
