Cricket

[Janny]

Edit: Double post

[Khamûl]

I would like to see a game now to reinforce my slight understanding of the rules. Too bad I can't think of a channel that would carry a cricket game.

[The Gaffer]

England are touring the West Indies at the moment; you might pick something up on a satellite channel aimed at an afro-caribbean audience or something.

(I always wondered what a wrong-un was; now I know - thanks for that.)

England look like they might win a series in the Caribbean for the first time in about 40 years. Shame, really; it wouldn't be the same if England were any good.

[cassiopeia]

Woo! Victoria won the state competition here, thrashing Queensland. It's all the more special because Victoria's coach, David Hookes, was tragically killed only a few months ago.

And it looks like Australia may have a chance in the test against Sri Lanka.

[Draken]

Hey we won! And largely thanks to the lad from Ashington - haway Geordie boy!

Have always liked cricket even though I'm pants at it, much as I love my one batting stroke (close eyes and swing wildly down the leg side).

[Janny]

That's your stoke? Hey, mine too!!!

[Rían]

Originally posted by The Gaffer
Because it lasts for, literally, days, it becomes a real psychological battle and tactics are everything.

That's amazing - 5-day matches? Do people take off work to attend matches?

I'll read thru your description a few more times, then try to catch a game on tv. I've never understood it before.

[The Gaffer]

They do, though mostly they'll just go to one day (see sun-star's post about watching it: the ambience matter more than the outcome...)

The Aussies in particular have this great tradition of pulling a sickie, going to the game and holding up banners with rude messages for their boss to read when they watch the highlights on TV. Being Australia, the bosses are probably at the game too and nobody gets sacked.

They're doing not bad. Sri Lanka is notorious for bad pitches, so to be 200 odd for 2 in the third innings is good going. Would have like to see Murali's 43 off 28 balls though: my guess is there would be plenty of Draken's favourite stroke.

[cassiopeia]

Originally posted by The Gaffer
The Aussies in particular have this great tradition of pulling a sickie, going to the game and holding up banners with rude messages for their boss to read when they watch the highlights on TV. Being Australia, the bosses are probably at the game too and nobody gets sacked.

Seriously, I think most people wouldn't go to every day of a five day test. Perhaps if they're keen, they might arrange to have a week off when a test is on. And a big test here, the Boxing Day test, occurs the day after Christmas, when most people are on holiday anyway. No, I'm not trying to make excuses.

[Baby-K]

Originally posted by The Gaffer
They do, though mostly they'll just go to one day (see sun-star's post about watching it: the ambience matter more than the outcome...)

The Aussies in particular have this great tradition of pulling a sickie, going to the game and holding up banners with rude messages for their boss to read when they watch the highlights on TV. Being Australia, the bosses are probably at the game too and nobody gets sacked.

They're doing not bad. Sri Lanka is notorious for bad pitches, so to be 200 odd for 2 in the third innings is good going. Would have like to see Murali's 43 off 28 balls though: my guess is there would be plenty of Draken's favourite stroke.

It's mostly for the Ashes series that the Aussies take off innit? As far as I've seen the Sri Lankans and Pakistanis are more likely to go sit through an entire 5 day test.

RÃ*an, the 5 days are interesting to watch because it is more involved in terms of (especially) the batsmen's skill and endurance. It may seem boring at times, but considering that they stand at the pitch for hours, slogging away (usually with very few boundaries being scored) it's quite a feat. And it becomes really interesting to watch them scramble to avoid follow-ons.

BTW, Gaffer I think you only explained the test matches. In limited overs (ODI's) each team has only one innings of 50 overs each. The game is much faster and scores lower because batsmen do not have the time to stand the whole day blocking or taking singles, so they tend to go for bigger hits to score more in a shorter time. Also, there are restrictions placed on the fielding team in terms of field setting in the first 15 overs (only a certain amount of fielders are allowed in outside the inner circle in the first 15) so the captain has to consider where to place the people to prevent runs - basically he needs to know what each new batter's strengths are, where they score most of their runs. He also needs to take into consideration who his bowler is and how to best place the fielders according to the bowler's style & speed as well. For instance it doesn't help to place 3 slips to a medium pacer if the batsman scores more in front of the wicket with cover drives etc. But if the batsman is a sweeper it doesn't help to have all of your fielders in front of the pitch.

There are also a few other technicalities like height restrictions for the balls bowled in ODI's (only one 'bouncer' per over allowed, thereafter it becomes a no-ball, which earns the batting team an extra run). A ball is also called a no ball if the bowler oversteps on the line. A wide is when the bowler pitches the ball outside the line and it swerves beyond the reach of the batsman (mostly on the offside, but it happens on the onside too). A batsman cannot be given out on a no ball or wide, unless he is run out or stonked.

In an ODI the bowlers can also not bowl more than 10 overs each, so the captain usually gives his opening bowlers a spell of 5/6 overs before taking them off and they'll be brought back at the end to get rid of tailenders.

[The Gaffer]

Cass, (as I think you realised) I was intending it as a compliment. Australia strikes me as a country where, as a whole, people still work to live, rather than live to work, which should be celebrated and defended against the faceless corporate onslaught. It seems that Howard hasn't quite managed to eradicate that in the way Thatcher did here.

You're right, BK, ODIs are a completely different game from Test matches. Speaking of which, what about that India v Pakistan game? The highest scoring game in history. I would have given me best tater to be in that crowd.

[Baby-K]

Haven't really been watching that, I've been following the dismal performance of SA against NZ.

But I'm glad they finally managed to play each other, it's been a long time coming.

[Millane]

i really dont mind shane warne, but anyone who 'boasts' about not reading needs a few smacks around the head with big old Bertha Footy is a much better sport than Cricket to watch and play but still why compare them when you can have both

The Aussies in particular have this great tradition of pulling a sickie, going to the game and holding up banners with rude messages for their boss to read when they watch the highlights on TV. Being Australia, the bosses are probably at the game too and nobody gets sacked.

hahahaha youve nailed it Gaffer hahahaha i remember one of our friends got like two detentions for missing a day of school coz he went to the soccer in melb, yet the headmaster took a week off to go watch a test in Adelaide serves him right for going to the soccer i guess

[The Gaffer]

Dismal? 200 for 2? I'd hate to face your lot when they're playing well...

(MInd you, they did gub you in the ODIs.)

Millane, didn't Aussie rules (I presume that's what you mean by footy) develop as a means of keeping cricket players fit during the off-season? That being why they play it on the same size of ground.

[Dwarven Sen]

I love cricket, my grandparents live near to Lancashire County Cricket Ground and Andy Flintoff cycles down our road, it's great.

I think all-in-all everything for England is going quite nicely at the moment.

[Glorfindel_of_Gondolin]

Footy and cricket are both great games, and, my dear Gaffer, your bang on goal with the footy being to keep cricketers fit in the winter.

Read this great quote once :

"If Football (soccer) is a hooligans game played by gentlemen, and Cricket is a gentlemens game played by hooligans, then AFL is a hooligans game played by hooligans."

I forget who said it, though.

And you gotta love Warney. Stupid, maybe, but the bloke can bowl. First Aussie game back from a year off and he takes 11 for.

[The Gaffer]

Originally posted by Dwarven Sen
I love cricket, my grandparents live near to Lancashire County Cricket Ground and Andy Flintoff cycles down our road, it's great.

I think all-in-all everything for England is going quite nicely at the moment.

Freddy is cool. You can just tell that he likes the odd pint or three. He swings the bat like he's got a raging thirst and it's last orders at the clubhouse bar.

I've heard that quote too, GoG, but applied to rugby union, football and rugby league (in that order). I guess you just add whatever sports apply (like clay pigeon shooting, strangling animals and golf).

I like Aussie rules. You'd have to be helluva fit to play that, and not a little mental. I saw a game in Brisbane a few years back (Lions vs Crows: a zoological mismatch, you might think); I hadn't a bastard clue what was going on but my mates kept me right, telling me to shout MAGGOT!! and FIFTY! at various intervals. We won, apparently, whoever "we" were (Lions I think).

[Rían]

Originally posted by Baby-K
RÃ*an, the 5 days are interesting to watch because it is more involved in terms of (especially) the batsmen's skill and endurance. It may seem boring at times, but considering that they stand at the pitch for hours, slogging away (usually with very few boundaries being scored) it's quite a feat. And it becomes really interesting to watch them scramble to avoid follow-ons.

I'm sure it would be really fun to attend one! I was just thinking in terms of time off of work. What a marvellous time it would be, tho

[cassiopeia]

Originally posted by Millane
hahahaha youve nailed it Gaffer hahahaha i remember one of our friends got like two detentions for missing a day of school coz he went to the soccer in melb, yet the headmaster took a week off to go watch a test in Adelaide serves him right for going to the soccer i guess

Millane! You're not helping! *remembers when Cass skipped school to see some footy players* *runs away*

I just checked and AFL *was* developed to keep cricketers fit (check the history section of http://www.afl.com.au). But we should be talking about cricket. No, not because my AFL team just lost the pre-season grand final and hasn't won a grand final for more than forty years. Not at all.

[Glorfindel_of_Gondolin]

Ahh, Geelong, the lovable losers. Now take my team Essendon for example.....


Oops, oh um, cricket. Right....

I remember a few years ago, when New Zeleand won a a test from Australia, and I was stoked for them. We (Australia) still won the series, but christ it gets boring watching us flog everyone.

And dont get me started on English Cricket...