There is a feast of socialogical debate that could spawn from this, but for now I’ll just paste it. Really charming piece from a Sri Lankan bloke who’s just moved house in London. And…
On Saturday the moving van came home and we finally packed away the last bits of our life. The journey was uneventful until we came towards Hyde park where there was a massive traffic block bc of some parade. The driver and I didn’t exchange much conversation all this time, mainly bc I was too tired to say anything. He then received a phone call and said, “434?! Is it a one day game?? Faaarking hell.†Shit shit, I thought, our record. I asked him to clarify and he said that Aussie had scored 434-4 against South Africa, a new world record team score. We spent the next 40 mins or so talking about cricket, it’s very rare to see an Englishman so fascinated by the game. His knowledge was very impressive too, he knew about the Sri Lankan team and even about the not so prominent guys like Malinga Bandara. It was amusing to find that he had the same problem as I when it came to bowling leg breaks, we both end up producing only googlies and toppies. With an average male in India, Sri Lanka or Pakistan such a conversation would be expected, but in England with a young white Englishman, it was truly surprising. He took my phone number and invited me to play for his club up in Mill hill. We ended the day comparing our bowling actions on the main road, run-up and all.
Since working for Cricinfo, everyone talks about cricket. It’s normal. It’s a cricket office. We talk cricket, we laugh at cricketers, we make crude cricketing puns. We abhor the drivel, and dribble, from certain commentators and lavish praise on, well, nobody. It’s all thoroughly normal. But in most other offices, well, you talk about other stuff (other far less interesting stuff). When’s the photocopier being fixed? Can someone help me lift the water bottle thing? I’ll only hurt my back and I can’t be dealing with a sore back in March, the wind cuts right through me (I used to hear that twice a week in my last job. Moaning old bastards). Who’s got my fucking stapler? (as if anyone would want to steal a stapler). Anyway, shan’t depress you any further – I’m sure you’re all well aware of the crap which people talk about in offices. Onto my point, then.
Cricket’s not really on the same “general chit chat” level as, for example, football.
So I think this guy highlights an interesting point in British society which, actually, raises another question: (oh, two actually) on what level is cricket’s popularity in Britain? It’s not on a par with Football, and nor will it ever be. Which is perhaps why it’s so humbling, if that’s the right word, when you bump into someone who at first glance might not appear to know the other definition of a fine leg. Or a short leg, for that matter. Or any bloody leg, frankly.
Sport’s a great leveller and a great connector. And there wasn’t another question to be asked, so I’ll log off now.
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Far too thought provoking Mr Luke, but here’s my thoughtful thoughts.
I don’t know how you attempt to quantify your question. But here’s a rough guess.
9 out of ten British males, love football, and one in ten is gay.
2 out of ten males love rugby and the other 8 went to comprehensive schools.
3 out of ten males love cricket and we’re just genetically superior.
And then came the Ashes…… and now;
9 out of ten males love cricket but still only 3 out of ten understand it.
6 out of ten males have now lied about “getting a trial with Northants when I was a ladâ€
Within 5 years, 2 out of ten county cricket clubs will have “united” appendaged to their names.
Cricket hooliganism will be a real problem by 2013.
And when Duncan Fletcher retires, Clive Woodward will be competing with Sven Goran Ericsson for the job.
Nice, Chris
Will – Having also been in a Cricinfo office for a fairly long [by dotcom standards], I know how it feels. I always pitied the chap who worked there just for the money without really understanding & enjoying cricket. There were quite a few! Work pretty much came to a standstill during the VVS-RD partnership at Calcutta as well as during the final stages of that game. The WC99 Aus-RSA semi was also a game where we had an Aussie doing the comms from the office [in Chennai!] and we all celebrated the win!
gosh I know that feeling.(will, jagadish) Its great.
Nad it is an absolutely wonderful feeling to start chatting completely unexpectedly, with a stranger, about cricket. It just feels so….glorious.
Hasn’t happened much to me in the U.S. or France.
And my own spin bowling problems are much more basic – 1/3 of the time it goes wide, 1/3 of the time it doesn’t turn. Which is why I pretty much gave up on spin.
Fat chance of that in Germany! However, the Town Hall has invited all ex-pats to a booze-up “get-to-know-you” bash tomorrow night so who knows?
On the other side of the coin though, when I first joined my club, there was huge surprise that little me, a woman, could discuss cricket. They’re used to me by now.
Back during the heady days of the Ashes myself and the other cricket nut in my office organised a sweepstake on some aspect of the third test (englands first innings score I think). It was a tenner each winner takes all affair.
Of course the only woman in the office who has no comprehension of any sport at all apart from figure skating (thats another story) won the lot.
I live in England and went to a state school and as I was growing up no-one played or watched cricket. I’m from an asian background so I watched one-dayers involving India only. Only recently have I begun to watch tests and international cricket.
If people like me don’t have any access to cricket pitches in the future how bad will the England team become? Will the current generation be the best for a while? Looking back on other sports like football the best players tend to come from poor backgrounds because of the desire to succeed that they have. If only middle-class boys play cricket then will they ever have as strong a competitive edge?
Will, Jagadish, you lucky dawgs. You get to live every cricket fan’s back-up dream (playing for your country comes first, of course).
Alan, we need to run into each other. Where in the States are you?
Wraye, what IS your story? You have me piqued.
As soon as a cab driver or anyone gives you the signal that they know their stuff – well you’re in aren’t you? Talking cricket just can’t be beaten.
The thing about cricket is, it is the richest sport going for conversation. Talking (and reading) cricket will always be more rewarding than football, rugby etc. You’ve got the physical skills of the game itself to indulge in: bowling, batting, fielding. The genres of the skills, the history, the present day, your own playing experiences. I could go on.
I think what binds us all sub-consciously is recognition of the mental pressures required to succeed in cricket. Whether you’re 11 years old opening the batting for your primary school, you’re Scott Boswell, you’re David Gower seemingly care-free, or you’re Steve Waugh going out to face Ambrose and Walsh in Kingston, having been labelled a cheat – how will your technique and talent, stand the test? It is a team game, but at the moments that count, you are on your own. There’s nowhere to hide when you’re running into bowl, waiting underneath a skier, or taking guard. That’s the back story to every article and conversation, as far as I’m concerned – that’s why strangers of grown men get so much pleasure comparing actions in the street.
Hi Pratik, just for you, long, long story cut short, okay? I’m English born, fell in love with Gower and cricket in the 70′s. Moved to the Continent a couple of decades ago, found cricket over here and got involved, first at club level, then State, now national. I run German Women’s Cricket and the Umpire & Scorers Association. How about you?
I agree with this story, even though I’m not from Sri Lanka. The problem is that not one of my friends knows as much as I do, and none of them is nearly as obsessed as I am by cricket. But, it has to be said, they are receptive to learning more, and I have managed to persuade quite a few of them into realising why it is such a great sport. When I was at uni in Edinburgh I lived in a flat with 7 guys. Now, it was hard enough to get them to all agree to want to watch Man U – Arsenal, because there was always somebody who hated football, or wanted to play video games, or wanted to watch crap telly, but by the end of the summer I occasionally managed to get everybody agreeing that there was nothing better on the telly than the cricket. However, I do wish I could find more people to chat with about the real intricacies of the game. But the life of the main cricket fanatic in my family does have its perks (my Dad loves the game too, but not quite to my levels). My Mum’s distant, 80 yr old cousin, who lives in Edinburgh, knows that I am the only one in the family who would truly appreciate it, so a couple of years ago he passed onto me my birthright as a cricket fan: a full set of Wisden. Sorry to make you all jealous. Now that’s always fun to explain to people who don’t know much about cricket. How can you get so excited about an old yellow book. And then i show them the collection, and they always understand…….
Cool, Wraye. Thanks for the info. Adding one more to the list of people with fun jobs. My job’s got nothing to do with cricket. I’m a software engineer in a little, boring place called Durham (in the States).
What fascinating responses. I’ll read them in greater detail on Saturday and reply in kind. Alan R – could you please email me? will@mailliw.com – you are owed some prizes, so please get in contact! (have tried emailing)
For the record I am envious of everyone who gets paid to talk / write / do anything else associated with cricket. You guys/gals are so lucky.
Can’t quite relate to office atmospheres but I do go to college , where 66% of the students are female , so it is difficult to talk about anything else apart from clothes, other girls, other boys, yet more clothes, jewellery, stupid celeb gossip, make up, studies and then all of this over and over again …There are handfull of us crazy female but we get outnumbered amongst the rest, nevertheless we do try initiating discussions on cricket every know and then, but rarely do they go anything beyond Shahid Afridi, or how stupid Sami’s hair is. But yeah, whenever we do well against India, there’s a lot of talk, even if it is just on the lines of oh we won, we played well, we kicked ass.. bla bla. And nothing beyond that. The lads are the opposite though, except for the ones that aren’t from Pakistan, each and every knows their crikcet inside out, greatest thing about this I that I never have to spend a single penny on getting SMS score updates if we’re forced to follow a game during college, the lads spend all the money! Hehe.
What’s more we even talk cricket with our teachers…very useful this can be, you know. Like this Monday, I got away with submitting a journal a period late because I told my maam I was watchiing the SA-AUS game on the weekend, and because she’s a total cricket nut like me (some of my friends joke that she even looks like me, which isn’t true of course) she allowed me 25 extra minutes to get my work submitted! Great, no?
Dear Zany, don’t be jealous. I work about 45-50 hours a week in public relations for agriculture to pay my rent and feed my children. I don’t get paid for the cricket work, we are all volunteers here. We do it for love. But every weekend from April to September, I get to watch and score good cricket and the ladies … oh my gosh! feed us fabulous food in the lunch breaks. I respect my cricketers, but oh my, I just love the lunches
just a short addendum here, last night I attended an ex-pat evening organised by the Bonn City Council, a sort of “get-to-know-you” bash. We had to wear name badges with coloured spots – green meant “Sport” which meant that most of us spent the evening peering myopically at each others chests.
Fortunately, I met many people from the sub-coninent, who after peeping discretely at my badge, looked me in the eyes and said, “Mumbai!” Magic!
cricket rocks!