It’s been a long, long time since I paid attention to the game. A couple of decades of grinding out pieces for Inside Cricket and Inside Sport sort of ruined my appetite for it.
But I’ve noticed everyone getting excited about the long form of the game again. I even went to Wikipedia yesterday to look up the meaning of ‘Bazball’.
And then, there was the First test. No, I didn’t watch it, but for the first time in twenty years, I feel like I missed something.
Smoking Jesus. Take a moment to collect yourself. If you were watching that final day at Edgbaston, you deserve to let your nerves unspool. They must be clenched to raging little clusters of data. Do some deep breathing. Take your shoes off and walk on the lawn. Fists with your toes. Even if you’re not invested in either team, close Test cricket can make you sick, when awaiting each delivery feels like you’ve just chugged a large chocolate milk before jumping on Magic Mountain.
If you’ve paid any attention to coverage over the past five days, you might have heard one or two comparisons to the Edgbaston Ashes Test of 2005. Run totals of 407 on the first day, fourth‑innings targets for Australia of 282 and 281 respectively, falling short both times under clouded skies, simmering in the fetid steambath of noise generated by the Hollies Stand.
I'm watching cricket again but for totally different reasons. Dad loves it (barracking for England first and any team that plays australia second) and we put it on in the background while we sit beside the bed keeping him company as he lives (well, sleeps through) his last days.
I like test cricket because I can easily either sit on the couch for a day and immerse myself in it, or walk past the tv and catch the score and 10 seconds of play, and either way I know what's going on.
Clearly it's what the players want, too. Yep, the money from the subcontinent 20/20 pays the bills, but test cricket is their main game.
Dave W has already mentioned this, but the correct litmus test for whether you should return to watching cricket is watching the Bluey episode on cricket. If you can get through that without crying, cricket is not for you. If you end up a blubbering mess at the end then perhaps you need to dip your toe in the water to see how grown up cricket feels.
Disclaimer: I am not, and am unlikely to ever be a cricket fan, but I got severely emotional over a 7 minute kids cartoon on the sport. #NotAshamed
If you do, it should only be test match cricket, or perhaps 50 over cricket. The other stuff is bullshit.
I don’t get enthralled by Australian cricket generally, but when the same sort of tension arises in NZ cricket as happened yesterday with the Ashes, I Am Glued.
As long as you boycot the 10.000 metres in speed skating, I'll stay away from cricket.
Found a clip that in general describes the Dutch attitude towards Anglosaxon sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPShIQ4EsHA ;-)
I'm watching cricket again but for totally different reasons. Dad loves it (barracking for England first and any team that plays australia second) and we put it on in the background while we sit beside the bed keeping him company as he lives (well, sleeps through) his last days.
Damn that whole piece good.
I like test cricket because I can easily either sit on the couch for a day and immerse myself in it, or walk past the tv and catch the score and 10 seconds of play, and either way I know what's going on.
Clearly it's what the players want, too. Yep, the money from the subcontinent 20/20 pays the bills, but test cricket is their main game.
For any North Americans reading, the necessary background info is contained in a recent episode of Bluey: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-12/bluey-cricket-episode-encapsulates-the-meaning-of-the-game/102467554
No, cricket jumped the shark sometime ago
Dave W has already mentioned this, but the correct litmus test for whether you should return to watching cricket is watching the Bluey episode on cricket. If you can get through that without crying, cricket is not for you. If you end up a blubbering mess at the end then perhaps you need to dip your toe in the water to see how grown up cricket feels.
Disclaimer: I am not, and am unlikely to ever be a cricket fan, but I got severely emotional over a 7 minute kids cartoon on the sport. #NotAshamed
If you do, it should only be test match cricket, or perhaps 50 over cricket. The other stuff is bullshit.
I don’t get enthralled by Australian cricket generally, but when the same sort of tension arises in NZ cricket as happened yesterday with the Ashes, I Am Glued.
Bazball is BS, but I'm enjoying the women's Ashes
If you enjoyed it once, give it a try, you can clearly shown you choose to stop if you don't enjoy it and not turn into a cricket tragic.