Just getting into the game and really enjoy it. It's becoming more organized in the US and a team USA is being formed.
Why is t this great game more popular in the US? There are variants that can turn a match into a single day affair (or less) instead of 3-5 days.
Consider T20 Cricket vs baseball
1) Similar timeframe for the game to be played
2) you have about 1000% more scoring in Cricket than Baseball
3) At bats can be endless and runs just pile up
4) At bats can also be over on a single pitch, at any time
5) sometimes there are fielding rules to promote higher scoring
6) The umpire is basically never involved except on very close plays and the Instant Replay system can be called upon at any time. It includes infrared cameras and sensitive microphones. Really does. OT leave room for many "judgment calls"
I can go on, but I'd love to hear from others who have an interest in the game. I was thinking of checking out either Van Cortland park of Corona park this weekend to watch some matches
The 20/20 game is probably more Baseball like than any of the other formats, it a 20/20 generally lasts about 3 hours and is basically where the sport is heading. The One day (50 over) game can be exciting but there tends to be a natural lull in the middle of each innings as one day cricket is essentially a game of resources: wickets (batters) in hand vs the number of balls left to face. To maximise your score you generally need to get a good start but keep enough wickets to really up the pace at the end.
I had the pleasure of being in Australia for the Ashes last year and saw one of the best bowling spells with Mitchell Johnson launching 95mph thunderbolts at the body and heads of unsuspecting English batters who by and large just couldn't handle it. I know that doesn't seem that quick compared to some pitchers in Baseball, but in cricket you have the uncertainty of the how the ball will move off the pitch and you can target the opponents body within limits.
The 20/20 game is probably more Baseball like than any of the other formats, it a 20/20 generally lasts about 3 hours and is basically where the sport is heading. The One day (50 over) game can be exciting but there tends to be a natural lull in the middle of each innings as one day cricket is essentially a game of resources: wickets (batters) in hand vs the number of balls left to face. To maximise your score you generally need to get a good start but keep enough wickets to really up the pace at the end.
I had the pleasure of being in Australia for the Ashes last year and saw one of the best bowling spells with Mitchell Johnson launching 95mph thunderbolts at the body and heads of unsuspecting English batters who by and large just couldn't handle it. I know that doesn't seem that quick compared to some pitchers in Baseball, but in cricket you have the uncertainty of the how the ball will move off the pitch and you can target the opponents body within limits.
I' watched one of the Ashes matches from a couple years ago. I can definitely appreciate test matches and I like the ODIs, but T20 definitely the future of the sport and could lead to mass adoption outside the colonies. The IPL is ridiculous. We already see soccer taking hold here with non-immigrant communities (whether you love soccer or are a hipster trying to non-conform).
I agree, the game is way more thrilling than baseball and I love how fickle the game can be with restricted overs and fielding. Umpires not being involved make it even better.
Surely more BBIers enjoy watching or playing cricket...
I am definitely interested in learning more about this sport. Thanks guys!
I am definitely interested in learning more about this sport. Thanks guys!
It's addictive! I wasn't inteoduced to it, I went out on my own ton learn about it and while it seems complex it's really not any more difficult than some other sports. In fact, there's more room to just play in cricket than other sports, IMO.
The best thing to me is that the match is truly never over until it is over, whether that be because of wickets (outs) or overs (sets of six pitches each). So while you may be entitled to, say, 120 pitches in a T20, you could theoretically never put a point on the board and get ten straight outs in the first ten pitches.
The wildness is definitely the pitching. There are fast bowlers, spinners, the occasional Yorker (ball that doesn't hit the ground on the pitch, like in baseball)...the precision is amazing, especially from some of these fielders who bare hand the ball and fire on a run and bust the wickets.
Every pitch counts. Love it.
This is a a histogram of the cricket batting average the top 87 international batsman of all time. An once in a generation talent like Tendulkar may hope to end with an average of 55 if they are lucky. Donald Bradman ended with an average of 99.94 which is so far beyond the rest of the competition that it almost defies belief.
When I first came to NY in 1980 I found a New York / New Jersey league made up mostly of West Indians, Pakistanis and Indians. I played on a team in Staten Island - we were the so called "white-mans" team, as 4 of the 11 of us were from the UK, South Africa, NZ and myself from Aus. The fields were often terrible but some of the players were very skilled. There was (is?) even a store in Queens that sold cricket gear.
It really is a fun game - and as with most sports, the more you understand about the intricacies, the more interesting the game becomes.
But, it is undeniable that T20 has made the game TV friendly and leagues around the world are using the format. I got a sub to Willow TV on my Apple TV and it's a great resource for old matches, etc.
I definitely appreciate the pure form of the game and have the patience for it - but it's like home run derby in T20 and that's fun for viewers too.
That's how I've seen it. Really getting into it. Willow TV makes a lot of matches available in their entirety.