We’ve heard from a lot of you that you’d like to know more about cricket. It’s not commonly played in the U.S. but it’s continuing to gain popularity especially as participation in high impact sports like football declines.
So, we went straight to the expert, our Last Night’s Game southern hemisphere correspondent and massive cricket fan, Toby, to understand the ins and outs of the game and the culture surrounding the sport. He gave us the low down on how to fit in, what we needed to know and most importantly, what we needed to eat and drink when watching a match.
While cricket seems like the proper sport where you’d dress like you’re going to a garden party, is that the case?
Well, Cricket is largely played in countries that were former British colonies, hence the perception around the proper attire. If you are going to sit in a ‘members’ area at some of the famous grounds around the world such as Lord’s in London, or the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, you’d need to wear a suit and jacket for men and equivalent for the ladies.
However, if you are sitting in the general crowd at the ground...anything goes.
Baseball is synonymous beer, hot dogs and Cracker Jacks, what kinds of traditional food should we make sure we eat when we’re watching a match and what should we drink?
Lots of water! Cricket games can take a long time, and they are played outdoors. But, traditionally, drinking beer at the cricket is considered part of the activity (much like baseball) although options have developed.
The Lord’s Cricket Ground in London (considered the home of cricket) is famous for its members sipping champagne while watching the action.
Must also be noted that because cricket is played by many different cultures around the world, what is appropriate to drink at the game changes from country to country. Same with food. The foods served at the cricket are often synonymous with the local cuisine where the game is being played. In Australia it might be pies or chips, in the United Kingdom - pork sausages, and in the likes of India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, local spicy foods.
You mentioned that games can last for a long time. What are we talking about?
It depends on the game. There are three formats of cricket:
1. Test cricket, which goes over five days;
2. One-day cricket, which goes for one day; and
3. T20 cricket, which takes four hours.
In test cricket, the players pay in 2-hour intervals each day and stop for ‘lunch’ (40 mins) and ‘tea’ (20 mins).
Test cricket is the traditional format of cricket, and both teams wear all white uniforms. In the other formats, the players wear team oriented colored clothes.
Is there a “Super Bowl” of cricket? A big matchup that we could get excited about (and maybe catch on TV in the states)?
One day cricket has a World Cup held every four years. The last Men’s World Cup was held in London last year and had an amazing final.
In recent years, women’s cricket has exploded. The Women’s World Cup was held in Australia earlier this year and it was the second highest attendance at a women’s sporting event in the world (86,174 attended the final). Katy Perry was the pre-game entertainment.
Who is the Cristiano Ronaldo of the sport? (I.e. the most popular cricket player)?
India is the largest cricket nation in the world, and the captain of their national team is therefore the most revered player in the world, his name is Virat Kohli.
What do we need to know about the game itself?
Cricket’s closest cousin is baseball but there are more differences than similarities. For one, the wicket keeper who stands behind the batter wears gloves, but the remaining fields do not wear gloves.
Here’s a great video that explains cricket in an easy to understand way in less than two minutes. (Don’t let the terms intimidate you - that’s normal). In addition to that, here are a few key terms that might help you up your game.
Bowler - is the pitcher
Over - is made up of six pitches. Each bowler, bowls six pitches and that is then called an over. Another bowler then bowls from the other end of the pitch.
Wickets - is used to define both the clay-based pitch that the batter bats on and the three wooden stumps at each end that the bowler is trying to hit
‘Howzat!’ - is what the bowler yells to appeal to the umpire when he thinks he has a batter out and wants the umpire to make a call.
