I say, old chap, it’s time for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup!
That’s right, when I wake up in a few hours, the opening match of the World Cup will be under way in Jamaica, and, as you can see above:
- I only own a toy cricket bat.
- I really do need a shave.
- I’ll be pulling for the West Indies.
(Why? Well, the Leeward Islands are part of the WIndies, and the US Virgin Islands are part of the Leeward Islands, and the US Virgin Islands are part of the US. Since the US doesn’t have a national team at the moment, the WIndies are the closest we have to an American team. And I kind of met Brian Lara and a few WIndies other players.).
It’s not ice hockey, and it’s not baseball, but by now, I have to say that cricket is in the back of a four-way-race for being my 3rd favorite sport.
If you’re American (like me!), or if you otherwise don’t know much about the game, I HIGHLY recommend DangerMouse’s Explanation of Cricket.
I think he does a great job explaining it, but if you want the REALLY condensed version, and you understand baseball, here’s my quick rundown:
- The cricket field is an oval; in the middle is a long strip called a pitch.
- At each end of the pitch, there’s a crease (like a batter’s box).
- One batsman stands in each crease/batter’s box. When the ball is bowled to him (kind of like how it’s pitched in baseball), he can swing at it or let it pass. If he hits the ball, he can run to the other crease if he wants to. He doesn’t have to. When he runs, the guy in the crease at the other end runs, too.
- One run is scored every time the batsmen change places.
- If the ball rolls past the outter boundary, 4 runs are scored. If it goes over the boundary in the air, that’s a 6.
- In baseball, when you’re in the field, your primary objective is to get the other team out. It’s the same in cricket, but getting those outs is harder.
- In baseball, when you’re up to bat, your primary objective is to score runs. Not getting out is a secondary concern. LOTS of players will get out, but relatively few runs will be scored.
- In cricket, it’s the opposite. LOTS of runs will be scored, and relatively few players will get out.
- There are a bunch of ways to get out, but one of the main ones is by knocking down the wicket–those sticks that are stacked up behind the crease. More than scoring runs, the batsman wants to defend his wicket, by keeping the bowler from knocking it down, and by not running when someone else could knock it down.
- The team with more runs after everyone is out (10 on both sides) wins.
- It can take A LONG TIME for everyone to get out. Test matches are generally played over 5 days, and a good portion of those end in draws beacuse they run out of time.
- The World Cup is limited overs cricket. Basically, the inning ends after 300 balls (pitches) are thrown, even if everyone isn’t out. These games shouldn’t last more than 7 hours or so.
So, now you know the VERY basics of cricket!
Now, as I was saying, the opening match kicks off in a few hours in Jamaica, and I’ll be wishing I were there.
I guess that’s what two years dating an Indian and a year and a half working with a bunch of Pakistanis will do to you!
I like cricket a lot, but even more than that, I LOVE big-time, weeks-long multinational sporting tournaments. (I stay up until 4am watching curling during the winter Olympics).
I’ve always dreamed of competing in the Olympics. I’ll never get to do that, and this year there won’t even be any to watch on TV. But you can bet that I’ll be watching the Cricket World Cup!
You want to know what I think about it this year?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
Here are your teams, in their groupings and with their seeds (courtesy of Wikipedia), along with my comments on each of them.
(DISCLAIMER: I am not REMOTELY qualified to do this. I barely know cricket!)
GROUP A
Australia (1) — Australia will go deep. There’s no question about that. But they struggled mightily in New Zealand last month. And Brett Lee will have to let it be. They deserve to be the favorite, but they’re far from a shoe-in.
(That Brett Lee link is really worth clicking, by the way).
South Africa (5) — Underrated? Possibly. They have smooth sailing to the Super 8s, where we’ll find out what the krugerrand is really worth.
Scotland (12) — I suppose this is an issue only an American would have, but I just don’t understand why Scotland doesn’t play with England/Wales. Consolidating them would open up a valuable slot in the tournament for another country and encourage the development game there (ie, UAE until the USA gets its act together). I just don’t ever see the Scots making great strides forward. That said, they did win the ICC Trophy and the match against the Orange might be exciting.
Netherlands (16) — If a bat-and-ball sport ever takes off on the Continent, you’ll have the Dutch to thank. While the Germans are playing baseball and Finnish baseball, the Dutch are the only European country serious about the two big bat-and-ball sports. Their baseball and cricket programs are doing pretty well, as far as non-traditional nations go. I’m glad to see them get the last seed. I could see them advancing to the Super 8s sometime in my life, but not for a while.
GROUP B
Sri Lanka (2) – It’s hardly a surprise that Sri Lanka is not a media darling. But that hardly means they don’t deserve to be. A very well-balanced team might just turn some heads. Finalists? Don’t be surprised.
India (8) — Of all of the greats who will be looking to win their first World Cup in their last try this year, I think Sachin Tendulkar has the biggest chance to bring home the trophy. Watch out for India.
Bangladesh (11) — The Bangladeshis (or are they “Banglas”? I’m not sure. BTW, I’ll put the question mark outside of the quotes because that’s the British style, and cricket is a British game) might be a Super 8 team if they were in Group C or D. But this group is just too strong for the weakest of the South Asian teams.
Bermuda (15) — If I were Malcolm Speed, I’d find some way to incorporate Bermuda into the West Indies. Of all the minnows, I don’t think you’ll find a more cricket-hungry nation than Bermuda. The islanders even get excited about domestic matches! Alas, I don’t know that there will ever be a way a nation this size can ever make a splash. Not for a lack of heart, but for a lack of manpower.
If they can knock off Bangladesh, you’ll hear the island erupt, wherever you are.
GROUP C–THE GROUP TO WATCH
New Zealand (3) — I’ll be honest, I know even less about the Black Caps than I know about the rest of these teams. I’ll just say that they feel a bit forgotten, and I’m not exactly sure what that means in a group that is ripe for an upset.
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England (7) — Buy your Monty Panesar gear now before they run out! If nothing else, he’ll be a favorite in the tournament. (Assuming the pitches suit him). It’s no surprise that England isn’t highly-regarded after their dismal performace at the Ashes, but they did beat New Zealand recently. What kind of England team will we see this year? One that can’t relax, for one.
Kenya (10) — If there is a big upset in the tournament, it will be from Kenya. Fortunately, the seeding works out well for them: they have a group where such an upset is very possible. But it won’t be easy. This is Kenya’s time to sink or swim. Yes, they turned some heads in last World Cup, and yes, they turned some more in the World Cricket League. But both of those were on their home turf. Not this time. Normally, it would be OK if Kenya tried but just didn’t pull it off. But with the precarious state of the Kenyan teams finances, a win here could give a little economic boost along with an incentive to schedule more matches against Test nations that could possibly send it on the fast track to Test status for itself.
Canada (14) — I’d be lying to you if I were to say that I wasn’t just a little bit jealous of our neighbors to the north (if they could get here, the US could do the same with a proper administration). And I’d be lying if I weren’t pulling for them just a little bit, even though the US-Canada cricket rivalry is the oldest in international cricket. But I’d be lying to myself if I thought they could move on the the Super 8s. They have beaten Kenya in first-class and ODI cricket, and maybe their ODI team is due (they have to win again sometime, and they did scare Bangladesh a few weeks ago). But it’s extremely unlikely that they’ll win a game.
GROUP D–Another one to watch
Pakistan (4) — Without Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif, with a captain who doesn’t score all that well in major ODIs, and with controversy around every corner, Pakistan might be a wee bit overrated coming into this. This is the shakiest of the two groups with three test nations, so they can’t relax, either.
West Indies (6) — The home team could win the tournament, or they could implode, get a scare from Ireland, and fall to Zimbabwe. They’ve got the bats, but do they have the bowling attack? And do they have the composure to go the distance? I’m not so sure; they sure didn’t look that way in the warm-up matches (but can you really use them to judge?). However, it is a long tournament. And the home turf should hold an advantage when other teams will be away for nearly two months. The West Indies will likely never host an event like this again. And Lara will never play in an event like this again. That should serve to inspire. Since they could go far or fall far short, I’ll take the middle and predict them to lose in the semis.
Zimbabwe (9) — Like everything in Zimbabwe, the cricket team isn’t what it should be. Still, they’ll be breathing down the necks of the the favorites here. While they don’t quite control their own destiny, they can be ready to pounce if either of the favorites in this group slip, which is entirely possible.
Ireland (13) — You could make the arguement that the very fact the Irish are here should make them a dark horse, ripe for an upset. After all, cricket just seems so contrary to Ireland, and especially to Irish sports. Gaelic games are prominent; some are even skeptical of soccer, with it big contracts and English influences. You could argue that, with a Windies team capable of collapse and a Zimbabwe team that many think doesn’t deserve test status, they have the right group to catch on fire. Me, though? I’m not going to make those arguements. I just don’t see it happening.
So, there you have it. I might make some more concrete predictions as the World Cup wears on. I’ll also revise this and fill in the blanks after I get up. It’s late.
The World Cup runs until late April. If you live in the US, you likely won’t have the opportunity to check it out. But if you can, make yourself a Pimm’s cocktail, settle down for a few hours, and enjoy the action! It only comes once every four years!
(And if you have a way to watch it, do let me know! It’s not offered on regular cable, the official webcast is VERY expensive, I’m leary about paying $50 or more for a grey-market webcast that might get shut down, and I’m having no luck getting any P2P streaming softward working on this old computer).
Anyway, go West Indies!
(Failing them and the North American minnows, I’ll be pulling for India).
IN OTHER NEWS
Today’s Netflix pick was Hotel Rwanda. It is simply a must-see.
Not only is it well done, not only does it shed light on an event that is embarassingly poorly-known to the public, not only does it shame the West’s lack of intervention and even attention, but, most importanly, it does a wonderful job humanizing a continent and a people. In addition to “not looking like us,” I believe that Africa spends so little time in the news because the culture is so different and so poorly understood, and therefore people and events there just seem less important, because they’re too different to understand. This film’s very human portrait shows very well that we are all the same people, and that no place is “inhuman” enough to be ignored.
Let’s again say “never again,” and, this time, mean it.
4.5 stars out of 5.
Link du jour: Lawmakers Live in ‘Animal House.’
Watch the video if you can. I saw this on the news this evening, and I found it funny and SO refreshing. Four high-profile Senators just kick back like regular guys in a crappy, overpriced group house on the Hill, just like when I interned! In an age with so many silver-spoon politicos, this down-to-earth portrait was just incredibly refreshing for me. 
Edit: I originally posted this at around 3:30am this morning, but the time on the post changed when I edited it and added the last team profiles. In the meantime, West Indies beat Pakistan in the opening match. I did find a good, free video webcast.
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[...] you’re not familiar with the sport of cricket, here is a little primer I wrote a few months ago. Or you can just scroll down to read my comments on other [...]