It was an ordinary day. Watching a cricket match between two men's teams on the field across from our condominium in Barbados. Pretty neat game. I love baseball, and cricket is somewhat similar in that you use a bat and a ball. Oh yeah, it also is just as hot sitting at a match or game in the sun. But, to try to understand the game of cricket takes some doing. I can only imagine how someone who has grown up playing cricket, and then tries to understand baseball, must feel. I parked myself on a bench at the end of the cricket field and watch as the two teams play their match. A man about my age sat next to me and asks if I understand how the game is played. "Not really, but I think I'm going to get a lesson pretty soon," I said. He smiled and started to explain. For me to explain the entire game to you would be impossible in a short story, and I'm not sure I really understand all the rules myself, but I have copied a brief description from Wikipedia to try to help you understand, as well as to refresh my memory. Here goes: Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard longpitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowlsand fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings. Did that help at all? Maybe if I told you that "bowls" means pitching and "dismiss" means getting the player out. If not, maybe you can at least enjoy the photos that I took while watching the game. I had as much fun talking with my new native Barbadian as I did watching the match. I only hope that I can be as accommodating if I see someone trying to understand the game of baseball. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - following are some photos of the cricket match I was watching.
A "bowler" pitches the ball toward the batter, trying to hit the wicket behind him, thus making him "dismissed" (out).
Another photo of a "bowler" pitching the ball.
Batter "dressed" to bat.
The batter has just hit the ball that was bowled (pitched) at the wicket.
Batter missing the ball. If the ball hits the wicket, he is dismissed (out). For some strange reason, the only player on the field that is allowed to wear a glove for fielding, is the wicket keeper. The batters also wear gloves, but mostly for protection from the ball.
Batter swinging at a pitch before the ball hits the wicket behind him.
Batters from the same team talk strategy.
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