So, it's August, which means it's time to get out the ol' cricket bat and pads and gear up for another season. I realize that many Americans don't know much about cricket, and I must confess that I used to call it "baseball with a 2x4." Yes, that was before I fell in love with the game and became an avid fan.Cricket is an interesting game with great words like "wicket" and "yorker" and "fine leg". You actually bowl the ball rather than pitch it - bowling means you can't bend your arm and throw the ball. You bowl "overs," which means that you bowl 6 balls in a certain direction, then another bowler comes and bowls the opposite direction for an over.
A professional game is 50 overs of bowling for each team and a game will last about 8 - 9 hours. Yes, that's a long time and usually the clincher for most Americans when asked why they don't like the sport. At Kyle's age the game is a mere 30 overs for each team, which means it only lasts for 4 hours. But cricket is a culture and it takes time for one to get enculturated. However, before you know it, you will love going to matches and having a barbecue during the game.
Kyle started out this season with a bang by taking 4 wickets. Okay, what in the world does that mean? Well, a team can bat for all 30 overs or until they lose 10 wickets (or 10 guys get "out"). Once either one of those two things happens the teams trade places and the batting team bowls and vice versa. In any given game your team gets to bat once and bowl once. So, by taking 4 wickets, Kyle got 40% of the other team out. In any case, it's v
ery good and we were extremely proud of him.Speaking of batting, you always have two players batting at the same time. A "partnership" if you will. Now, the batters stand at opposite ends of the pitch (an area were the balls are bowled) and both have to get safely across to the other side in order to score a run. If the batter really hits the ball hard it can bounce or roll across the boundary rope (there is no "fence" in cricket) and the batter scores 4 runs. If he hits it in the air over the rope, then he gets 6 runs for his team.
I understand that I have given you a lot of information for one sitting. Cricket sounds much more confusing than it actually is. I suppose the only way to actually understand the game is to go see it live. If nothing else, you will probably eat well, and who can complain about that?
