Hiya!
Was just wondering how many CDFreaks members are cricket fans. I am a die-hard cricket fan and am glued to the TV whenever there’s a cricket match going on - especially when countries like India, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan etc play.
Yay! The World cup is just 4 months away 
Cricket? That silly game when your supposed to hit some sticks, rotate four times and then run away? 
Love Cricket when the top teams play. the game os too commercialized now i think. i hated the set max commentry and the way they put ‘extraaa innings’. i hope they dont do something like that for the WC
Greatest game on earth but incomprehensible to those from non-cricket playing nations. 
Originally posted by philamber
Greatest game on earth but incomprehensible to those from non-cricket playing nations.
Exactly. What is cricket? Is it the game that looks like baseball but is played with a giant paddleboard type of bat?
Cricket? That silly game when your supposed to hit some sticks, rotate four times and then run away?
i hated the set max commentry and the way they put ‘extraaa innings’
Hey in fact I loved it. Especially with Gurang with all his blessings and all It was also fascinating to get an insight into those cricketing stars. Anyways it was in the off-the-match hours. In the world cup of course expect much more - ‘Extraaa Inings’ as well as the commercials.
Is it the game that looks like baseball but is played with a giant paddleboard type of bat?
I think the baseball bat is much bigger (more like a club than a bat) as compared to a cricket bat. Haven’t played or seen much of baseball, though. The cricket bat is made of willow - i suppose very popular in UK.
Im sure some of the UK fans must be enjoying watching England play - they are one of the best teams in the world.
Then what is the sport that I am talking about? It consists of a picther trying to hit a pole behind the “batter”. Meanwhile the batter has to protect that pole from being hit. When the batter hits the ball, he runs back and forth form his position to the position of the pitcher, getting a point for each time. If the outfielders catch the ball, the guy is out. Sounds like basevall but the bats arereally flat and same size as bat. except in width.
Yes FlyingDutchman you got it right
Are you a baseball player/fan by any chance?
Im sure some of the UK fans must be enjoying watching England play - they are one of the best teams in the world. [/B]
Australia is definatley the best team…i think we can all agree with that…what u think philly ?
Hehe the ‘obesity’ part was very true. but believe me cricket is much more straining than that. I have played many 25-overs a side match (lasts for about 4-6 hours). I opened the innings and then batted till the end. And that too under the hot sun. Man it was straining. I had to drink loads of water to recover from that strain.
At the international level, its much more effort - 8 hrs of perspiration, running around, fielding the ball. Takes those kilos off you.
Originally posted by Huzzy
Australia is definatley the best team…i think we can all agree with that…
Australia and South Africa are definitely two of the best teams.
However India and Sri Lanka are on a roll in the last few months. Rain played spoilt sport or India would have won the ICC champions trophy (mini world cup) last month too.
But do have to agree that the Australians are a very good lot.
Australia is definitely the world’s best team anywhere in the world except on the sub-continent (where we are pretty hopeless). Just got out of gaol (jail for you Americans) in our last test.
Australian teams just don’t have patience needed for the low, slow turners which predominate in that part of the world and, what’s more usually select inappropriate teams (i.e. only one spinner). In my view, South Africa is probably the best team in those conditions, though, of course, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are all strong at home.
However, our team is definitely ageing and there aren’t a lot of younger players coming up (most of the so-called brighter prospects are already in their mid to late twenties and none of them are all that good anyway other than on their home pitches) so I suspect there will be significant changes in world rankings over the next 3 to 4 years.
Australia in fact had a super win the Test Match against Pakistan this week. Fabulous win I must say.
As far as ageing goes - well thats gonna happen. But with (relatively) young players like Ponting, Gilchrist, Hayden etc Australia is still a very strong side.
In fact in most of the strong teams, the youngsters are doing a very good job. So its brawns over brains here
But Hayden and Gilchrist aren’t relatively young even though they haven’t been in the Australian team all that long. Of Australia’s first 7 batsmen only Ponting at 27 is under 30 and our 2 best bowlers (McGrath and Warne) are both also over 30.
macho mode on
Cricket is a silly game. Now football, that’s a real game! You get to kick a ball… and other players. And shout at the judge…
It was supposed to be a pic here. But it isn’t.
Are cricket-matches 8 hours long? Doesn’t it get a bit dull for the audience…?
Originally posted by Airhead
Are cricket-matches 8 hours long? Doesn’t it get a bit dull for the audience…?
At international level a one day match is 7 hours playing time whilst a full test match (the higher form of the game) takes up to 30 hours of playing time spread over 5 days and there is no certainty of a result.
Boring? Rarely, but as I implied earlier in the thread, there really isn’t any point trying to explain the game to someone from a non-playing nation. To understand it, you have to have grown up with it, but if you do, it’s the greatest game on earth. 
Oh, and as for machismo, there aren’t many games where you are allowed to direct a missile at someone’s head at 155 -160 kph every 2 or 3 minutes. (The batsmen wear helmets for a reason, you know. 
)
Originally posted by Airhead
macho mode on
Now football, that’s a real game! You get to kick a ball… and other players. And shout at the judge…
Now, all that I’ve seen football coaches do is smoke profusely and keep swearng at the referee That of course livens up the game. Cricket however is a saner game. Although these days the exchange of words between the batsman and the bowler sometimes goes beyond the limits. But no kicking and tearing off other’s shirts.
Again as phily says, its just a matter of growing up with it. Just as the Brazilians live football, we live cricket!!
Yeah test matches do get boring sometimes, but some of them do have results and are interesting to watch. Cricket has changed dramatically from what it was a decade ago.
Originally posted by philamber
Oh, and as for machismo, there aren’t many games where you are allowed to direct a missile at someone’s head at 155 -160 kph every 2 or 3 minutes.
Handball and tennis