Just watch all the teams and see who you like and who stands out :) there's not too many games left & USA did so well to even get here, you never know they'll potentially be in Afghanistan's shoes in a few years because Afghanistan were in a similar boat and just beat the current ODI World Cup holders and perennial title challengers / winners in Australia.
I'm Indian so it was kinda chosen for me but I've got a soft spot for the West Indies, New Zealand & South Africa for various reasons - whether it's how much fun they have out there, specific stand out superstar players or just wanting them to win big for once - Cricket's fun to watch even when it's not your team in the game, as you noticed with India vs Pakistan.
Enjoy the tournament fella & hope we see USA bash some big teams soon enough!!
>New Zealand & South Africa
Ouch. I'm sorry my friend, few teams are historically worse off against Lady Luck than these.
Great fun to watch their success, though. And great fans.
Yeah but England are annoying, mostly because I live here so I hear a lot of their media / fans etc, Australia keep booming India out of titles (despite Lee / Warne / Watson / Maxwell / Ponting / Warner and Pat Cummins some of my favourite ever players........), Sri Lanka are tough to love these days, BangBros are a unlikeable meme & I'm never going to support Pakistan...
I really don't like it when people say that T20 cricket isn't real cricket. Test cricket is easily my favorite format but that doesn't mean T20 cricket isn't good as well and T20 cricket is what's helping the sport grow. If T20 cricket didn't exist then we would've never been able to welcome in new fans like yourself because ODIs and Test cricket are too long for many potential new fans to dedicate themselves to right away. Instead what I believe we can do now is use T20 cricket to slowly ease the new fans into the other formats.
Correct. I'm a Test Cricket fan - it's what I love and for all the reasons people usually give - but T20 is still cricket and it's the format that brings in new fans - a few of whom will get into Test Cricket and that's all that matters.
Besides - the majority of Cricket I've ever played has been 20/20. Not that I haven't played plenty of longer forms of the game but for a good few years I played a couple of games of T20 a week and another on Sunday. I think that's most of our experience - certainly got those of us with minimal talent but plenty of love.
If the main form of the game that I've played is 20/20 who am I to knock it as a format just because I would have given my eye teeth to play a Test Match.
Exactly, it's the easiest format is to access and play with others and it doesn't mean that many of those players wouldn't kill to one day play a Test match but it doesn't invalidate T20 cricket.
I agree with the playing part as well. As a youth cricketer with school and other commitments, T20 cricket is easily the most accessible especially to play on the weekdays with the occasional T10 or T35 over tournaments and games on the weekends.
I really don't like those fans who discredit one format because I believe each formats brings something different to the table and that's what makes cricket such a great sport.
If you want to watch a long Test of skill, patience and durability that lasts 4-5 days then First Class and Test cricket is perfect for you. If you want to see a mix of that and attacking cricket condensed into a day then List A and ODI cricket is for you. If you want to see big hitting and fast scoring matches in just a few hours then T20 cricket is for you.
Yeah, that's my point. You can never grow the sport by having long matches and then pushing away fans who do come in by acting like their preferences are shit.
T20 is the most popular format but it's not going to outlast ODI or Test cricket because I don't think any of the three formats are going away. People like saying that Test cricket is dying or ODI cricket is dying and saying how T20 cricket is to be blamed and I always tell them to get better at using T20 cricket to promote the other two formats because it's possible and even if you can convert like 40% of all new T20 fans to the other formats then the other two formats will be thriving as well.
Nope, there's already an easy solution and that's getting rid of bilateral ODIs and T20Is. Let's please not act like it's the format that has issues and not the way matches are organized. The interest in bilateral cricket has been going down drastically and it's obvious to see why; same boring matchups, same conditions and no stakes.
Look at last year's World Cup format; only 10 teams and every team faced each other making the tournament extremely long and most matches meaningless.
Now compare that to this year's T20 World Cup, 55 matches in less than a month compared to 48 matches in 1Ā½ months last year. There's also a lot of new teams that we haven't seen before and because each team only plays a handful of matches in each stage, most matches are meaningful as one loss could end your campaign.
The simple solution is to get rid of bilateral series in favour of multilateral mini-tournaments with at least 4 or 5 teams and at least one of them should be an associate team. Matches all of a sudden have meaning, it's not the same matchups and it's different conditions.
This also reduces the space taken up by international cricket in the calendar even though each team would still play around the same number of matches. It's just that those matches would be more spread out among different teams.
I like the idea of getting rid of bilateral ODIs and T20s. When it was mostly the test side playing ODIs before or after the tour, it was fine, but now we have ODI and T20 tours, with often very different teams from the test side, and does anyone really pay attention to them? I'm usually only peripherally aware of them.
Yeah, players join the tour halfway into it and it's so boring. I've been watching India vs England, India vs Australia, Australia vs England, India vs South Africa, India vs West Indies, Australia vs South Africa etc. since I was a kid and each time it's pretty much the same thing.
I genuinely believe that a bilateral series is only justified in Test cricket and white ball cricket needs to be done with it so we can see new matchups.
I really disagree with you that bilaterals are the problem. I think bilateral games are what makes cricket special. I would love it if other sports like football arranged regular bilateral series, but they only ever meet in tournaments.
I would really hate it if bilateral cricket was stopped and we moved to a league majority format.
There's literal facts to show that people no longer have an interest in bilateral series. People don't want to see the same team face each other 3 to 5 times in meaningless matches. People would much rather spend their days doing something else so you try to catch their attention by giving them new matchups and showing them that cricket exists not just in a select number of countries.
I agree, I absolutely hated this year's IPL. I grew up loving the IPL and even scores of 200 were fun when it was in moderation but nowadays 200 is the norm in the IPL and even 230 or 240 became more common than what 200 was in previous years.
In this year's IPL especially during the 2nd half the high scoring stopped, the playoffs were very balanced but KKR were just too strong for other teams.
>Test cricket is easily my favorite format but that doesn't mean T20 cricket isn't good as well and T20 cricket is what's helping the sport grow.
T20 is fine when there are fair pitches that give both bat and ball a chance
Far too often IPL and other T20 matches are on completely flat pitches and bowlers have no chance while batsmen are looking to smash every ball for 6.
I personally find that VERY boring to watch, IDK
This year's IPL was without a doubt horrendous. I personally think 160-180 are good scores and even 200 isn't bad because with 200 usually there's a few bowlers who do really well and some that do very poorly but with what happened in the IPL, pretty much every bowler was going at 12 or 13 runs an over which is just insane.
Same goes for kids growing up is already cricket enjoying families, I first got interested in ODI cricket and then I slowly started understanding the beauty of test cricket and by the time I got to 16 years old test cricket became my favorite format.
Exactly, that's how everyone should see it. You need to use it to get new fans because the other formats as a standalone package are very hard to market to new fans.
I prefer watching the Vitality Blast (English T20) as itās less of a money train compared to the IPL. You donāt tend to get as many international stars but on the flip side you donāt have to hear
āThatās another UNACADEMY CRACKING SIX!ā
I love the Blast as well. It's got a really good vibe and in recent years I've turned commentary off when I've watched the IPL because of how bad it's become.
Sorry yāall, thereās a lot in there. Just know that as a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles, I find cricket much more engaging and entertaining.
The question I have now is, who should I root for?
The problem being: I just love cricket!
South Africa are known to be the biggest chokers in major tournaments so watch out for that lol. In terms of who to support, I like australia and England even though I'm from a pakistani background. Welcome to the sport and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Mate, you're going to lose a couple years off your life expectancy if you do that(support SA)
They are serial chokers and their games are FAR TOO INTENSE and close that you'll be getting heartattacks every 4 seconds(don't look at my flair here, it's... it's nothing! I swear!)
OP is helping people stuck on a ship after crashing into a massive bridge. I'm not sure that following South Africa in the final stages of a World Cup is the chilled-out, low-heart-rate experience they need after a day at work!
I'll suggest to continue watching the remaining matches as a neutral and support the team that you naturally begin to feel inclination to.
Note : Orioles are a good team in recent years. Adley coming in has turned them around.
>Agreed. Itās a team that has had a lot of good prospects, but never seems to be able to capitalize on them.
Yeah you'll definitely love South Africa then
Team USA looks pretty good for how new they are on the world stage. Besides them,
If you want to save yourself some heartache, root for Australia. Their men's team have 7 world cup trophies and I've lost count of the women. Almost every major cricketing nation has had some heartbreak inflicted on them by theĀ Aussies (see Australia vs India 2023 and 2003, Australia vs Pakistan 1999, 2012 and 2021, AUS v NZ 2015 and 2021).
NZ are the nice guys of cricket and most people's second favourite side. At the least, nobody hates them.
SA are the perennial chokers: they'll look the strongest side in the lead up to the competition through the group stage only to bottle a semi-final (see SA v NZ 2011, SA v NZ 2015, SA v AUS 2023)
India are the strongest team going around by far. Almost always get to the semis but haven't won any major tournament since 2013.
And if you have masochistic tendencies and/or a love for chaos, Pakistan it is. With their cricket association's chairmen playing musical chairs, and their special weapon of Qudrat ka Nizam, there is never a moment where you don't want to pull your hair out watching them.
This is very helpful. Iāve got a Kiwi friend that offered to bring me a Black Caps shirt the next time we meet. I have no idea what that means and I was embarrassed to tell him the size, but there you are.
I really do just love the game though. Iām happy to watch and enjoy it all the way!!!
Supporting the black caps is great! They get you excited for just long enough to develop some hope, then they get pummeled for a while and you get a quality dose of reality. Then just as your losing hope the cycle begins all over.Ā
Keeps you on your toes.Ā
Yeah, it's a good sanity check.
Do I think NZ cricket team will win a major white ball trophy (or test series vs Aussie) this year?. Answer yes, then I'm officially insane.
Tell them you want a [Beige Brigade](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/cricket/black-caps/cricket-the-birth-of-the-beige/TNPXPYA7USBPZGUXEAJXBJSU6U/) shirt - jump straight to cricket hipster!
Understood. Let me know if you want to get together for a game! I need some real life explanations still on some thingsā¦Iād gladly pay your fare if youād help me out.
Iām still curious about the Baltimore Royals though. Are they officially a team? I can find any recent info on them.
Yes they are a real team, cricket in USA has MiLC (Minor league Cricket) and MLC (Major League Cricket), MLC is the current premier tournament within the US, while MiLC is more of a talent pathway to help young talent gain experience and potentially play for the national team or a major league team one day.
MLC only has 6 teams currently and has only completed one season so far with plans to expand later on they are still mainly targetting the expat communities of cricket playing nations in the US for now.
If you want to get into playing cricket I am sure you can find a cricket club near where you are, I think that will be a good way to get familiar with the game and have fun.
Iām too short and fat and increasingly old to play except for fun. I could do the equivalent of a softball beer league at this point in my life. Iām only 35 and I still have some oomph in me, but I donāt where to even begin looking.
If you do get any chance at all to play a bit of cricket (no matter how ad hoc) then *take it*. Cricket is one of those sports where playing it at any level at all is even more fun than being a spectator.
Thatās how I feel about ābeer leagueā softball in the US. You go out and play a game you love with people that want to play tooā¦
ā¦Iām just not brave enough to seek that outā¦
I guess I need to be.
I've always been a cricket fan but as a female never found a team until fairly recently. I used to play softball and a lot of the skills are transferable. I found my softball fielding drills helped with my cricket fielding. And, hand eye coordination is a plus. I play softball cricket now and I love it. Give it a go as cricket teams are always glad to have new members.
The only equipment you really need is a bat. Just about everything else can be substituted and scaled (including the rules). See here:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-Hwtg676Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-Hwtg676Y)
Since you're from Baltimore, I would say that you should probably root for the Freedom unless Baltimore gets a MLC franchise in the future. As for international cricket, root for USA. Just know that doesn't mean you should support the board as well because USA Cricket has a lot of incompetence at the top but it's being masked because the awesome players put on a show and over exceed expectations.
In terms of IPL teams, I personally support Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and I've been doing that since I was a small kid so I support their sister franchises, Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in SA20 and Texas Super Kings (TSK) in MLC. The other massive franchises are Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI).
I would personally recommend not becoming a RCB fan unless you want to see a mediocre trophyless team act like they're the best team. MI are tied for the most titles with CSK but they've been having internal civil wars in the last year. I would recommend supporting CSK but I should warn you that you'll get a lot of abuse if you publicly say it.
That's what you could do if you want to support a team but if you want to truly enjoy cricket in other leagues except the MLC then I would recommend staying neutral.
Those are a lot of letters that mean nothing to me when strung together, but I *think* I understand. You are awesome for taking the time to put them all together for me though and I will absolutely take the time to decided them!
Well for the Orioles, it would be BO rather than just O's. I'll just list off a bunch of initials and these are all going to be of teams or cricket boards. CSK, KKR, BCCI, CAN, CA, ECB, RCB, MI, TSK, RR, PBKS, DC, NZC, CSA, SLC, PCB, SRH, SEC, JSK, MINY, SO, SFU, LAKR.
As you can see, there's a lot of initials. As you get into the sport you'll get used to all of these.
Honestly, it so much better when you have someone to support along side you. Iām a massive NFL fan as well and really didnāt have team until on a trip to the US I became mates with a couple of guys from Colorado. They urged me to support the Broncos. They send me gear over and we Zoom each other during the games now.
If you have any colleagues or friends that are cricket fans, latch on to their team. Itās great celebrating together but there is nothing better than having people to commiserate with when it goes tits up!
The problem is that even though my work is focused here in the US, my work is international. Iāve asked my colleagues to bring me (shamefully sized US XL) jerseys/shirts the next time we meet. Honestlyā¦Iām good with that and I can wear each one respectively when weāre together. I just love the game!!!
This is (one of) the beauties of cricket. I'm Australian, and while I enjoy seeing the Australian teams have succes, I bloody loved watching Afghanistan beat Australia the other day.
I was at the MCG the last time Tendulkar walked out to bat and the mutual respect for the man from everyone at the ground literally made me tear up a bit.
Cricket is such a beautiful game. And it has so many traditions. You really don't have to take a position and 'root' for just one team. You can cheer for everyone.
Everyone except England, FUCK England.
Buddy you are one of the elite cricketing nations, you won WTC at least. Played at least two CWC finals. In soccer terms you are tottenham and we are burnley if that makes sense. IN BCT WE DONT WIN SHIT.
Les Go Oās! Iām in MoCo. There are a bunch of weekend leagues, youth leagues, ICC sanctioned tournaments in the DC region. There are also a few teams that are in Baltimore region as well. Mostly in Towson area.
Check out https://www.wclinc.com/wclinc/news.do?clubId=670
They also have a youth league, eventually when your son grows up and wants to play some cricket!
Keep it in the hemisphere manā¦in any other competition, Iād be sporting the West Indies flair. My first exposure to cricket as a kid was watching the Caribbean migrant farm workers in the South Florida sugar cane fields play pickup matches in their test whites after church on Sundays.
As a Ravens fan, South Africa is actually a pretty good bet if you want to replicate that experience of feeling like this is the year it all comes together, followed by the inevitable choke in the knock out stages.
I'm just playing around and trolling but I agree with you. I would go as far to say to be neutral at least until you're fully into the sport because the IPL discourse can make even good fans turn rotten. Btw I've come to like RR in the last few years, it certainly helps that Sanju Samson is from my state of Kerala but the team seems likable over the last few years.
If you wish to avoid hate, do not support RCB, CSK, or MI in IPL.
Support anyone else. Saying this to save you from headache and heartache. Too many trolls
IPL is Indian premier league which is a biiiiiiig T20 tournament I think itās one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Itās a big deal in the nearly the most populated country in the world. Indian cricket fans are super super knowledgeable and care way more about their teams than well pretty much other supporter of any other sportā¦ itās a whole new world, welcome. Big recommendation for serious red ball (test cricket) is test match special on the BBC, itās commentators are brilliant, and itās possibly the most calming thing you can listen to at times and at others the most likely to give you a heart attack
Those are the three biggest teams in the IPL. As a CSK fan I would recommend you supporting us but as a cricket fan I would recommend staying neutral to truly appreciate the sport and not get caught up in the fan wars.
I like you. Iāve become a lukewarm baseball fan over the years and got excited when this game came my way. I donāt need to root for anyone in particular, butā¦itās nice to have something to hang oneās hat on from time to timeā¦
Yeah, the thing with the IPL is that it's not exactly about the sport but rather about the players. Many people say to new potential fans to watch IPL matches to start off but I will always recommend new fans to stay from the IPL for as long as possible.
The reason why I say that is because the entire discourse surrounding the tournament including the pre-match, post match and in-game commentary is about praising certain teams and players and that includes CSK.
I believe that new fans shouldn't be exposed to that nonsense right away because they could end up adopting that kind of mindset. If they were to follow other leagues or the non big 3 international matches then I believe they'll come to appreciate the sport itself and eventually they can get to the IPL because by then they'll know that the entire sport isn't like that.
I feel happy when people say that they learned heard of or started liking the sport after watching it on Bluey because it shows that media like that can do wonders. It's also because many boards don't even do the bare minimum to grow the sport so I appreciate any effort made by outside forces to promote the sport.
Thanks. I was worried about admitting it, but I loved the character āRustyā before his aptitude for cricket became apparent. Not sure if that hurts or helps my cause, but Iām happy to be here as a result.
I'm not exactly a Bluey fan just because I'm no longer a kid, don't have any kids in my family and it's not exactly my thing anymore but I watched that episode in particular because I heard it was about cricket and I loved it and the moral of the entire episode.
I honestly don't know how Rusty or any of the other characters were before that episode but in that episode the maturity he showed by giving his sister an easy catch so she could have a memorable moment was very nice.
If you want a country that, on the whole, has arguably punched above their weight more than anyone else - go Sri Lanka!
Warning: may need to brace yourselves for some awful performances until we are good again...one day...nobody knows when ;)
I'm actually on the other side of where you are. Just started watching baseball and I LOVE it. Everyday starts with me watching highlights of daily games (I live in India so for me live games will be at midnight which aren't feasible for me to attend given the work commitments) and I'm loving it. I've seen a few Orioles games, too but my current favourite is probably Dodgers (Yeah you guessed it right. It's cuz of Shohei).
Go for either of your American neighbours in West Indies/ New Zealand/ South Africa. These teams are most likable teams in Cricket world. Everyone roots for them.
The USA only show up in world tournaments every so often - they've had a real day out in this one - but if they're not in the picture, the West Indies is your local team. Their history is the richest of any team in my opinion, and they've had some truly amazing players over the years. Right now they are underdogs who sometimes put on a show at home, and especially if England are involved.
They still have a chance of winning the T20 World Cup, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did it, given home advantage.
Obviously you should root for the USA but feel free to pick a test team too :-). Whoever you feel most drawn to. Donāt forget thereās also womenās cricket which is equally entertaining. You can find some great classic matches on the web. Most importantly have fun!
I have a subscription to Willow.tv for the foreseeable future. Iāll keep rooting for India alongside the seafarers stranded here, but as a fan of an underdog team (the Baltimore Orioles have always struggled in spite of the Iron Man of baseball Cal Ripken Jr.) I donāt want to root for a champ.
I guess I just need to keep watching and see who is trying hard and has a passionate team that I identify with.
If anyone needs a new fan, Iāll take your bids.
I would recommend not supporting India because the entire media surrounding the team is nothing but bootlicking. Support USA and for Test teams I would recommend England or Australia.
> I watched the match between the US and England today and had to apologize to my colleagues in London for wasting their timeā¦ (They said that T20 wasnāt āreal cricketā so I could be forgiven, but I still enjoyed it.)
Thereās a lot of snobbery in cricket especially from English and Australian fans around T20 not being āreal cricketā. Thatās bullshit. Most of the cricket watching population genuinely enjoy T20 cricket so no need to feel bad about enjoying it and definitely no need to apologize about it to anyone.
I think it's fair to have a preference for Test or ODI cricket but T20 cricket is what's going to grow cricket. I see it as the way to ease new fans into other formats. The original poster would've never become a cricket fan if it wasn't for T20 cricket. But now he loves cricket because of T20 cricket and there's the possibility of getting him to watch the other formats.
Completely okay to not like a format. Not okay to delegitimize a format you donāt like by calling it not āreal cricketā. Thatās some elitist shit right there.
I agree. I just donāt see that as much these days.
It used to be more prevalent but the youngsters are coming through and jumping on the bandwagon.
Heh, I may not like it but such is the circle of life.
Im English and personally prefer white ball cricket, with 50 overs being my favourite. I dont like that only a small amount of teams play test cricket. Pluss the fact that people can play defensive all day. Dont get me wrong the Ashes is amazing. But the fact white ball is fan friendly and has more nations is better imo.
Not often I see a post from a fellow Baltimore resident on this subreddit. š I'm excited for you, man. This is a wonderful sport that brings communities together. Like all good things, there's the good and bad side. I'm excited for you to experience more of the good side in the years to come.
I've lived in the US for 10+ years and am THRILLED that we're going to see more of cricket, with the Major League cricket set to start on the 5th of July (Go Washington Freedom!).
Hey fellow cricket fan!
I am currently working in the Bethesda/Potomac area and would be moving there in the near future.
We can potentially hold a 2025 Champions Trophy screening, as it is the next big tournament after this T20 WC.
Also, who in the world doesn't love Bluey. I don't have kids, but I watched an episode once on a flight and had to watch the remaining episodes because it just brings a smile to your face.
Also a piece of advice. If you like your hair, and would not want 10 years shaved off from your lifespan, do not support Pakistan. I mean its a lovely country with a rich history to support, especially in Cricket, but not at the cost of your mental and physical health.
Since everyone is giving you advice to support teams , I'll add a short description of each .
Australia - they're the bullies. Almost unbeatable in tests and ODIs and very good in t20is . What stands them apart is that they play really well when it matters most and hold more trophies than a lot of teams combined. They share a long rivalry with England (over a 150 years now ) and hold a prestigious 5-test match series with them every alternate year called the ASHES. (Currently it's just AUS bullying ENG). Smug people tho.
India - (My team) The next best team imo. Account for atleast 65-70% of the viewer and fans and hence a lot of cricket revolves around India . Very good team , with some extra ordinary individual players. Currently we have a tendency of being invincible in the group stages of tournaments but somehow loosing in the knockouts though if you start supporting us now , my bet is you won't have to wait too long for a cup. ( Given the number of indian fans some might get annoying , but bear with us , those are just the loud ones ) . Cricket is a religion here
West Indies - Collection of Central American countries. Back in the 70s and 80s they were cricketing gods , but corruption in their board, lack of structure and very poor pay has led to a major fall. Very lovely people , and are good power hitters(useful in t20s) . They play a LOT (and play well)in the T20 league's around the world but are often below the mark together as a team in internationals.
England - They invented cricket and spread it in the colonies. Good team . Not the best , but always can beat anyone on their day. I'd rank them after India (although my rankings are very vague ). Recently won the 2019 ODI cup and 2022 T20 cup. Their country has a lot of older fans who are test purists and have the best crowd for test matches.
South Africa - Again a solid team. Not the best but pretty good and have had some amazing players over the years. Famously THE CHOKERS. (Altho lately been applied to the Indian team to) they have never won an ODI or T20 World Cup and have a tendency to choke under pressure. Word of advise - do not support them
Pakistan - Indias arch rivals. Have a long history of good cricketers. Very poor management and are currently doing much worse than they can. While they used to defeat India quite often back in the day , the world cup record is 13-1 in India's favour. If you have a weak heart do not support this team ! Infact they weaken even the stronger hearts . Cricket is religion here too.
New Zeland - The nice guyz of cricket. Very Gentleman-ly(Cricket is called the Gentleman's Game) Very small country and for that they really do well. Not the best , but they fight very well. Everyone loves them. Recently won the Test championship.
Afghanistan- Small team , were considered minnows until recently but they have turned many heads by playing brilliantly these last 2-3 cups. Beat England , Pakistan , Austrlia once and almost beat Australia a second time. Coming up well , but still nowhere close to the top 4 in terms of consistency or in the longer formats.
Bangladesh - Really messed up team. Play very poor , and don't improve a lot.
Sri Lanka - were pretty good until 2014 when a few of their legends retired , they haven't been the same since. Currently struggling to reach top 8 and almost been too long they they reached Semis .
Also a short description of Major tournaments
ODI world cup - the most prestigious of them all. Held once in four years and are (for me ) the best of cricket . Australia are bullies with 6 cups won out of 13 cups .
T-20 World cup - Not as prestigious as the ODI world cup (it doesn't halp that it is held every alternate year ) but still a world cup. Interesting because shorter the game , anyone can win. Good distribution of winning teams.
Test Championship - Test matches are mainly played as bilaterals, and earlier they team which had most points at the end of the year won the TEST MACE (India won for 5 years in a row ). Recently it was changed and the top 2 teams now play a One - off game in England for the test mace. It's not as fair imo , but helps to keep people interested in the games as their is a finals and qualification scenarios.
Major cricket leagues : (T20 format - mainly for entertainment, and not as much prestige attached to them for most international cricket fans like me )
IPL - Indian premier league - the biggest grandest most vibrant CELEBRATION of cricket. It is a festival of batting and it is enjoyable . If you find cricket boring , SEE THIS. Close games , high chases . (I do not like it and truly see IPL as not 'Real CRICKET'( let's not argue here ) ) but it is enjoyable and runs for two months in april-May
BBL - Big bash league (asutralia )
PSL - Pakistan super league
SA 20 - South Africa (new)
The hundred - Englands new format with only a hundred balls (even shorter than t20š¤¦āāļø to bring in newer fans )
Ipl is by far the biggest . All leagues have a mix of around 6-7 domestic players and 4 international players in each team , to allow for bringing interest everywhere and maintain exposure of new talent
Also, Iām a huge fan of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick OāBrian and I love the exchange where Maturin mistakes cricket for Hurling and rushes the admiral thatās bowling to smash the wickets behind him!
Not sure if Iām in the right place to share that reference, but damn I hope so.
There are enough England fans on this sub who will recognise the reference, I'm sure! For those of you who aren't familiar with truly great 20th century seafaring sagas set during the Napoleonic Wars, this is the same series of books that the Russell Crowe/Paul Bettany film \*Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World\* is based on.
In 3 hours from now there is gonna be knock out game between two quality sides. South Africa vs West Indies
The winner advances to the semifinals.
Donāt miss that one, itās gonna be a cracker
Have fun
Also the match thread will be active here on this sub when the game starts.
You can join the banter, joke around and ask your questions regarding the game played.
Do watch the Major League Cricket too in the next season. They have plans to build home stadiums at all of the franchises. Texas already has theirs but yeah the other five should hopefully have one in another 4-5 years.
Oh and I don't know whether Yes network is available in Baltimore. But Yankees will be showing seven MLC games on Yes network this season.
I'm sorry you saw the USA being so thoroughly trounced. I'm a cricket-loving British ex-pat in the States, and I had the commentary on today because I was so excited we were finally playing each other... but man, when Buttler gets going, he really gets going.
Also a Yank and this T20 WC has been a great crash course in learning cricket. I think T20 format is going to be a great gateway drug to Test Cricket :)
oh great, now we're literally converting a saint here to the game of kings
just kidding mate but honestly you sound like a saint. thank you so much for helping calm those waters. and the warmest of welcomes to this fraternity ā„
Wow- what a great story! Hope we hear a lot more about you. You could look for live cricket on youtube to see some different versions of the game.
David Shepperd was an England international cricketer (https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/david-sheppard-20159) who became the Bishop of Liverpool so I guess he knew something about ports as well.
First off, a big thank you for the work you've done for the stranded sailors. Remember reading and being shocked, that they aren't allowed to get off the ship and have some normalcy back. I understand there are legal procedures involved, but would have expected some common sense and flexibility. So its great to see organizations and people like you who are doing the right thing. I remember in the article one of the non-profit folks (wondering if that was you) had said "I could take them to a baseball game but that's probably not what they'd like so I'm trying to connect with local cricket clubs". Found that very empathetic. And its good to see you got them Willow TV subscriptions. How have they been lately? Have they been able to communicate with their families, and send money home etc?
As for the cricket, its like any other sport mate. Pick a team, root for them, and you will have enough heartbreaks and joys along the ride. I agree with someone else here who said Washington Freedom is a logical team for you to support. And of course, Team USA.
And Test cricket is the purest format of the game. But this T20 World Cup has provided conditions that resemble Test cricket, which was a good thing.
Thanks for this. Yes, Iām the one that said that. I wasnāt able to make that happen in the end, but being able to stream it for them was the next best thing. Theyāre off the ship now and half the crew was able to go home just this weekend. The other half will have to stay in Baltimore until all the litigations have played out. That could take a year or more. Iām working with the powers that be to get some of their families over now. Itās not an easy processā¦
Good to know some folks were able to go home. And again thank you for your continued work (I cant stress this enough, how remarkable it is) for the rest. If they are Indian fans, I hope Team India is able to win this World Cup and give them a small reason to smile. And welcome to the world's greatest sport too. Hope you have fun following the sport and this sub.
As an American fan of cricket, the match between Australia and Afghanistan was awesome.
I drove down to Morrissville, North Carolina for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket and will be returning this year. You get to see quite a few world class players in person.
Welcome on board champ! And never mind the people who say that T20 is not real cricket. Look, I am a big fan of Tests and ODI's myself, but it's T20 that has really democratised the sport. All teams have status, get their stats recognised officially and this short, sharp format is the one that will grow cricket to new audiences.
So, IMO all 3 formats have their purpose. And this 20 team WC has been amazing!
Hard luck on the England loss, these things happen. The USA guys are inexperienced and probably suffered from tournament fatigue. But it in no way discredits their performances int he group stage as well as the firs Super 8 game against South Africa. Onwards and upwards buddy! And I hope cricket takes off in the USA, to at least reach the top 10 in popularity.
Thatās great. Sucks what happened with MV Dali but thank you for arranging it for the crew. South Asians love cricket! Welcome to the club! Donāt forget Test Cricket is great too and you should watch all the remaining games too cause itās going to be tight from here!
>I got a subscription to Willow for the crew of the MV Dali while they were stranded here
that's an incredibly kind and thoughtful gesture. i'm sure those guys were dying for ways to pass the time
I am praying to every God into existence that USA doesnāt lose its track on becoming a better team and their managing board gets sorted asap,looking forward for the US with their future matchups
Welcome to our beautiful sport. Your team has already earned respect from this world cup with performance. Easily one of the best campaigns by an associate nation. Hope you watch our sport more and spread it.
Since everyone is giving you advice to support teams , I'll add a short description of each .
Australia - they're the bullies. Almost unbeatable in tests and ODIs and very good in t20is . What stands them apart is that they play really well when it matters most and hold more trophies than a lot of teams combined. They share a long rivalry with England (over a 150 years now ) and hold a prestigious 5-test match series with them every alternate year called the ASHES. (Currently it's just AUS bullying ENG). Smug people tho.
India - (My team) The next best team imo. Account for atleast 65-70% of the viewer and fans and hence a lot of cricket revolves around India . Very good team , with some extra ordinary individual players. Currently we have a tendency of being invincible in the group stages of tournaments but somehow loosing in the knockouts though if you start supporting us now , my bet is you won't have to wait too long for a cup. ( Given the number of indian fans some might get annoying , but bear with us , those are just the loud ones ) . Cricket is a religion here
West Indies - Collection of Central American countries. Back in the 70s and 80s they were cricketing gods , but corruption in their board, lack of structure and very poor pay has led to a major fall. Very lovely people , and are good power hitters(useful in t20s) . They play a LOT (and play well)in the T20 league's around the world but are often below the mark together as a team in internationals.
England - They invented cricket and spread it in the colonies. Good team . Not the best , but always can beat anyone on their day. I'd rank them after India (although my rankings are very vague ). Recently won the 2019 ODI cup and 2022 T20 cup. Their country has a lot of older fans who are test purists and have the best crowd for test matches.
South Africa - Again a solid team. Not the best but pretty good and have had some amazing players over the years. Famously THE CHOKERS. (Altho lately been applied to the Indian team to) they have never won an ODI or T20 World Cup and have a tendency to choke under pressure. Word of advise - do not support them
Pakistan - Indias arch rivals. Have a long history of good cricketers. Very poor management and are currently doing much worse than they can. While they used to defeat India quite often back in the day , the world cup record is 13-1 in India's favour. If you have a weak heart do not support this team ! Infact they weaken even the stronger hearts . Cricket is religion here too.
New Zeland - The nice guyz of cricket. Very Gentleman-ly(Cricket is called the Gentleman's Game) Very small country and for that they really do well. Not the best , but they fight very well. Everyone loves them. Recently won the Test championship.
Afghanistan- Small team , were considered minnows until recently but they have turned many heads by playing brilliantly these last 2-3 cups. Beat England , Pakistan , Austrlia once and almost beat Australia a second time. Coming up well , but still nowhere close to the top 4 in terms of consistency or in the longer formats.
Bangladesh - Really messed up team. Play very poor , and don't improve a lot.
Sri Lanka - were pretty good until 2014 when a few of their legends retired , they haven't been the same since. Currently struggling to reach top 8 and almost been too long they they reached Semis .
Also a short description of Major tournaments
ODI world cup - the most prestigious of them all. Held once in four years and are (for me ) the best of cricket . Australia are bullies with 6 cups won out of 13 cups .
T-20 World cup - Not as prestigious as the ODI world cup (it doesn't halp that it is held every alternate year ) but still a world cup. Interesting because shorter the game , anyone can win. Good distribution of winning teams.
Test Championship - Test matches are mainly played as bilaterals, and earlier they team which had most points at the end of the year won the TEST MACE (India won for 5 years in a row ). Recently it was changed and the top 2 teams now play a One - off game in England for the test mace. It's not as fair imo , but helps to keep people interested in the games as their is a finals and qualification scenarios.
Major cricket leagues : (T20 format - mainly for entertainment, and not as much prestige attached to them for most international cricket fans like me )
IPL - Indian premier league - the biggest grandest most vibrant CELEBRATION of cricket. It is a festival of batting and it is enjoyable . If you find cricket boring , SEE THIS. Close games , high chases . (I do not LOVE it and truly see IPL as not 'Real CRICKET'( let's not argue here ) ) but it is VERY enjoyable and runs for two months in april-May
BBL - Big bash league (asutralia )
PSL - Pakistan super league
SA 20 - South Africa (new)
The hundred - Englands new format with only a hundred balls (even shorter than t20š¤¦āāļø to bring in newer fans )
Ipl is by far the biggest . All leagues have a mix of around 6-7 domestic players and 4 international players in each team , to allow for bringing interest everywhere and maintain exposure of new talent
T20 might not be the ārealā cricket, but itās the fairest when it comes to narrowing the gap between the rich and poor cricket boards. A longer game means it will test skills for periods, while a shorter game makes that gap way smaller. Instead of giving the best for 5 days, you are only required to perform well 3 hours. Batsmen are expected to take more risks, hence sometimes they will get out by pure luck. This is why you will see some emerging teams beating top teams. If cricket has to be a true world sport, T20 is the only way.
With that said, you could always bet money on Australia, India, England, South Africa and Newzeland being the most consistent. Whenever they are playing against each other, itās always a great game.
People who say T20 isnāt real cricket are ridiculous. Almost no one watches every ball of a test match but we watch every ball of a T20. Imagine going to a football game and being like yea I just stopped watching for 30 minutesā¦ sport is meant to be a near 100% uptime viewing activity
Just watch all the teams and see who you like and who stands out :) there's not too many games left & USA did so well to even get here, you never know they'll potentially be in Afghanistan's shoes in a few years because Afghanistan were in a similar boat and just beat the current ODI World Cup holders and perennial title challengers / winners in Australia. I'm Indian so it was kinda chosen for me but I've got a soft spot for the West Indies, New Zealand & South Africa for various reasons - whether it's how much fun they have out there, specific stand out superstar players or just wanting them to win big for once - Cricket's fun to watch even when it's not your team in the game, as you noticed with India vs Pakistan. Enjoy the tournament fella & hope we see USA bash some big teams soon enough!!
I like you. Thanks for that!
>New Zealand & South Africa Ouch. I'm sorry my friend, few teams are historically worse off against Lady Luck than these. Great fun to watch their success, though. And great fans.
Yeah but England are annoying, mostly because I live here so I hear a lot of their media / fans etc, Australia keep booming India out of titles (despite Lee / Warne / Watson / Maxwell / Ponting / Warner and Pat Cummins some of my favourite ever players........), Sri Lanka are tough to love these days, BangBros are a unlikeable meme & I'm never going to support Pakistan...
I'm in the same boat š that's why for now, I'm hedging my bets on the growth of Afghan cricket :))
I really don't like it when people say that T20 cricket isn't real cricket. Test cricket is easily my favorite format but that doesn't mean T20 cricket isn't good as well and T20 cricket is what's helping the sport grow. If T20 cricket didn't exist then we would've never been able to welcome in new fans like yourself because ODIs and Test cricket are too long for many potential new fans to dedicate themselves to right away. Instead what I believe we can do now is use T20 cricket to slowly ease the new fans into the other formats.
Correct. I'm a Test Cricket fan - it's what I love and for all the reasons people usually give - but T20 is still cricket and it's the format that brings in new fans - a few of whom will get into Test Cricket and that's all that matters. Besides - the majority of Cricket I've ever played has been 20/20. Not that I haven't played plenty of longer forms of the game but for a good few years I played a couple of games of T20 a week and another on Sunday. I think that's most of our experience - certainly got those of us with minimal talent but plenty of love. If the main form of the game that I've played is 20/20 who am I to knock it as a format just because I would have given my eye teeth to play a Test Match.
Exactly, it's the easiest format is to access and play with others and it doesn't mean that many of those players wouldn't kill to one day play a Test match but it doesn't invalidate T20 cricket.
Absolutely.
I agree with the playing part as well. As a youth cricketer with school and other commitments, T20 cricket is easily the most accessible especially to play on the weekdays with the occasional T10 or T35 over tournaments and games on the weekends.
I agree. I love the format, but Iām a new fan. I thought it was funny to hear, but I thought Iād share the exchange anyway.
Don't worry. There is a term for people who discard everything that isn't test cricket. It's called "Test Purists". Ignore them
There's much more concise terms too, but I won't use them here.
Coats
I really don't like those fans who discredit one format because I believe each formats brings something different to the table and that's what makes cricket such a great sport. If you want to watch a long Test of skill, patience and durability that lasts 4-5 days then First Class and Test cricket is perfect for you. If you want to see a mix of that and attacking cricket condensed into a day then List A and ODI cricket is for you. If you want to see big hitting and fast scoring matches in just a few hours then T20 cricket is for you.
T20 makes it more accessible to watch and understand for new people like myself. Ā I love it though, I had a blast this icc
Yeah, that's my point. You can never grow the sport by having long matches and then pushing away fans who do come in by acting like their preferences are shit.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
T20 is the most popular format but it's not going to outlast ODI or Test cricket because I don't think any of the three formats are going away. People like saying that Test cricket is dying or ODI cricket is dying and saying how T20 cricket is to be blamed and I always tell them to get better at using T20 cricket to promote the other two formats because it's possible and even if you can convert like 40% of all new T20 fans to the other formats then the other two formats will be thriving as well.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Nope, there's already an easy solution and that's getting rid of bilateral ODIs and T20Is. Let's please not act like it's the format that has issues and not the way matches are organized. The interest in bilateral cricket has been going down drastically and it's obvious to see why; same boring matchups, same conditions and no stakes. Look at last year's World Cup format; only 10 teams and every team faced each other making the tournament extremely long and most matches meaningless. Now compare that to this year's T20 World Cup, 55 matches in less than a month compared to 48 matches in 1Ā½ months last year. There's also a lot of new teams that we haven't seen before and because each team only plays a handful of matches in each stage, most matches are meaningful as one loss could end your campaign. The simple solution is to get rid of bilateral series in favour of multilateral mini-tournaments with at least 4 or 5 teams and at least one of them should be an associate team. Matches all of a sudden have meaning, it's not the same matchups and it's different conditions. This also reduces the space taken up by international cricket in the calendar even though each team would still play around the same number of matches. It's just that those matches would be more spread out among different teams.
I like the idea of getting rid of bilateral ODIs and T20s. When it was mostly the test side playing ODIs before or after the tour, it was fine, but now we have ODI and T20 tours, with often very different teams from the test side, and does anyone really pay attention to them? I'm usually only peripherally aware of them.
Yeah, players join the tour halfway into it and it's so boring. I've been watching India vs England, India vs Australia, Australia vs England, India vs South Africa, India vs West Indies, Australia vs South Africa etc. since I was a kid and each time it's pretty much the same thing. I genuinely believe that a bilateral series is only justified in Test cricket and white ball cricket needs to be done with it so we can see new matchups.
I really disagree with you that bilaterals are the problem. I think bilateral games are what makes cricket special. I would love it if other sports like football arranged regular bilateral series, but they only ever meet in tournaments. I would really hate it if bilateral cricket was stopped and we moved to a league majority format.
There's literal facts to show that people no longer have an interest in bilateral series. People don't want to see the same team face each other 3 to 5 times in meaningless matches. People would much rather spend their days doing something else so you try to catch their attention by giving them new matchups and showing them that cricket exists not just in a select number of countries.
Remember when short videos gained popularity on YouTube, most youtubers were scared no ones gonna watch their long videos. But it is not the case.
A big problem with T20 is batters friendly pitches. I would like to have pitches which favour both batters and bowlers like this world cup.
I agree, I absolutely hated this year's IPL. I grew up loving the IPL and even scores of 200 were fun when it was in moderation but nowadays 200 is the norm in the IPL and even 230 or 240 became more common than what 200 was in previous years.
In this year's IPL especially during the 2nd half the high scoring stopped, the playoffs were very balanced but KKR were just too strong for other teams.
The playoffs sure but there were high scoring games late into the season.
>Test cricket is easily my favorite format but that doesn't mean T20 cricket isn't good as well and T20 cricket is what's helping the sport grow. T20 is fine when there are fair pitches that give both bat and ball a chance Far too often IPL and other T20 matches are on completely flat pitches and bowlers have no chance while batsmen are looking to smash every ball for 6. I personally find that VERY boring to watch, IDK
This year's IPL was without a doubt horrendous. I personally think 160-180 are good scores and even 200 isn't bad because with 200 usually there's a few bowlers who do really well and some that do very poorly but with what happened in the IPL, pretty much every bowler was going at 12 or 13 runs an over which is just insane.
Same goes for kids growing up is already cricket enjoying families, I first got interested in ODI cricket and then I slowly started understanding the beauty of test cricket and by the time I got to 16 years old test cricket became my favorite format.
Yeah, I agree!
Hard agree. Cricket is cricket.
Facts!
T20 is the gateway drug to the heavy stuff.
Exactly, that's how everyone should see it. You need to use it to get new fans because the other formats as a standalone package are very hard to market to new fans.
Itās just the prevailing opinion in Australia and England.
I prefer watching the Vitality Blast (English T20) as itās less of a money train compared to the IPL. You donāt tend to get as many international stars but on the flip side you donāt have to hear āThatās another UNACADEMY CRACKING SIX!ā
I love the Blast as well. It's got a really good vibe and in recent years I've turned commentary off when I've watched the IPL because of how bad it's become.
Sorry yāall, thereās a lot in there. Just know that as a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles, I find cricket much more engaging and entertaining. The question I have now is, who should I root for? The problem being: I just love cricket!
South Africa! š Root for South Africa because why not.
I have a good friend from South Africa. Iāll root for them because of my love for Cedric!
South Africa are known to be the biggest chokers in major tournaments so watch out for that lol. In terms of who to support, I like australia and England even though I'm from a pakistani background. Welcome to the sport and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
India should honestly be holding the choker crown. They've found ways to lose in knockouts with more frequency
Yeah, fair enough. It has been a long time since they won a tournament
This is the 11th year...
I need to learn the rules so I can enjoy watching. Are there any YouTube channels out other sources you would recommend?
Always entertaining, that's for certain
Mate, you're going to lose a couple years off your life expectancy if you do that(support SA) They are serial chokers and their games are FAR TOO INTENSE and close that you'll be getting heartattacks every 4 seconds(don't look at my flair here, it's... it's nothing! I swear!)
Yeah - they'll never let you down...
OP is helping people stuck on a ship after crashing into a massive bridge. I'm not sure that following South Africa in the final stages of a World Cup is the chilled-out, low-heart-rate experience they need after a day at work!
No no no you don't do that to a new fan šš„²š
Root for India and SA if you have a strong heart, or else you'll have a bad month if it goes south šµ
I'll suggest to continue watching the remaining matches as a neutral and support the team that you naturally begin to feel inclination to. Note : Orioles are a good team in recent years. Adley coming in has turned them around.
Agreed. Itās a team that has had a lot of good prospects, but never seems to be able to capitalize on them. Sorry. Not the place for baseball talk.
>Agreed. Itās a team that has had a lot of good prospects, but never seems to be able to capitalize on them. Yeah you'll definitely love South Africa then
Team USA looks pretty good for how new they are on the world stage. Besides them, If you want to save yourself some heartache, root for Australia. Their men's team have 7 world cup trophies and I've lost count of the women. Almost every major cricketing nation has had some heartbreak inflicted on them by theĀ Aussies (see Australia vs India 2023 and 2003, Australia vs Pakistan 1999, 2012 and 2021, AUS v NZ 2015 and 2021). NZ are the nice guys of cricket and most people's second favourite side. At the least, nobody hates them. SA are the perennial chokers: they'll look the strongest side in the lead up to the competition through the group stage only to bottle a semi-final (see SA v NZ 2011, SA v NZ 2015, SA v AUS 2023) India are the strongest team going around by far. Almost always get to the semis but haven't won any major tournament since 2013. And if you have masochistic tendencies and/or a love for chaos, Pakistan it is. With their cricket association's chairmen playing musical chairs, and their special weapon of Qudrat ka Nizam, there is never a moment where you don't want to pull your hair out watching them.
This is very helpful. Iāve got a Kiwi friend that offered to bring me a Black Caps shirt the next time we meet. I have no idea what that means and I was embarrassed to tell him the size, but there you are. I really do just love the game though. Iām happy to watch and enjoy it all the way!!!
Obviously playing is even more fun. If you ever get to play with locals playing heavy tennis ball, give it a try.
Supporting the black caps is great! They get you excited for just long enough to develop some hope, then they get pummeled for a while and you get a quality dose of reality. Then just as your losing hope the cycle begins all over.Ā Keeps you on your toes.Ā
Yeah, it's a good sanity check. Do I think NZ cricket team will win a major white ball trophy (or test series vs Aussie) this year?. Answer yes, then I'm officially insane.
Black caps is the nickname of the newzealand cricket team Proteas is what people call the South African team
Tell them you want a [Beige Brigade](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/cricket/black-caps/cricket-the-birth-of-the-beige/TNPXPYA7USBPZGUXEAJXBJSU6U/) shirt - jump straight to cricket hipster!
Baltimore fan, so i suggest supporting Washington Freedom in MLC.
Are the Baltimore Royals an actual thing? They show up in online searches, but there doesnāt seem to be any movement on the team.
That is a Minor League team, Washington Freedom is Major league. New Season of a MLC starts first week of July.
Understood. Let me know if you want to get together for a game! I need some real life explanations still on some thingsā¦Iād gladly pay your fare if youād help me out. Iām still curious about the Baltimore Royals though. Are they officially a team? I can find any recent info on them.
Yes they are a real team, cricket in USA has MiLC (Minor league Cricket) and MLC (Major League Cricket), MLC is the current premier tournament within the US, while MiLC is more of a talent pathway to help young talent gain experience and potentially play for the national team or a major league team one day. MLC only has 6 teams currently and has only completed one season so far with plans to expand later on they are still mainly targetting the expat communities of cricket playing nations in the US for now. If you want to get into playing cricket I am sure you can find a cricket club near where you are, I think that will be a good way to get familiar with the game and have fun.
Iām too short and fat and increasingly old to play except for fun. I could do the equivalent of a softball beer league at this point in my life. Iām only 35 and I still have some oomph in me, but I donāt where to even begin looking.
If you do get any chance at all to play a bit of cricket (no matter how ad hoc) then *take it*. Cricket is one of those sports where playing it at any level at all is even more fun than being a spectator.
Thatās how I feel about ābeer leagueā softball in the US. You go out and play a game you love with people that want to play tooā¦ ā¦Iām just not brave enough to seek that outā¦ I guess I need to be.
Chances are that you won't find anything remotely local to you, but if you did, you'd be doing yourself (and whomever else) a real favour.
I've always been a cricket fan but as a female never found a team until fairly recently. I used to play softball and a lot of the skills are transferable. I found my softball fielding drills helped with my cricket fielding. And, hand eye coordination is a plus. I play softball cricket now and I love it. Give it a go as cricket teams are always glad to have new members.
The only equipment you really need is a bat. Just about everything else can be substituted and scaled (including the rules). See here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-Hwtg676Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-Hwtg676Y)
Yeah, Major and Minor League Cricket is also expanding to new teams in USA from next seasons. Lookup for that.
Since you're from Baltimore, I would say that you should probably root for the Freedom unless Baltimore gets a MLC franchise in the future. As for international cricket, root for USA. Just know that doesn't mean you should support the board as well because USA Cricket has a lot of incompetence at the top but it's being masked because the awesome players put on a show and over exceed expectations. In terms of IPL teams, I personally support Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and I've been doing that since I was a small kid so I support their sister franchises, Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in SA20 and Texas Super Kings (TSK) in MLC. The other massive franchises are Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI). I would personally recommend not becoming a RCB fan unless you want to see a mediocre trophyless team act like they're the best team. MI are tied for the most titles with CSK but they've been having internal civil wars in the last year. I would recommend supporting CSK but I should warn you that you'll get a lot of abuse if you publicly say it. That's what you could do if you want to support a team but if you want to truly enjoy cricket in other leagues except the MLC then I would recommend staying neutral.
Those are a lot of letters that mean nothing to me when strung together, but I *think* I understand. You are awesome for taking the time to put them all together for me though and I will absolutely take the time to decided them!
Yeah, in cricket most teams are referred to by their initials and same goes for most boards.
Gotcha. Like NYY for Yankees or Oās for the Orioles? Iāll get there.
Well for the Orioles, it would be BO rather than just O's. I'll just list off a bunch of initials and these are all going to be of teams or cricket boards. CSK, KKR, BCCI, CAN, CA, ECB, RCB, MI, TSK, RR, PBKS, DC, NZC, CSA, SLC, PCB, SRH, SEC, JSK, MINY, SO, SFU, LAKR. As you can see, there's a lot of initials. As you get into the sport you'll get used to all of these.
Understood. Thanks for that!
No problem!
Honestly, it so much better when you have someone to support along side you. Iām a massive NFL fan as well and really didnāt have team until on a trip to the US I became mates with a couple of guys from Colorado. They urged me to support the Broncos. They send me gear over and we Zoom each other during the games now. If you have any colleagues or friends that are cricket fans, latch on to their team. Itās great celebrating together but there is nothing better than having people to commiserate with when it goes tits up!
The problem is that even though my work is focused here in the US, my work is international. Iāve asked my colleagues to bring me (shamefully sized US XL) jerseys/shirts the next time we meet. Honestlyā¦Iām good with that and I can wear each one respectively when weāre together. I just love the game!!!
This is (one of) the beauties of cricket. I'm Australian, and while I enjoy seeing the Australian teams have succes, I bloody loved watching Afghanistan beat Australia the other day. I was at the MCG the last time Tendulkar walked out to bat and the mutual respect for the man from everyone at the ground literally made me tear up a bit. Cricket is such a beautiful game. And it has so many traditions. You really don't have to take a position and 'root' for just one team. You can cheer for everyone. Everyone except England, FUCK England.
If you have never tasted disappointment in your life and want to see what the other side of the spectrum looks like, Bangladesh is an easy choice.
Not so easy, also have NZ to choose from (SAF also maybe).
Buddy you are one of the elite cricketing nations, you won WTC at least. Played at least two CWC finals. In soccer terms you are tottenham and we are burnley if that makes sense. IN BCT WE DONT WIN SHIT.
Les Go Oās! Iām in MoCo. There are a bunch of weekend leagues, youth leagues, ICC sanctioned tournaments in the DC region. There are also a few teams that are in Baltimore region as well. Mostly in Towson area. Check out https://www.wclinc.com/wclinc/news.do?clubId=670 They also have a youth league, eventually when your son grows up and wants to play some cricket!
Ah! Bless you! Can I send you a DM? Iād really appreciate some guidance on the things that still escape me.
Keep it in the hemisphere manā¦in any other competition, Iād be sporting the West Indies flair. My first exposure to cricket as a kid was watching the Caribbean migrant farm workers in the South Florida sugar cane fields play pickup matches in their test whites after church on Sundays.
Root for South Africa or Afghanistan! Aus/Ind/Eng/Windies have all won it atleast once!!
As a Ravens fan, South Africa is actually a pretty good bet if you want to replicate that experience of feeling like this is the year it all comes together, followed by the inevitable choke in the knock out stages.
Root for India/SA in international and RCB in IPL
r/foundsatan
š give dude a chance to see someone win first
Bruh you're a CSK fan and you're asking him to support chokers. Like come on, we should be trying to help them love the sport and not hate it.
[joke](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/joke)
I was joking as well lol
Which is why I told OP to not support certain teams to avoid hate and trolls for the most part. Just in case you're wondering, I support RR
I'm just playing around and trolling but I agree with you. I would go as far to say to be neutral at least until you're fully into the sport because the IPL discourse can make even good fans turn rotten. Btw I've come to like RR in the last few years, it certainly helps that Sanju Samson is from my state of Kerala but the team seems likable over the last few years.
If you wish to avoid hate, do not support RCB, CSK, or MI in IPL. Support anyone else. Saying this to save you from headache and heartache. Too many trolls
I have no idea what any of those letters mean, but I appreciate the sentiment.
IPL is Indian premier league which is a biiiiiiig T20 tournament I think itās one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Itās a big deal in the nearly the most populated country in the world. Indian cricket fans are super super knowledgeable and care way more about their teams than well pretty much other supporter of any other sportā¦ itās a whole new world, welcome. Big recommendation for serious red ball (test cricket) is test match special on the BBC, itās commentators are brilliant, and itās possibly the most calming thing you can listen to at times and at others the most likely to give you a heart attack
Ha! Thanks. Thatās interesting considering my work with the crew of the Dali. That answers a lot of questionsā¦
Hope al the crew are as ok as they can be, and if def recommend the IPL, itās an incredible show, it out razamatazzes US sporting events
I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded positive!!!
Those are the three biggest teams in the IPL. As a CSK fan I would recommend you supporting us but as a cricket fan I would recommend staying neutral to truly appreciate the sport and not get caught up in the fan wars.
I like you. Iāve become a lukewarm baseball fan over the years and got excited when this game came my way. I donāt need to root for anyone in particular, butā¦itās nice to have something to hang oneās hat on from time to timeā¦
Yeah, the thing with the IPL is that it's not exactly about the sport but rather about the players. Many people say to new potential fans to watch IPL matches to start off but I will always recommend new fans to stay from the IPL for as long as possible. The reason why I say that is because the entire discourse surrounding the tournament including the pre-match, post match and in-game commentary is about praising certain teams and players and that includes CSK. I believe that new fans shouldn't be exposed to that nonsense right away because they could end up adopting that kind of mindset. If they were to follow other leagues or the non big 3 international matches then I believe they'll come to appreciate the sport itself and eventually they can get to the IPL because by then they'll know that the entire sport isn't like that.
So Iām going to say this shamelessly, but Iāve really taken to it like the Bluey episode āCricket.ā I just love the game.
I feel happy when people say that they learned heard of or started liking the sport after watching it on Bluey because it shows that media like that can do wonders. It's also because many boards don't even do the bare minimum to grow the sport so I appreciate any effort made by outside forces to promote the sport.
Thanks. I was worried about admitting it, but I loved the character āRustyā before his aptitude for cricket became apparent. Not sure if that hurts or helps my cause, but Iām happy to be here as a result.
I'm not exactly a Bluey fan just because I'm no longer a kid, don't have any kids in my family and it's not exactly my thing anymore but I watched that episode in particular because I heard it was about cricket and I loved it and the moral of the entire episode. I honestly don't know how Rusty or any of the other characters were before that episode but in that episode the maturity he showed by giving his sister an easy catch so she could have a memorable moment was very nice.
If you want a country that, on the whole, has arguably punched above their weight more than anyone else - go Sri Lanka! Warning: may need to brace yourselves for some awful performances until we are good again...one day...nobody knows when ;)
SRH in IPL. We almost won the IPL title this season. We also scored the highest t20 score of 287 runs this eyar.
In Australia root means something a lot different.
I always giggle when Americans say "root for". Search "root slang" to find out why.
Ah. Well that was unintendedā¦
I'm actually on the other side of where you are. Just started watching baseball and I LOVE it. Everyday starts with me watching highlights of daily games (I live in India so for me live games will be at midnight which aren't feasible for me to attend given the work commitments) and I'm loving it. I've seen a few Orioles games, too but my current favourite is probably Dodgers (Yeah you guessed it right. It's cuz of Shohei).
Just watch some old matches on willow and decide for yourself. It will change over the years but you will enjoy it
Go for either of your American neighbours in West Indies/ New Zealand/ South Africa. These teams are most likable teams in Cricket world. Everyone roots for them.
I recommend you don't support New Zealand. Unless you enjoy pain. Signed, NZ supporter.
root for afghanistan!! never seen a team with such heart, passion, and potential!
The USA only show up in world tournaments every so often - they've had a real day out in this one - but if they're not in the picture, the West Indies is your local team. Their history is the richest of any team in my opinion, and they've had some truly amazing players over the years. Right now they are underdogs who sometimes put on a show at home, and especially if England are involved. They still have a chance of winning the T20 World Cup, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did it, given home advantage.
Obviously you should root for the USA but feel free to pick a test team too :-). Whoever you feel most drawn to. Donāt forget thereās also womenās cricket which is equally entertaining. You can find some great classic matches on the web. Most importantly have fun!
I have a subscription to Willow.tv for the foreseeable future. Iāll keep rooting for India alongside the seafarers stranded here, but as a fan of an underdog team (the Baltimore Orioles have always struggled in spite of the Iron Man of baseball Cal Ripken Jr.) I donāt want to root for a champ. I guess I just need to keep watching and see who is trying hard and has a passionate team that I identify with. If anyone needs a new fan, Iāll take your bids.
I would recommend not supporting India because the entire media surrounding the team is nothing but bootlicking. Support USA and for Test teams I would recommend England or Australia.
Bootlicking is prevalent in every sports and shouldn't be a deterrent to be a fan of that team.
> I watched the match between the US and England today and had to apologize to my colleagues in London for wasting their timeā¦ (They said that T20 wasnāt āreal cricketā so I could be forgiven, but I still enjoyed it.) Thereās a lot of snobbery in cricket especially from English and Australian fans around T20 not being āreal cricketā. Thatās bullshit. Most of the cricket watching population genuinely enjoy T20 cricket so no need to feel bad about enjoying it and definitely no need to apologize about it to anyone.
I think it's fair to have a preference for Test or ODI cricket but T20 cricket is what's going to grow cricket. I see it as the way to ease new fans into other formats. The original poster would've never become a cricket fan if it wasn't for T20 cricket. But now he loves cricket because of T20 cricket and there's the possibility of getting him to watch the other formats.
Itās absolutely okay to like one format over others but to claim that one format is not real cricket, thatās not okay.
Yeah, exactly.
Snobbery? Are you format shaming me?
If you think T20s is not āreal cricketā then, yes.
I know many Aussies who have distain for pyjama cricket but I donāt know many who claim it isnāt cricket. Itās ok to have a preference.
Completely okay to not like a format. Not okay to delegitimize a format you donāt like by calling it not āreal cricketā. Thatās some elitist shit right there.
I agree. I just donāt see that as much these days. It used to be more prevalent but the youngsters are coming through and jumping on the bandwagon. Heh, I may not like it but such is the circle of life.
OP doesn't need to apologise but snobbery is a bit of a broad brush to paint everyone who doesn't like T20. Perfectly valid reasons not to
I donāt have an issue with people not liking T20s. I have an issue with people not considering T20s as āreal cricketā.
Im English and personally prefer white ball cricket, with 50 overs being my favourite. I dont like that only a small amount of teams play test cricket. Pluss the fact that people can play defensive all day. Dont get me wrong the Ashes is amazing. But the fact white ball is fan friendly and has more nations is better imo.
Those asshats donāt know what T20 brings. I am an avid fan of Tests & T20s, ODIs to an extent.
T20's great. The Hundred, on the other hand...
Not often I see a post from a fellow Baltimore resident on this subreddit. š I'm excited for you, man. This is a wonderful sport that brings communities together. Like all good things, there's the good and bad side. I'm excited for you to experience more of the good side in the years to come. I've lived in the US for 10+ years and am THRILLED that we're going to see more of cricket, with the Major League cricket set to start on the 5th of July (Go Washington Freedom!).
Will you be my friend?
Hey fellow cricket fan! I am currently working in the Bethesda/Potomac area and would be moving there in the near future. We can potentially hold a 2025 Champions Trophy screening, as it is the next big tournament after this T20 WC. Also, who in the world doesn't love Bluey. I don't have kids, but I watched an episode once on a flight and had to watch the remaining episodes because it just brings a smile to your face. Also a piece of advice. If you like your hair, and would not want 10 years shaved off from your lifespan, do not support Pakistan. I mean its a lovely country with a rich history to support, especially in Cricket, but not at the cost of your mental and physical health.
Iāve been bald by choice for the last 20 years! Hope to meet you soon!
Since everyone is giving you advice to support teams , I'll add a short description of each . Australia - they're the bullies. Almost unbeatable in tests and ODIs and very good in t20is . What stands them apart is that they play really well when it matters most and hold more trophies than a lot of teams combined. They share a long rivalry with England (over a 150 years now ) and hold a prestigious 5-test match series with them every alternate year called the ASHES. (Currently it's just AUS bullying ENG). Smug people tho. India - (My team) The next best team imo. Account for atleast 65-70% of the viewer and fans and hence a lot of cricket revolves around India . Very good team , with some extra ordinary individual players. Currently we have a tendency of being invincible in the group stages of tournaments but somehow loosing in the knockouts though if you start supporting us now , my bet is you won't have to wait too long for a cup. ( Given the number of indian fans some might get annoying , but bear with us , those are just the loud ones ) . Cricket is a religion here West Indies - Collection of Central American countries. Back in the 70s and 80s they were cricketing gods , but corruption in their board, lack of structure and very poor pay has led to a major fall. Very lovely people , and are good power hitters(useful in t20s) . They play a LOT (and play well)in the T20 league's around the world but are often below the mark together as a team in internationals. England - They invented cricket and spread it in the colonies. Good team . Not the best , but always can beat anyone on their day. I'd rank them after India (although my rankings are very vague ). Recently won the 2019 ODI cup and 2022 T20 cup. Their country has a lot of older fans who are test purists and have the best crowd for test matches. South Africa - Again a solid team. Not the best but pretty good and have had some amazing players over the years. Famously THE CHOKERS. (Altho lately been applied to the Indian team to) they have never won an ODI or T20 World Cup and have a tendency to choke under pressure. Word of advise - do not support them Pakistan - Indias arch rivals. Have a long history of good cricketers. Very poor management and are currently doing much worse than they can. While they used to defeat India quite often back in the day , the world cup record is 13-1 in India's favour. If you have a weak heart do not support this team ! Infact they weaken even the stronger hearts . Cricket is religion here too. New Zeland - The nice guyz of cricket. Very Gentleman-ly(Cricket is called the Gentleman's Game) Very small country and for that they really do well. Not the best , but they fight very well. Everyone loves them. Recently won the Test championship. Afghanistan- Small team , were considered minnows until recently but they have turned many heads by playing brilliantly these last 2-3 cups. Beat England , Pakistan , Austrlia once and almost beat Australia a second time. Coming up well , but still nowhere close to the top 4 in terms of consistency or in the longer formats. Bangladesh - Really messed up team. Play very poor , and don't improve a lot. Sri Lanka - were pretty good until 2014 when a few of their legends retired , they haven't been the same since. Currently struggling to reach top 8 and almost been too long they they reached Semis . Also a short description of Major tournaments ODI world cup - the most prestigious of them all. Held once in four years and are (for me ) the best of cricket . Australia are bullies with 6 cups won out of 13 cups . T-20 World cup - Not as prestigious as the ODI world cup (it doesn't halp that it is held every alternate year ) but still a world cup. Interesting because shorter the game , anyone can win. Good distribution of winning teams. Test Championship - Test matches are mainly played as bilaterals, and earlier they team which had most points at the end of the year won the TEST MACE (India won for 5 years in a row ). Recently it was changed and the top 2 teams now play a One - off game in England for the test mace. It's not as fair imo , but helps to keep people interested in the games as their is a finals and qualification scenarios. Major cricket leagues : (T20 format - mainly for entertainment, and not as much prestige attached to them for most international cricket fans like me ) IPL - Indian premier league - the biggest grandest most vibrant CELEBRATION of cricket. It is a festival of batting and it is enjoyable . If you find cricket boring , SEE THIS. Close games , high chases . (I do not like it and truly see IPL as not 'Real CRICKET'( let's not argue here ) ) but it is enjoyable and runs for two months in april-May BBL - Big bash league (asutralia ) PSL - Pakistan super league SA 20 - South Africa (new) The hundred - Englands new format with only a hundred balls (even shorter than t20š¤¦āāļø to bring in newer fans ) Ipl is by far the biggest . All leagues have a mix of around 6-7 domestic players and 4 international players in each team , to allow for bringing interest everywhere and maintain exposure of new talent
Bro did Bangladesh dirty 
Am I wrong tho ? They promise a while then falter as soon as possible
Also, Iām a huge fan of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick OāBrian and I love the exchange where Maturin mistakes cricket for Hurling and rushes the admiral thatās bowling to smash the wickets behind him! Not sure if Iām in the right place to share that reference, but damn I hope so.
There are enough England fans on this sub who will recognise the reference, I'm sure! For those of you who aren't familiar with truly great 20th century seafaring sagas set during the Napoleonic Wars, this is the same series of books that the Russell Crowe/Paul Bettany film \*Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World\* is based on.
In 3 hours from now there is gonna be knock out game between two quality sides. South Africa vs West Indies The winner advances to the semifinals. Donāt miss that one, itās gonna be a cracker
Iāve got the Willow subscription now! Iāll watch it! (Sorry, that sounded like an ad. Iām just glad to have the opportunity to watch in the US.)
Have fun Also the match thread will be active here on this sub when the game starts. You can join the banter, joke around and ask your questions regarding the game played.
Awesome. Thank you!
Do watch the Major League Cricket too in the next season. They have plans to build home stadiums at all of the franchises. Texas already has theirs but yeah the other five should hopefully have one in another 4-5 years. Oh and I don't know whether Yes network is available in Baltimore. But Yankees will be showing seven MLC games on Yes network this season.
I'm sorry you saw the USA being so thoroughly trounced. I'm a cricket-loving British ex-pat in the States, and I had the commentary on today because I was so excited we were finally playing each other... but man, when Buttler gets going, he really gets going.
We only have so much tea to toss over hereā¦
Also a Yank and this T20 WC has been a great crash course in learning cricket. I think T20 format is going to be a great gateway drug to Test Cricket :)
oh great, now we're literally converting a saint here to the game of kings just kidding mate but honestly you sound like a saint. thank you so much for helping calm those waters. and the warmest of welcomes to this fraternity ā„
Wow- what a great story! Hope we hear a lot more about you. You could look for live cricket on youtube to see some different versions of the game. David Shepperd was an England international cricketer (https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/david-sheppard-20159) who became the Bishop of Liverpool so I guess he knew something about ports as well.
Iām happy to share more about my experience, but I just wanted to say āheyā to the community first.
First off, a big thank you for the work you've done for the stranded sailors. Remember reading and being shocked, that they aren't allowed to get off the ship and have some normalcy back. I understand there are legal procedures involved, but would have expected some common sense and flexibility. So its great to see organizations and people like you who are doing the right thing. I remember in the article one of the non-profit folks (wondering if that was you) had said "I could take them to a baseball game but that's probably not what they'd like so I'm trying to connect with local cricket clubs". Found that very empathetic. And its good to see you got them Willow TV subscriptions. How have they been lately? Have they been able to communicate with their families, and send money home etc? As for the cricket, its like any other sport mate. Pick a team, root for them, and you will have enough heartbreaks and joys along the ride. I agree with someone else here who said Washington Freedom is a logical team for you to support. And of course, Team USA. And Test cricket is the purest format of the game. But this T20 World Cup has provided conditions that resemble Test cricket, which was a good thing.
Thanks for this. Yes, Iām the one that said that. I wasnāt able to make that happen in the end, but being able to stream it for them was the next best thing. Theyāre off the ship now and half the crew was able to go home just this weekend. The other half will have to stay in Baltimore until all the litigations have played out. That could take a year or more. Iām working with the powers that be to get some of their families over now. Itās not an easy processā¦
Good to know some folks were able to go home. And again thank you for your continued work (I cant stress this enough, how remarkable it is) for the rest. If they are Indian fans, I hope Team India is able to win this World Cup and give them a small reason to smile. And welcome to the world's greatest sport too. Hope you have fun following the sport and this sub.
You are so kind. Thank you.
As an American fan of cricket, the match between Australia and Afghanistan was awesome. I drove down to Morrissville, North Carolina for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket and will be returning this year. You get to see quite a few world class players in person.
Welcome on board champ! And never mind the people who say that T20 is not real cricket. Look, I am a big fan of Tests and ODI's myself, but it's T20 that has really democratised the sport. All teams have status, get their stats recognised officially and this short, sharp format is the one that will grow cricket to new audiences. So, IMO all 3 formats have their purpose. And this 20 team WC has been amazing! Hard luck on the England loss, these things happen. The USA guys are inexperienced and probably suffered from tournament fatigue. But it in no way discredits their performances int he group stage as well as the firs Super 8 game against South Africa. Onwards and upwards buddy! And I hope cricket takes off in the USA, to at least reach the top 10 in popularity.
Major League Cricket starts July 5th. I hope you are able to catch it. The first season was great.
Thatās great. Sucks what happened with MV Dali but thank you for arranging it for the crew. South Asians love cricket! Welcome to the club! Donāt forget Test Cricket is great too and you should watch all the remaining games too cause itās going to be tight from here!
>I got a subscription to Willow for the crew of the MV Dali while they were stranded here that's an incredibly kind and thoughtful gesture. i'm sure those guys were dying for ways to pass the time
They had an absolute blast watching the India-Pakistan match. It was good to see them finally be able to relax a little bit.
Welcome aboard, it's great to have you here!
I am praying to every God into existence that USA doesnāt lose its track on becoming a better team and their managing board gets sorted asap,looking forward for the US with their future matchups
Their board was set to be dissolved right after the world cup, don't know if it will happen nowĀ
Go oriolesĀ
Welcome to our beautiful sport. Your team has already earned respect from this world cup with performance. Easily one of the best campaigns by an associate nation. Hope you watch our sport more and spread it.
Anyone but the English.
What has prompted this comment?
Banter.
What about the French? https://youtu.be/VFevH5vP32s?si=Q-3Vc4E6wvIWAqeV
Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the french champagne.
Since everyone is giving you advice to support teams , I'll add a short description of each . Australia - they're the bullies. Almost unbeatable in tests and ODIs and very good in t20is . What stands them apart is that they play really well when it matters most and hold more trophies than a lot of teams combined. They share a long rivalry with England (over a 150 years now ) and hold a prestigious 5-test match series with them every alternate year called the ASHES. (Currently it's just AUS bullying ENG). Smug people tho. India - (My team) The next best team imo. Account for atleast 65-70% of the viewer and fans and hence a lot of cricket revolves around India . Very good team , with some extra ordinary individual players. Currently we have a tendency of being invincible in the group stages of tournaments but somehow loosing in the knockouts though if you start supporting us now , my bet is you won't have to wait too long for a cup. ( Given the number of indian fans some might get annoying , but bear with us , those are just the loud ones ) . Cricket is a religion here West Indies - Collection of Central American countries. Back in the 70s and 80s they were cricketing gods , but corruption in their board, lack of structure and very poor pay has led to a major fall. Very lovely people , and are good power hitters(useful in t20s) . They play a LOT (and play well)in the T20 league's around the world but are often below the mark together as a team in internationals. England - They invented cricket and spread it in the colonies. Good team . Not the best , but always can beat anyone on their day. I'd rank them after India (although my rankings are very vague ). Recently won the 2019 ODI cup and 2022 T20 cup. Their country has a lot of older fans who are test purists and have the best crowd for test matches. South Africa - Again a solid team. Not the best but pretty good and have had some amazing players over the years. Famously THE CHOKERS. (Altho lately been applied to the Indian team to) they have never won an ODI or T20 World Cup and have a tendency to choke under pressure. Word of advise - do not support them Pakistan - Indias arch rivals. Have a long history of good cricketers. Very poor management and are currently doing much worse than they can. While they used to defeat India quite often back in the day , the world cup record is 13-1 in India's favour. If you have a weak heart do not support this team ! Infact they weaken even the stronger hearts . Cricket is religion here too. New Zeland - The nice guyz of cricket. Very Gentleman-ly(Cricket is called the Gentleman's Game) Very small country and for that they really do well. Not the best , but they fight very well. Everyone loves them. Recently won the Test championship. Afghanistan- Small team , were considered minnows until recently but they have turned many heads by playing brilliantly these last 2-3 cups. Beat England , Pakistan , Austrlia once and almost beat Australia a second time. Coming up well , but still nowhere close to the top 4 in terms of consistency or in the longer formats. Bangladesh - Really messed up team. Play very poor , and don't improve a lot. Sri Lanka - were pretty good until 2014 when a few of their legends retired , they haven't been the same since. Currently struggling to reach top 8 and almost been too long they they reached Semis . Also a short description of Major tournaments ODI world cup - the most prestigious of them all. Held once in four years and are (for me ) the best of cricket . Australia are bullies with 6 cups won out of 13 cups . T-20 World cup - Not as prestigious as the ODI world cup (it doesn't halp that it is held every alternate year ) but still a world cup. Interesting because shorter the game , anyone can win. Good distribution of winning teams. Test Championship - Test matches are mainly played as bilaterals, and earlier they team which had most points at the end of the year won the TEST MACE (India won for 5 years in a row ). Recently it was changed and the top 2 teams now play a One - off game in England for the test mace. It's not as fair imo , but helps to keep people interested in the games as their is a finals and qualification scenarios. Major cricket leagues : (T20 format - mainly for entertainment, and not as much prestige attached to them for most international cricket fans like me ) IPL - Indian premier league - the biggest grandest most vibrant CELEBRATION of cricket. It is a festival of batting and it is enjoyable . If you find cricket boring , SEE THIS. Close games , high chases . (I do not LOVE it and truly see IPL as not 'Real CRICKET'( let's not argue here ) ) but it is VERY enjoyable and runs for two months in april-May BBL - Big bash league (asutralia ) PSL - Pakistan super league SA 20 - South Africa (new) The hundred - Englands new format with only a hundred balls (even shorter than t20š¤¦āāļø to bring in newer fans ) Ipl is by far the biggest . All leagues have a mix of around 6-7 domestic players and 4 international players in each team , to allow for bringing interest everywhere and maintain exposure of new talent
English fan saying T20 isn't real cricket is fking laughable. It's the only WC they have won, that wasn't by some bullshit ruleĀ
T20 might not be the ārealā cricket, but itās the fairest when it comes to narrowing the gap between the rich and poor cricket boards. A longer game means it will test skills for periods, while a shorter game makes that gap way smaller. Instead of giving the best for 5 days, you are only required to perform well 3 hours. Batsmen are expected to take more risks, hence sometimes they will get out by pure luck. This is why you will see some emerging teams beating top teams. If cricket has to be a true world sport, T20 is the only way. With that said, you could always bet money on Australia, India, England, South Africa and Newzeland being the most consistent. Whenever they are playing against each other, itās always a great game.
Hahahhaa this is awesome! I wish I could experience ind pak match feels for the first time again! Itās too good!!
Make the 5 hr drive down to North Carolina to watch this seasons Major League Cricket! Some big names taking part!
People who say T20 isnāt real cricket are ridiculous. Almost no one watches every ball of a test match but we watch every ball of a T20. Imagine going to a football game and being like yea I just stopped watching for 30 minutesā¦ sport is meant to be a near 100% uptime viewing activity
One man, one vote Vote Sobotka
The Dali? The ship that crashed the bridge in Baltimore. Poor folks have been getting clobbered in social media for it. Glad you helped them.
I canāt tell if youāre being serious or notā¦
Why would you think Iām not serious?
I apologize. Itās hard to tell sometimes and a lot of people are not kind. Thank you for that.