Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > The Sun's Guide to Cricket

[antonye]

ENGLAND’S dramatic win will have won over a whole new set of fans who may be unfamiliar with cricket’s rules. Here’s The Sun’s helpful guide.

Cricket is a simple game. You have two sides — one out in the field and the other one in.

Each player in the side that’s in goes out and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out. When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.

The game ends when both sides have been in and out twice, including those who were in and not out.

There are 11 players on each team, and two umpires. Plus two 12th men and a third umpire.

A chinaman may appear, but that’s just a left-handed wrong ’un. A right-handed wrong ’un is a googly — not to be confused with a flipper. Watch out, also, for an assortment of animals.

A duck is most likely to be scored by a rabbit. A ferret, who is so poor he goes in after the rabbits, is favourite to score a golden duck.

Ball handling by a batsman can get him out, but a bowler may polish his ball as much as he likes in a bid to bowl a maiden over or skittle a stump.

Standing with his fine leg behind his deep backward square leg a bowler will have his third man hanging back to his left.

If he moves his deep mid-on in, his silly mid-off out, his long on in and his long off out, in, out, in, out and shapes his field about, he moves his point and gully and swaps his slips around, he’ll soon catch the in side out. Howzat!

[Rob B]

That's a whole lot better then.

I'm glad I don't understand any ball sports.

Sorted ... could you now explain Baseball to me please?

[philthy]

Or the offside rule.

[Redruth]

Thanks Antonye. That just about sums up my understanding of what's occurring in a cricket game. I've been struggling with the rediculous phraseology of cricket since I started dating a (non-biking) cricket player. He's very kindly provided me with a hand drawn diagram of what all the fielding positions are (unsolicited, I might add). I've been to watch 3 or 4 games. Lovely pleaseant English country scene, sun shining, dog sitting politely by my side wondering what F**k we're doing there, and still I'm none the wiser. Let's face it, they overcomplicate the terminology because frankly it's all talk and not enough balls. Not like biking.

[antonye]

I really got into cricket at uni - fark all to do in the summer days and plenty of beers sitting in the tv room. It's one of those games that can be either really exciting, or really boring - nothing in between.

This should help too...

[YMFB]

its the most fun you can have with your clothes on without a Ducati between your legs. I play once a week and watch it on TV when work permits and the wife/kids allow