Cricket and I...

Was a bit bored recently, so I decided to write a blog on cricket. I've only just been bothered to finish it up and post it! :) Might do others in the future for other sports I love- apart from football, as all the time in the world wouldn't be enough to do it justice.


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Ah, the sound of leather on willow is one of the best sounds in the world! But when did my 'love affair' with cricket begin? Not as far back as you might think! I didn't grow up in a cricket-mad country, meaning cricket wasn't in my dictionary until late on in life, and even then, it wasn't really something I cared for.

I remember it was summer 2008 that I got into cricket. It was my 3rd year (uni) summer, and having finished my final exams early May, I was bored to my skull, and I really needed something intellectually stimulating. Trust me, about a month or so (or maybe 3!) after you're done with Uni, you ARE going to go crazy during that in-between phase with no exams to worry about, no coursework to think of, etc, and it's not just the geek in me talking! :D So yeah, doing absolutely nothing to do was doing my head in, and I needed a challenge (surprisingly, I find myself in that boat yet again!). So that's where cricket came in. Because of my addiction to football, I was always watching Sky Sport news, and since cricket was on at the time, there were regular bulletins updating on the games. I remember that it was the series against New Zealand that was on at that time. And since I didn't understand what on earth they were going on about, I decided to do some research into it and learn it! I was fascinated by whatever 'LBW' meant and wanted to find out what it was! Then there was the whole furore about Paul Collingwood 'accidentally' shoulder-barging Grant Elliot leading to his run-out & refusing to call him back, KP and his new switch-hitting shot, and these all got me interested. And the umpires with their funny hand-signals and the cricket lingo all seemed so cool! Yesh, cool!

So I went on google for my 'research' and read a few 'guides to cricket'. Then I also came across a 'Glossary of Cricket' terms on Wikipedia, and it became my 'Bible'. I had so much time on my hands, and I gladly filled it up with cricket research. Ok, maybe this time around, it was more than just boredom. That's because when I decide to get into something, I get into it really deeply! One would think I've been into cricket all my life (and all the other sports I follow!), based on all the stuff I know about it, past and present!

Anyways, the next bit of cricket on after my 'lessons', was South Africa's tour of England, and the bit of drama between Graeme Smith and KP added more spice to the build-up and I was looking forward to it. If I remember correctly, it was the Test series that was on first, which South Africa won, England then going on to win the One Day International series. I absolutely loved it, and I couldn't have picked a better series to get involved with cricket. It was the unpredictability of it all that got me hooked, but I guess that's the nature of sports. So even when summer came to an end, and I finally got proper 'intellectual' work to do when I started my Masters in September, I wanted more!

Then there was the December/January series Down Under between South Africa and Australia, obviously, and that was a corker! In my opinion, that was the best-ever cricket series! I guess the 2005 Ashes might rival that, but well, since I didn't watch that, it doesn't count! :D There were loads of highlights from that series- Mitchell Johnson's 7-wicket haul on Day 1 of the 1st test, including 5 for 2 runs!; JP Duminy's half-century on debut helping South Africa alongside AB de Villiers, chase down the 2nd-highest total in Perth to win the first test; Dale Steyn's 10-for in the 2nd test; Duminy again helping South Africa win the 2nd test with his maiden test century amongst others, but the stand-out moment for me was Graeme Smith's heroics in the 3rd test. After having his hand broken by a nasty ball by Mitchell Johnson (who else?!) in the first innings, he had to retire hurt and couldn't open the 2nd innings as usual, as a result. South Africa needed to bat out the last day to prevent Australia winning the test, but found themselves in deep trouble. And when South Africa went 9 wickets down with 8 or so overs, it looked as if Australia had won the test, but who should come out to bat to save the match for his country, if not Graeme Smith, broken hand and all! He even had a tennis elbow as well! He could barely hold the bat properly and winced in pain every time he hit the ball, but he battled on, facing more hostile bowling from Mitchell Johnson again! But alas, it was not to be. He lasted 6 of those overs, facing 17 balls, before eventually being bowled by Johnson to hand Australia the test. They might have lost the test, but Smith definitely won loads of fans, me included! No one expected him to come out to bat, especially as South Africa had won the series already, so it didn't matter whether Australia won or not, but he decided to brave it by coming out to bat. I'm sure not even the Aussies would have begrudged him if he'd lasted the remaining 2 overs.
I'm guessing sportsmen/women make similar sacrifices often, but in this case, he totally didn't have to come out to bat. I know Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee after the Ashes is widely seen as test cricket's iconic moment, but for me, it was Graeme Smith, and no matter what ever happens, he'll always have my total respect!
But yeah, those were the first cricket series I ever watched, and I've watched/followed practically every other series since then- in all forms of the game. Who can forget England's tour of the West Indies? Epic series! Twenty20 is obviously awesome, but Test cricket will always remain the best, as far as I'm concerned- it's the ultimate!

There's the sad bit though- remember Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan early last year, when their bus got attacked? Pretty identical to the Togo bus shooting during the ACN in Angola. It's really a shame that such a thing actually happened. One can only hope that it never happens again. Security's definitely much tighter now as it definitely shocked everyone concerned. Don't think teams will be touring Pakistan any time soon though, unfortunately. But they're currently playing a couple of their 'home' matches against England in Dubai, though- glamourous, eh?
Ah, I just remembered the series they just completed Down Under. Oh my word, that was a shambles, wasn't it? They lost ALL the games they played! I might be wrong, but I swear it was about 9 of them, across all 3 forms of the game. What a series to forget. I was actually supporting them, and at one point, I couldn't take it anymore! I can't imagine how their real fans must have felt. There was a particular game where it looked for all the world that they were going to easily win- but they found a way of blowing it! Granted, they had a young and somewhat inexperienced team out there, but I can't help but conclude it's a mental thing (remind you of a certain London team? :p). It's not like they're are a rubbish team- afterall they're the current Twenty20 World Champions, but playing Australia at home IS a daunting task, considering their record.

But yeah, there's so much fun involved watching/listening to cricket- 5live extra's coverage is excellent, and so is Sky's. I love the banter! But it's even more fun playing! I made sure I joined my Uni team last year, and it was brilliant. After I had my first training session, I was in pain for almost a whole week- I couldn't even walk properly! It was worth it, though. We played indoors during winter and outdoors during summer. We even got to go Lord's, although we played indoors, but it was just special being there. A couple of my team-mates actually ran on to the pitch at Lord's just as we were about to leave- and got caught! That was hilarious! They were going to get fined, but they were lucky enough to get away with just a warning! Good times. I do need to find myself a local team though, but I 'll wait until summer, because really, indoor cricket is a bit pants! ;)


My favourite (present) cricketers? Dale Steyn's one hell of a cricketer. He's been in blinding form for such a long time, and I can't begin to imagine how much of a daunting task it is, facing him! He was in devastating form against the Indians just a few days ago, and I just hope he doesn't get injured! I absolutely love Stuart Broad as well, and can't stand seeing him tonked all over the ground :( Apart from being cute, he's an amazing talent- can't wait to see how good he can become in the next few years. Hmm, and I see he's cut his hair. Interesting stuff! Other cricketers I love- KP (there's always drama/excitement surrounding him), JP Duminy, MS Dhoni & AB de Villiers. Oh wow, notice a pattern? That sooo wasn't planned! Anyways, honourable mentions to Andre Flintoff, Chris Gayle, Graeme Swann, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz and Jimmy Anderson. Used to adore Mitchell Johnson, but I don't anymore- he smiles too much! Haha! :) Can't think of any more at the moment, but trust me, there are loads more!

Cricketers I can't stand? Ricky Ponting's got to be No.1! Urgh! That's all that needs to be said about him. Shame he's a brilliant brilliant cricketer, though. Oh, and Shane Watson. I'm glad there are only 2 of them I don't really like, but it had to be the Aussies! I do love Aussies, really, but their sportsmen? Meh. They're just too smug! but then, they're really good at what they do, so you can't blame them, right? But it's awesome when they don't do well, but it's quite a rare occurrence. They do have a few nice ones- I liked Glenn McGrath, but I think the standard requirement is to have a bit of a mean streak. It serves them well though, maybe if England had a bit of it, they'd be a bit more successful...

Oops! I've been going on and on! I can still go on and on and on, but I think that's enough really! I probably lost you halfway, didn't I? :)
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So yeah, that's my brief cricket history. But it does kind of feel like it's been a part of me for a really long time. Weird, isn't it?

Thought I was going to be able to get through this post without mentioning Arsenal, but I've just got to wish the lads goodluck against Sunderland later on. Crush 'em, please! :)