Cricket for the first time

Apparently the business park holds an annual cricket tournament and each company within it are allowed to enter a team. Word has it we may not be the best cricket team out there, but the team wants to make a run at it this year so they are already starting practices. From now until the big event in October they will practice every Saturday morning before it gets to hot out. Being that I am trying to immerse myself in the Indian culture it did not take much for me to agree to meet everyone at 8am on a Saturday. Meeting at the office we gathered the cricket set that Rachel gifted them before she left and headed to a field near the business park. Describing this area as a field is a stretch. It was more or less a semi dirt area scattered with random rocks and trash that is not currently being used for anything else. It reminded me of the Southside basketball courts at home, you know the ones that have one backboard and a rim without a net. This must have been known as a cricket hangout as many people gathered to play pickup games. Having googled the rules the night before I sat and watched the pickup game currently taking place, while our guys setup our field. Asking our guys questions as I watch I was starting to pick up on the rules, modified of course to the local playground rules. In shorts, Oakley’s and of course the only white guy, I stood out on the playground. Every move I made was watched by many. Wanting to see what I could do my team quickly puts me up to bat. I quickly discovered that I needed to stop reverting to my old little league skills. In cricket you hit the ball no matter how it is bowled. That means if it is bowled behind you, you still attempted to hit it. This was a concept that I still have not got a hang of. Determining that I was able to hit the ball if it was bowled in front of me I decided to attempt bowling. It is tougher than it appears. After only bowling a few times my shoulder is already starting to hurt, this is not going to be good later. I am beginning to realize that I am going to be extremely sore tonight. I guess that is what happens when you take 3 months off from any kind of physical activity. Due to this being practice the guys were very laid back and willing to teach me the game. They all had a good time laughing at me; guess I should not have talked so much trash before I got to the field! Cricket is a game that requires many people to play; otherwise you are continually chasing the ball. Due to the lack of people who showed up we recruited a few people standing around truly making this a pickup game. Practicing, joking, laughing, and the occasional pause to allow a cow to pass through, we had a good time. Though similar to baseball I still have a lot to learn, good thing there are plenty of practice sessions before the big game.

"Cricket for the first time" Pictures

Blake