How can anybody like Cricket?

[GW Emperor]

I currently live in the United Kingdom, which is where I was also born, and I have to say that I am sick to death of the Cricket overload which is currently present in this country.
Apparently Cricket is the third most followed sport in the UK, somehow ranking above far greater sports such as Basketball, Boxing and Wrestling, which this I have to say completely baffles me. It baffles me due to the reasons that a) Cricket is the most boring and slowest sport on the planet, b) the England Cricket team are a joke who rarely win games and are one of the crappest teams in the world, and c) the only reason it seems to be big in the UK is because England won a tournament named The Ashes a few years back, but the thing is this tournament only features two teams (England, Australia), therefore making it a small tournament and in my opinion a tournament which people shouldn't care for as it is practically the equivalent to some pre-season friendly crap.
To make matters worse in the UK the governing bodies are pushing for this sport to be played more at youth level, but the thing is you never see people of any ages playing cricket on fields or at sport centres etc, this is because the majority shouldnt and dont want to. I find it appalling that they are pushing the crappy sport of Cricket at youth level, but are ignoring the far more exciting and faster sport of Basketball. There are far more people out there who would much rather play Basketball as oppossed to Cricket.
The governing bodies and sports channels need to stop ramming this crap sport of Cricket down us Brits throughts. They should take a page out of the Americans book and make this sport practically vanish from the TV screens, replacing it with the sports that are actually enjoyable.
With Cricket being ranked so highly in the UK it suggests that we are one very sad nation indeed.
What do you fellow WrestleZone forums users think of the sport known as Cricket?

 

[Sparky]

Well this is a stupid Question, How do people like wrestling? How do people like Football etc. It all depends on What your interested in.

I live in Australia and its like the life blood of Australia, Come cricket season everybody is talking about it Cricket this Cricket that. I would rather play cricket then baseball or T-ball there is only one sport i play more then cricket and thats Aussie rules. Cricket is quite entertaining to watch and play.

Take tennis for example. your watching a game of tennis live, all your doing is watching your eyes dart back and fourth. at least with cricket its entertaining and more suspensful. I dont mind playing cricket but i will only watch it if its a real close or hard game eg, they need 25 runs off of 10 balls. as i said i guess it depends on what your interested in.

Some people dont like it becoise they dont understand it. If thats your case get someone to explain it to you teach you how to play.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The reason they're pushing it as a youth sport is because it's not a contact sport. It's easier for schools if they don't need to be concerned about people getting their legs broken by an overzealous teen. It's also a sport than isn't played as much in parks so if it's done at school it opens up kids to playing different sports.

 

[AFC1986]

I personally love cricket. I respect that people find it boring, but I have to disagree. I love watching players like Kevin Pietersen as he always goes for big hits and the one day version of cricket for me is fantastic as the atmosphere in the stadiums is always electric, players try to slog it all the time resulting great catches, wickets or the ball ends up in the crowd. The way things are going with the different tournaments that get invented, I think the popularity of cricket will keep getting bigger

 

[FoleyIsGod]

Im not a cricket man myself, but you have to undertsnad that people in this world might not like the sports you do. Youd have thought India, Pakistan and the Aussies would be lapping up football, yet they like cricket more. I do not know why this sort of thing happens, but it does.

Its like the Americans love thier American football, yet the rest of the world is indifferent(at one stage on this board, a arument broke out because non-Americans were downplaying American football, saying it was not one of the more popular sports in the world(top 3 are football, cricket and I think Baskeball)

That said, I do enjoy 20/20, as the games are shorter and seems more attacking.

 

[RadioGaGa]

I'm a big fan of cricket but I can understand that it isn't everybody's cup of tea. Cricket in the UK has become popular because of the Ashes win and the Twenty20 matches which are more exciting and appeal to youths in particular. I don't see any problem with a sport becoming popular, surely that bodes well for England's future cricket team.

GW Emperor said:

the England Cricket team are a joke who rarely win games and are one of the crappest teams in the world

England are ranked the 5th best Test side and the 6th best ODI side which isn't exactly amazing but it doesn't make them "one of the crappest teams in the world." The England football team "rarely win games" but I don't hear you complaining about how big football is.

As for the sports channels ramming it down our throats I don't think that's the case. There are four Sky Sports channels and cricket is only broadcast on one channel at a time. Your point was valid when it was broadcast on Channel 4 which is available on most TVs in the UK.

Some people like cricket, get over it.

 

[Tim]

I hate cricket, but this is just my opinion. I don't understand how anybody can be entertained by it. It's not fast moving, and I don't think a lot actually happens. But you can make this sort of argument for any sport, it just depends on what your opinions are on each sport.

In Australia, every cricket season, did you see him get that century?? did you see the match yesterday?? and I get left out in the cold. But that's like me talking to some of my friends about wrestling, some people just don't like some things. Except it really annoys me in Australia, one of the channels always shows the cricket matches and it goes over some of my favourite shows.

 

[Luther_Hull]

Twenty20 cricket is the way forward, matches last about 3 hours, instead of 5 days, the players hit for six instead of taking safety shots, it's just an all round more exciting game. The problem with cricket is the people who control it, they're far too steeped in tradition, players apparently need 1 hour tea breaks, they can't use floodlights, they can't play in light rain. It's not difficult to start a Twenty20 game at about 7 o'clock and get it finished at a reasonable time, cricket has the potential to be a massive sport but it's missing out because the people at the top are stuck in their old ways.

 

[GW Emperor]

Foley is God - Who on earth told you that Cricket is one of the top 3 most watched sports in the world?
For your information it is actually near to impossible for Cricket to be in the Top 3, this because it is not screened in enough countries.
The top 5 most watched sports in the world are Soccer (football), Basketball, NFL (American Football), Formula 1, and Golf.
The Top 3 most watched sporting events are 1) Summer Olympics, 2) FIFA Soccer World Cup, and 3) NFL Super Bowl.
To say that Cricket has an honour of being ranked so highly in terms of watchability is a bit embarrassing, this not only due to the sport not being available for viewing in enough countries, but also because it is a sport that is too slow, boring, atmoshere lacking, crap, and messed up.
It would take a miracle for Cricket to be a Top 3 Most Watched Sport, this on the World Stage.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Cricket is a great sport. It is one of the Biggest Sports in the world and one of the most watched, Why you ask. What is the combined population of the Subcontinent? India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. All four of these nations are in the 11 Test Playing Nations. They also command huge fan bases.
And what Cricket have you been watching in England? The Barmy Army makes all English Tests completely Awesome. A Good ODI is hard to beat, Tests are a bit of a stretch even for Cricket fans because that is 5 days in front of a TV. That is why Test Cricket is a radio friendly sport.
So please learn a few facts before making a generalised claim that it isn't one of the most watched sports in the world.

 

[Kris]

Some people like cricket, some people like American football, some people like wrestling etc... I personally like watching Twenty20 matches, they're pretty fast paced. I don't think the media ram cricket down our throats at all, it's usually only featured significantly when a big international match (i.e. Ashes) is taking place.

If you never see anyone playing cricket then you don't go out much. I frequently see kids playing cricket on the beach, or on the common. Granted it's not as much as football, but I do see it. And to say that people would rather play basketball is ridiculous. Everyone is different, some kids will want to play basketball, some will want to play cricket, some won't want to play anything at all. I think it's valid for the ECB (English Cricket Board) to be pushing it as a youth sport, there really isn't a lot of support for it at a youth level compared to football or rugby. Sure there should be more support for basketball, but only by the extension that in general more support should be given to young sports men and women.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

As boring sports go, Cricket is pretty boring. Fine, it's a bit more cerebral than certain other sports like footy, rugby, baseball, but it's boring as hell to watch.

I had this friend on MSN who was from India who only talked about Cricket, I think it's like a national sport over there or something. I think it takes people of a specific mindset to watch cricket...just like anything else I guess. Just like it takes a specific type of people to watch wrestling >.> but even as a sport, I find Cricket to be lame.

 

[GW Emperor]

Shadowmancer - I have all of the official facts, and Cricket is not one of the Top 5 Most Watched Sports of the World, nor is one of their events in the Top 3 Most Watched Events in the World.
It might make the Top 10 in these categories but at the end of the day it will never be that major. Plus the combined viewing of the four countries you mentioned still could never compete with the combined viewing of all the countries that Soccer, Basketball, NFL, Formula 1, and Golf are available on TV.
Also if you really believe that the Barmy Army are barmy when it comes to atmosphere then you have major hearing problems. A proper, and good atmosphere is what you would see in Soccer, NBA, NFL, MLB, Rugby Union etc.

 

[GW Emperor]

Some people like cricket, some people like American football, some people like wrestling etc... I personally like watching Twenty20 matches, they're pretty fast paced. I don't think the media ram cricket down our throats at all, it's usually only featured significantly when a big international match (i.e. Ashes) is taking place.

If you never see anyone playing cricket then you don't go out much. I frequently see kids playing cricket on the beach, or on the common. Granted it's not as much as football, but I do see it. And to say that people would rather play basketball is ridiculous. Everyone is different, some kids will want to play basketball, some will want to play cricket, some won't want to play anything at all. I think it's valid for the ECB (English Cricket Board) to be pushing it as a youth sport, there really isn't a lot of support for it at a youth level compared to football or rugby. Sure there should be more support for basketball, but only by the extension that in general more support should be given to young sports men and women.

Kris - No Cricket is fast paced, and if you honestly think that their is then you must be one very dull, boring, slow minded person.
Also you must be living on some other planet or in the continent of Asia or Oceania, if you frequently see people in their spare time playing Cricket. In the UK it is super rare that somebody play's the crap game of Cricket in their spare time.
Plus you saying that people would rather play Basketball as opposed to Cricket, is hilariously funny and you have just made an embarrassment out of yourself. Basketball is the second most played sport in the UK, this when it comes to PE lessons in Schools and in people's spare time. If you were living in the UK and you are claiming to see such things then you must have mental problems.

 

[AFC1986]

I think cricket is definitely a love/hate sport as people either hate it or love it. Personally, I love it and I enjoy watching it players like Keving Peitersen, Andrew Flintoff, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith put on an exhibition of massive shots in both one day internationals and test matches which in turn get the crowd going.

GW Emperor, you make out there is no real atmosphere at a cricket match. I beg to differ as during the Twenty20 World Cup in India last year the crowd were cheering like mad every single game and the fans were dancing in the stands every time someone hit a 4 or a 6. And The Barmy Army do create great atmosphere as they are singing all day long whether it's sunny or rainy

 

[FoleyIsGod]

Kris - No Cricket is fast paced, and if you honestly think that their is then you must be one very dull, boring, slow minded person.
Also you must be living on some other planet or in the continent of Asia or Oceania, if you frequently see people in their spare time playing Cricket. In the UK it is super rare that somebody play's the crap game of Cricket in their spare time.
Plus you saying that people would rather play Basketball as opposed to Cricket, is hilariously funny and you have just made an embarrassment out of yourself. Basketball is the second most played sport in the UK, this when it comes to PE lessons in Schools and in people's spare time. If you were living in the UK and you are claiming to see such things then you must have mental problems.

Not where I live, you always see people mucking about and enjoying playing cricket.

Basekeyballis hardly played near my house, sports are Football, Rugby League and Cricket

 

[Spunky]

Basketball is the second most played sport in the UK, this when it comes to PE lessons in Schools and in people's spare time. If you were living in the UK and you are claiming to see such things then you must have mental problems.

Thats a load of bull for starter's I can think of at least three sports that are played more in school's, And in spare time and they are, CRICKET, RUGBY, And lawn tennis.

Cricket is massive at the minute, I could'nt tell you why, As im only a passive fan.

Rugby is quickly becoming britains second favourite sport due the the violence, and athletcism invovled.

 

[GW Emperor]

Thats a load of bull for starter's I can think of at least three sports that are played more in school's, And in spare time and they are, CRICKET, RUGBY, And lawn tennis.

Cricket is massive at the minute, I could'nt tell you why, As im only a passive fan.

Rugby is quickly becoming britains second favourite sport due the the violence, and athletcism invovled.

Spunky - You really need to do your research pal. Firstly Rugby is already Britain's second favourite sport, when viewing is concerned, and it has been since England won the World Cup in 2003. Before this however, it was between wrestling and boxing for second most watched.
Secondly, Cricket is not massive in the UK and it never will be. It is quite big and it is only quite big because England won a crappy, pointless tournament known as The Ashes, a few years back. Before The Ashes win nobody in England gave a shit about Cricket.
The reason why Cricket will never be in the class of Massive in England, is because a) it is a boring, messed up, and slow paced sport, and b) the England Cricket team are far from good, and are quite frankly an embarrassment to the nation.
Thirdly, it is a proven fact that Basketball is the second most played Sport in the UK. Setanta Sports News proved this fact about 5 weeks ago on the channel, and it drew up a list of the most played in the UK. Football was by far the most played, followed by Basketball in second, Rugby Union in third, Tennis in fourth, and Cricket in fifth.
Cricket is never going to be a sport that many people will play in their spare time, and this is because of it being a sport which requires a large playing area, more equipment than most sports, and because it is fucking CRAP.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

Wrong, what I have read the sports go as follows, football, rugby union and rugby league. Hell, its even classed as the unoffical sport of England(although football is the more popular, cricket is the one that is deemed a national sport)

Wether you like it or not Emperor, there are people in this country that like cricket. Get over it. Just because you think its crap, doesnt mean that the millions of fans who watch and play the sport are wrong.

If you look at it from a Northern prospective, cricket is mainly played by the East Asian contigent(Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis), which have a big presence in towns like Bradford and Birmingham. And you get many more watching the live games on television.

 

[Danmen001]

I have to agree, I am a True Blue patriotic Australian. But for the life of me, I can't understand why people find interest in watch such a crazily slow game. That being said it is just about your own personal opinions on things.

Tim, I agree with everything you said, except it doesn't really interfere with my TV program lol. I know what you mean, I still try to feign interest in what they are talking about though.

Twenty20 is the best, the only cricket I can stand to watch. It is good action, and as good as it's gonna get in my opinion.

The Ashes is ok as well, don't watch it all. Way to slow. However the Barmy Army coming here makes it tense, and what really got me interested was the show "An Aussie Goes Barmy", that was quite an entertaining show, made it bearable to watch.

Still, whatver floats your boat.

 

[Tim]

Twenty20 is the best, the only cricket I can stand to watch. It is good action, and as good as it's gonna get in my opinion.

This is the same for me.

Only cricket that's watchable. Tests and one dayers go so slowly, while in Twenty20s you have to try and get the highest score you can. That means there's not much time for blocking and strategy. You just have to try and get a higher score than your opponent, not much to it. However, you still on't find me watching cricket. I don't get what the big deal is.

Still, if you like it, then watch it. There are people who say "Why watch tennis, it's stupid. All you have to do is hit a ball with a racquet." But I find it entertaining. That's just me. Whatveer you like, watch it no matter what other people say.

 

[AFC1986]

The reason why Cricket will never be in the class of Massive in England, is because a) it is a boring, messed up, and slow paced sport, and b) the England Cricket team are far from good, and are quite frankly an embarrassment to the nation.

I disagree. Cricket is massive in England. Every summer I see kids playing on fields and my local team always have kids trying to join them. And I also don't agree with your point about our team being an embarrasment. The England team are nowhere near being an embarrasment. I am actually proud of them as they have improved dramatically in the last year and they're now rated the 5th best test team and the 3rd best one day international team

 

[GW Emperor]

I disagree. Cricket is massive in England. Every summer I see kids playing on fields and my local team always have kids trying to join them. And I also don't agree with your point about our team being an embarrasment. The England team are nowhere near being an embarrasment. I am actually proud of them as they have improved dramatically in the last year and they're now rated the 5th best test team and the 3rd best one day international team

They may be rated 5th best team in the World, but come the World Cup and The Ashes they will look like they belong much further down the rankings than that. In the World Cup and Ashes they will get destroyed as per usual.
Also their is only one massive sport in the UK and that is Soccer. People watch, play and talk about Soccer far more than Cricket. In the UK people also watch, play and talk about Rugby and Boxing more as well.
In my life I think I have only had one person try to make a coversation with me about Cricket, and in response me and my pal's just looked at him oddly and branded him a sad git.
Also where on earth are you living if you are seeing many people happily playing Cricket on fields? Wherever it is it just sounds a bit make believe to me, that being unless you are living in half of either Asia, Oceania, or Carribean, or some posh quiet countryside area of the UK.

 

[AFC1986]

I don't live in a posh countryside area as I live in Hertfordshire and I am not making it up that I see kids playing cricket. You say based on the World Cup and The Ashes that England belong further down the rankings. In that case, England should be further down the FIFA football rankings as they never progress further than the quarter-final stage of a tournament and they didn't even make it to Euro 2008.

You think that football is the only massive sport. Rugby Union and Rugby League are huge in this country. Every Super League game is a sell out and there will be about 70,000 fans inside Old Trafford to watch tonight's Super League Grand Final.

I love cricket and I feel that is a true family sport as people come back home from a hard day's work and they can take their kids to a cricket match and just enjoy themselves