cricket v baseball

[Saintsfan]

Following on from my postings about cricket the other day I thought it might be interesting for some of you if I compared cricket to baseball and wny I prefer the british game! I am not trying to convert anyone to cricket here, just comparing the two games for you guys! Any comments would be interesting!

1 Its a cultural thing- I was brought up with cricket, just as you guys were brought up on baseball

2 In cricket there is no 'foul' territory, you can play the ball anywere you want, this makes batting more of an art.

3 There seems to me to be a greater variety of bowlers in cricket, using different degrees of pace, swing and spin.

4 Batsmen are trying to manipulate the fielders so that they can score runs were they want to- not just biff the ball as far as possible.

5 Its a very simple game really! It may not always look like it, but it is!!

6 The flow of a 5 day game means that your emotions can raise or fall ar anytime. This is very strange because you may not even be watching the game, just at work following it on the internet or whatever!

I could and may go on!!

[DEAD!]

I think the reasons North Americans seem to put down cricket are the perception of complexity in terms of overs, and scoring and the length of the games. I think the twenty-twenty format would suit us better.

The only thing that gets me about cricket is why some bowlers have to start running from the edge of the oval. Of course the spinners don't do that.

[pittunited]

One of the things that baffles me about cricket is bowling... For instance, what is so controversial about Murali's delivery? Something about the angle his arm is bent? WTF?

[DEAD!]

One of the things that baffles me about cricket is bowling... For instance, what is so controversial about Murali's delivery? Something about the angle his arm is bent? WTF?

I don't know too much about bowling (in cricket) but I think you need to have a distinctive straight arm otherwise it would be throwing.

[habsfannova]

Your elbow has to be straight, otherwise you are "chucking", essentially like spitballing in NA.

[Saintsfan]

Actually the rule is that you can't straighten your arm. If it stays at the same bent angle thats fine (although that is very difficult to achieve!) As a consequence it is harder to generate pace on the ball, and that is why fast bowlers have long run ups, because you need to use the rest of your body to generate pace and momentum, and that involves running in! (Does that make sense??)

I think 20 20 could work in the US, but I don't think cricket will ever become a major sport in the US.

[pittunited]

So in other words, insted of letting the arm do most the work, like a fastball pitcher, a fast bowler has to use his entire body to put that speed on the ball. Right?

20-20 may work to an extent, but cricket would never become more than a niche sport in the US. I don't think Americans have the patience for a full 5-day match (even though people flock to 4-day golf tournaments). People barely have the patience to watch a baseball game anymore.

That's the other thing--the closed-minded would be too focused on the fact that it's not baseball, and wondering why the bowler is jerking around like a shot-putter and why the batsman isn't just swinging away and trying to hit sixes all the time. The little details would just escape them.

[plattopus]

One of the reasons I love cricket is because you can laze around for hours on a hot summer day with a nice cold Pepsi and not have to get off the couch. If anyone accuses you of being lazy, you have an excuse.

But as a game, I definitely think the One Day format is a lot better to watch. It's more fast-paced and has a lot more action. I get a bit bored of Tests pretty quickly but I can always sit through an ODI.

[Saintsfan]

So in other words, insted of letting the arm do most the work, like a fastball pitcher, a fast bowler has to use his entire body to put that speed on the ball. Right?

Absolutely correct. As you can't generate the pace through your arm, you have to do it more through the rest of your body, and that requires momentum, hence the run up.

In practice this means that in a day a fast bowler can bowl more than a pitcher would normally expect to pitch (20 overs- or 120 deliveries, as opposed to say 6 innings of 15 pitches- 90 pitches in all) Also a cricket bowler might do something similar on a couple of succesive days, rather than only once to twice a week. (Roughly) You also don't see fast bowlers doing post game interviews with there shoulders wrapped up like baseball pitchers do.

However you would never see a cricketer bowling fast at 40, like Randy Johnson. They tend to have ended there careers by 32 or 35.

[-kj]

For those of us who've never really seen it played, can someone give a bit of a primer?

[DEAD!]

For those of us who've never really seen it played, can someone give a bit of a primer?

Perhaps these will help.

http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/hosking/cri...explanation.htm

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC/RULES/

[Saintsfan]

For those of us who've never really seen it played, can someone give a bit of a primer?

Hmm well a quick look on google has produced this

http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2003/21jul03/21crick.html

You'll need to scroll to the bottom of the page!

Wonder if I am the first person on CCSLB to link to a page from Johns Hopkins!!

[DEAD!]

Wonder if I am the first person on CCSLB to link to a page from Johns Hopkins!!

I guess so since no one has ever raised a medical question here.

[-kj]

Well, y'all're no fun. I was hoping for the quad and saint explanations, I bet they'd be more entertaining.

(I'll take a look at those later.)

[DEAD!]

Well, y'all're no fun. I was hoping for the quad and saint explanations, I bet they'd be more entertaining.

(I'll take a look at those later.)

I would give you an entertaing explanation, but I really don't know too much about cricket. In fact I have to look at these sites myself. I didn't know the bowler is not supposed to have a straight arm. A limp wrist ...maybe.....

[Saintsfan]

Saintsfan- Hmm well mockba wants an explanation of cricket does he, well I know just the man for the job!

Assistant- what- is this some kind of punishment for messing up the tampa bay lightning thing! Well okay. essentially cricket is like baseball. Well not really. First of all two batsman are at the wicket at any one time, out of a team of eleven. To get the whole team out you need to get ten of those batsmen out (makes sense!!) In a test match each team gets two innings. In a one day game they get one innings made up of an agreed number of overs...

Saintsfan- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Assistant- hey I am doing my best its a difficult thing! Anyway an over is made up of 6 deliveries (or balls). normally one day games are 50 overs per team. Although recently A form of the game with 20 overs each (called 20 20) has begun, this results in more action more quickly! Runs can be scored anywhere on the pitch- there is no foul territory. There is a boundary, if it goes to the boundary without bouncing it is worth 6 runs, if it goes to the boundary bouncing or across the ground it is 4. Jeez just read the links, cricket truly is a simple game but difficult to explain!

[paynomind]

so.. to sum up.. you dont know, either.

Cool.

I've always wondered, but never so much as to want to follow the links and read up. I guess I'd need to play.

[pittunited]

See, there you go! Let's all fly over to Saintsfan's place and play the first annual Creamerboard test match!

[Saintsfan]

Hmmm not sure I can fit absolutely everyone in! But bring your own beers and your on!!!!!!!!!!!

[paynomind]

Hell, I'll bring enough beer for the host! Lets go...