h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Creachy my friend, I truly hope you may be proven wrong about cricket dying.

I'm not so sure about the overexposure you mention. Certainly it is played all year round, but then its a summer game played in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, so that logically follows.

As for being rammed down our throats, well I feel that football (of which I am also a fan) gets far more coverage which intrudes into all parts of life than cricket. (I speak here from a Uk viewpoint; I realise matters are different on the subcontinent, and perhaps the Antipodes - not sure about there)

For example, there is noone in cricket with the saturation coverage of a Be**ham, Larsson or Amoruso. The nearest in English cricket would be Darren Gough, and thats only to tell of how he has injured himself this time.

And just one final cheap shot. Perhaps you find test cricket dull because you are missing the final day of play. They last for five days, not four!

Perseus

not enough coverage if you ask me - I'd like to see far more of the county game on TV here in Blighty...

amen to that

P

Yes, there IS an active cricket playing community in the US, at least here in Houston, Texas. I hear about it from folks I meet from India and Pakistan, mostly in motels or convenience stores as clerks/manager/owners. But the game has not penetrated the awareness of the general public, IMHO. I am not a big sports fan, but I generally scan the sports news daily in the paper and on television. I do not recall ever seeing anything about cricket. I attended a "double wicket" cricket match in the Astrodome last year, sponsored by an organization of Indian and Pakistani Americans, I recall. I evidently stood out in the crowd - at one point I was at the rail taking photos when an organizer walked over and asked me if I was with the media. The zoom lens camera was only part of his curiosity, a small part I'm sure.

5 DAYS! well thats alright then i am sorry but it doesn't matter how much cricket you make me watch, i will hate it. i know a broad spectrum of people incorporating many like and dislikes. none of them like or care for cricket and that seems to be the growing pattern today in britain. it would be a shame to see cricket die, as it would any long established sport, but i am afraid i will be right.

creachy

It's only a matter of time till they win the ashes again (as much as i would like to see us keep winning them). A winning team always seems to bring the fans out of the woodwork.

Cricket coverage in Holland during the World Cup? Nil
Cricket on tv? Nil
Mnetions of Dutch (or any!) cricket during 'sports' programmes? So far; 30 seconds to say that they had won a game but were out of the cup!
Result: One unhappy ex-pat!

shazz

Creachy- you are of course free to dislike cricket as much as you like, but to claim it is being "shoved down your throat" is ludicrous, if you live in the UK.

During the cricket world cup which has it's final tomorrow, not a single match has been live on any channel other than Sky Sports 3. During the winter, there are no live matches other than on the Sky channels.

The only live games on terrestrial TV during the English cricket season are tests and some from the Cheltenham and Gloucester trophy.

County championship cricket is *never* covered on terrestrial TV. Whereas ina sport like football, you can go to matches int he third divison and it'll get on Tv, in either higlight or live form. Of the cricket matches I've been to, I've only ever seen a camera at two of them.

So, how exactly is cricket being, as you say, "shoved down our throats"

... to continue my story about Houston, Texas, USA cricket fans ... the owner at the liquor store (I know him well ) is from India, he is preparing to watch the finals at 2 AM Houston time - a buddy of his spent the $300 to get the cable broadcast. You had to buy ALL the games to get it. When I visit the store, he is typically reading a newspaper from India for expats, lots of cricket coverage. He is surprised, mildly, that India made the final, but not about Australia. Apparently India's hopes ride on their star, whose name I forget (Schanan?), but Australia is, well, Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar is the Indian star and, yes, their main hope- if he fails, Australia will win. if he suceeds, we'll have to see.

I enjoyed the following report on the final:

QUOTE

Afterwards (the Indian Captain?) paid tribute to Australia, saying: "Hats off to them. They played like great champions. They were a better team than us but we can go back home with our heads held high."

Sachin Tendulkar, who was presented with his Man of the Tournament award by West Indian great Gary Sobers, said: "It didn't happen. The bowlers found it tough to put the ball in the right areas. It was just one of those days."

END QUOTE

It's nice to know there are still civilized athletes on the planet. Unlike Garry Kasparov, the highest rated chess player, who recently refused to shake hands with the 15 year old who beat him.

a bit of fisticuffs could only help Chess as a spectator sport IMHO

I stayed up until about 2.30 am Sydney time watching about 2/3rds of it, but i went to bed once we had most of the batsmen out.

Indias bowlers let the team down badly, as they actually had the best of the bowling conditions. Not that i'm complaining mind you

Styeve- the Indian captain's Sourav Ganguly and I agree that it was nice to see how generous the Indians were in defeat

(I missed the Aussie innings as I overslept- got woken up by a phonecall from Alfredo Marquez (U194798) saying "are you watching the cricket", I said "no, I'm in bed, why" and he said "oh, it's just that Australia have already won, and India haven't gone in to bat yet")

Linus -

Actually there have been a few reports of fist fights breaking out in chess clubs. And its a pretty common event in baseball - not as much as hockey, but the "bench clearing brawl" is a time honored tradition. This is usually preceded by pitchers taking turns throwing WAY inside, like between the batter's rapidly dropping head and his cap, which is still hanging in mid-air. Or the Roger Clemens approach (he is one of the best pitchers) in the WORLD SERIES, when a piece of a broken bat came near the pitcher's mound and Roger picked it up an threw it at the batter.

But by all accounts, cricket is above all this ... except for the part about throwing at the batsman? I forget the term, bodyline, maybe?

Steve,
Bodyline was thankfully outlawed many many years ago.

There was an incident in the Aust V Pakistan match where one of the paki bowlers managed 2 beam balls in short succession ( a beam ball is a fast fulltoss straight at the batsmans head

It is possible to do one by accident, and the bowler is usually very quick to apologise. There was no apology in this case and the umpire stepped in and told stopped the bowler from bowling for the rest of the game.

Changing the topic slightly, did anyone else see the indian slip fielder try and claim a catch during the final, when the ball clearly bounced in front of him first?

Didn't see that in the final, no, but the Pakistan bowler to which you refer was the captain Waqar Younis.

My apologies. It's a bit hard to keep track of Pakistans captain from one game to the next.

It must have happened fairly early on as the batsman was either Hayden or possibly Gilchrist. The fielder dived forward as the ball wasn't going to carry. The ball bounced just in front of him then he caught it and jumped to his feet appealing vociferously.

Hayden looked at the reply on the big screen then suggested to the fielder that you can't hide from modern technology on the field.

Ah, well, as I pointed out higher up, I wqas asleep while Australia were batting.

... as was Hadyn when he appeared to sleep through his entire time as captain of the Northants County Cricket Team

shazz

Oops s/p!! Hayden

shazz