My satellite provider recently added Fox World Sports and the other night there a cricket match on. I watched for about 30 minutes and had absolutely no idea what the heck was happening. Is there someone here who can briefly explain this game or suggest a website that can.
If you would like a longer, more involved explanation from an Australian (the best cricketing nation in the world), just ask.
A few weeks ago I was planning an “Ask the Cricketer!” thread. I’ve either been too lazy or too chicken to start it, so, Mr Blue Sky, any questions you might have send to me at my e-mail address–it would be nice to have some practice at fielding questions before I start an “Ask the…” thread. BTW, I’m from the States myself, so I won’t assume any prior knowledge of the game–I’m used to explaining cricket to my friends and family.
has the first one day international of the summer in the background as he types
It’s often not easy to explain the sport to Americans but I have done so with reasonable success in the past. tried a new tactic last time of drawing baseball parralells with reasonable success but wasn’t ideal (ask Chique if she understood).
Feel free to ICQ, email or whatever. Much better in a chat inetraction situation rather than through the boards.
1960 David Boon – Australian cricket legend - born, JFK becomes US president, first ever tie in Test Cricket as Australia and the West Indies finish level in Brisbane, The USS Enterprise - the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - was launcheddpr does an admirable job of explaining cricket…get a hold of him if you can. 
Actually, dpr did a wonderful, fantastic, stupendous job of explaining cricket to a baseball loving American chick.
Happy now, dpr? 
Its the only sport I play regularly; so I feel obliged to reply.
For the uninitiated its the most complicted sport they have ever seen. I wouldnt accept this at first, but thats because I have been playing this game for as long as I can remember.
I will be brief as possible:
11 members in each team. one “fields”, other “bats”; later on vice-versa. Batting team makes runs, while fielding team gets the batsmen out one at a time. The team that makes most runs wins. The fielding team has all 11 players on the field, batting just two. The pitch is a 22 yard strip inthe middle of the ground. there are a triplet of sticks (stumps) on either side of the pitch. The bowler bowls(pitches) the ball at the batsman at the other end of the pitch. The batsman then tries to hit the ball as well as possible.
Runs are scored when two batsmen run across the pitch(in opposite directions)
4 runs if the batsman hits the ball across the ropes after it bounces,
6 if it didnt bounce and it went over the ropes
(I am skipping the 5er)
Batsmen get out in ten different ways: Only 5/6 happen usually (wacko things like a batsman physically restraining a fielder has not happened)
If the bowler (pitcher) hits the sticks with the ball and the batsmen couldnt prevent it, if a fielder catches the ball full-toss after the batsmen touched it, one of the fielders hits the sticks before a batsmen can complete his run, the umpire “feels” that the ball would have hit the sticks if the batsman hadnt stopped it with his legs (not exactly correct but will do), and things like hit-wicket, handling the ball, stumped, etc.
I can see I wasnt very brief, but I am nowhere near finished!!! I doubt if this explained anything what you see on TV.
As always, the only way to really learn a sport is to play it. Find any indian (heck, any south asian, english, australian, south african, westindian) friends and ask them if you can join in; I will bet they will be delighted. In the States, we suffer from severe shortage of players and a heavy withdrawal from the sport.
My prediction for Feb/Mar: If Kumble is fit, the Indians are going to annhiliate the Australians. If not, too close to call. And Tendulkar will get atleat 2 closer to Gavaskar’s record.
This will be my longest SDMB post. Feels good.
dpr: errr… what is the first ODI of the summer?
dpr has a virtual wife named Kricket, but did I get any mention?
Not even in the sig line!
Sorry for the interuption folks, carry on.
I to saw cricket advertised, but the only kind of cricket I play is with darts.
I’m no help, but I would love to learn so I will lurk and listen.
I’m fascinated Duke. What’s your background that makes you such an ambassador for non-US sports?
One of the greatest attractions of the game of cricket is explaining to Americans the intricacies of a game that can be played for 30 hours over 5 days and yet has no result (and still have the crowd leave happy).
Er, well not much really, other than that I’ve so far lived 20 years in the States and six in the UK. Also, that, although I didn’t actually see a cricket match until I was 19, I’ve been playing it for various colleges and clubs for six years (I’m 27 now–there’s a year in Canada not mentioned above). I had the radio permanently tuned to Five Live (the BBC live sports/news radio channel). I even own an Aberdeen FC shirt.
And, as mentioned, I’ve had to explain cricket to friends and family who don’t know why I’ve been running around a field for hours on end trying to catch a ball without the use of a glove. I’ll tell you, it’s a lot easier than trying to explain American football to UKers.
Thanks! I’ll check it out. If I have any questions, I’ll be sure to ask dpr.
First one was West Indies v Australia A yesterday (and to further confuse the Americans - Australia A is the ** second ** string team).
And as for your predictions I tend to agree. Despite Australia’s amazing record-breaking run (15 wins in a row now) the subcontinent is now the toughest tour (used to be the Caribbean but no longer sadly) as is evidenced by Australia’s record there - only 1 win from their past 20 in India. Lots of draws, but only one win. I think they’ll struggle to maintain the record run. Particularly with Warne only just coming back from injury along with Fleming and Kasprowicz (who probably won’t be selected despite doing all the hard work last time in India) and doubts over Shane Lee. Sachin is good for at least two centuries - possibly three to atone for last summer’s dismal tour down here. In fact he can turn it the whole series by himself I think.
Should make for a good series.
Another good site for news and live scores: http://www.baggygreen.com.au
1963: JFK assassinated, Michael Jordan born, The world's first female space traveler - Valentina Tereshkova - was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union, Britain's "Great Train Robbery", French Pres. Charles de Gaulle pronounced that "Treaties are like roses and young girls -- they last while they last."Two important things to remember about Cricket which may escape the casual observer:
(1) It really is a game of great subtlety. Tactics (those of the team and individual batsmen, bowlers and fielder) are dependent on a greater range of factors than in any other game I know and the weather (cloudy, ‘overcast’, windy, humidity, etc) plays a vital role in the tactical battle, also
(2) Despite appearances, what happens out at the centre between bowler and batsman is anything but slow and gentlemanly – it is a fiercely mental (cat and mouse, plain intimidation, double guessing, etc) and often physical confrontation.
IMHO, the best way to learn about cricket is to sit down and watch and listen for a day to what the commentators are saying. It will slowly start to make a little sense.
It’s a great game, wish you luck in trying to understand it – especially the LBW laws.
ramesh Nice to see an Indian poster. What did you think of England’s performance in Pakistan ??
[weedy stat-crazed voice]
That wasn’t an ODI, it was just a one-day game…ICC regs say that only first-string international matches are called ODIs.
[/weedy stat-crazed voice]
rolls eyes at Duke
FINE! If you want to get technical about it then the first ODI is tomorrow. Happy now?
1966: An [anti-smoking] mandatory health warning on cigarette packages became effective in the US, Australia announced that it would triple the number of troops in Vietnam, the US lose yet another hydrogen bomb – this time they recover it off the coast of Spain, The Battle Of Long Tan – arguably the most amazing infantry battle the world has ever seen, Walt Disney died, Tom Stoppard wrote his play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was wrongly convictedI was going to post last night and ask what a “wicked googly” is but didn’t and had recurring dreams in which I asked everyone I ran into what one was.
So, what is a wicked googly (googily? googley?)?
Please?
[weedy]Yeah.[/weedy]
Sue: “Wicked googly”–let’s leave out the “wicked” part for now (it’s just UK slang for “great,” “cool,” etc. as used by such folk as The Naked Chef). A “googly” is ball (like a pitch in baseball) made with a leg-spin action which behaves like an off-spin delivery. That is, the bowler bowls a ball that looks like it will bounce away from a right-handed batsman, but it actually bounces towards him. The cricket equivalent of a screwball. Fortunately I haven’t actually seen one in a match yet–I think.
A googly is a delivery from a right-armed wrist-spinner which turns from off to leg to a right-handed batsman. Clear?
From where the bowler bowls a leg-spin bowler’s normal delivery travels down the pitch drifting from left to right. When it bounces it turns from right to left (from the “leg” side to the “off” side). A googly is designed to look like it is going to behave like a leg break, but spins from left to right. “Wicked” just means effective in deceiving the batsman.
If bowled by a left-armed wrist-spinner this delivery is known as a Chinaman.
And no, I’m not making any of this up.
I do know the googly and the chinaman though.
ASSUMPTION: Batsmen are righthanded. For lefthanded batsmen, terms are viceversa.
First I have to explain spin bowling. In cricket (unlike baseball), the ball usually pitches once before reaching the batsman; thus the ball can spin. When a right arm bowler spins the ball away from the right handed batsman, its called legspin. However, when a legspin bowler with almost the same action bowls the ball that spins into the batsman, thats googly.
Chinaman: The equivalent for a leftarm bowler is the ball that comes into the right handed batsman. when with almost the same action he bowls a ball that leaves the right handed batsman, he has bowled a chinaman. (this term is racist. the first chinaman was bowled by an australian of chinese descent). The only guy capable of bowling the chinaman right now, is a southafrican called paul admas.
wicked googly is probably just a spin on the term (sad pun, but I couldnt resist!!).
Anyone: whats the equivalent when an offspinner bowls the wrong one? and left handed legspinner bowling a wrong one?
quote:“It?s a great game, wish you luck in trying to understand it ? especially the LBW laws.”
Does anybody really know the laws?
http://www.baggygreen.com.au - would youbelieve it??? This took me to www-aus.cricket.org!!!
“ramesh Nice to see an Indian poster. What did you think of England’s performance in Pakistan ??” Well, looks like Eng beat Pak fair and square. But I will not accept the Eng team are anywhere near formiddable. And Moin SHOULD be sacked for his neg tactics.
Here is a link to a demonstration of leg-spin bowling by Terry Jenner (real video). The googly is shown by its other common name: the wrong 'un.
And Bucknor congratulated for not allowing him to get away with it. A great umpire.
Michael Bevan also bowls chinamen.
I thought the chinaman was bowled by a left-armed wrist-spinner. The left-armed finger spinner naturally turns it from the leg. As for an off-spinner’s “wrong 'un” these still seem to be still termed “mystery balls”. Saqlain Mushtaq’s is the best known. I don’t know how he bowls it or whether it really goes the other way or just on with the arm.