Billions of fans can’t be wrong
Annelise Vintila
Contributor
For many of us, the word cricket brings forth an image of a repulsive insect; however, to many people, cricket is an entirely different concept. For them, cricket is an important sport, played and enjoyed by millions around the world. Unfortunately, because of cricket’s low popularity in North America, many of us are unaware of its rules, history, and global significance.
Cricket originated in late 16th century England, as a game to keep children amused. It spread to North America and India though good old ship navigation. Today, there are 105 nations involved in the ICC (International Cricket Council). To compare, there are 193 member states in the United Nations; cricket is a big deal.
Cricket is a group sport with teams of 11 players. The field consists of two wickets set up at a distance in opposition to each other, and a playing field into which the ball is batted. One team pitches and fields while the other team bats. The team at bat will have a striker and a non-striker on the field, at the opposite wickets. The pitcher on the opposing team throws to the batter, trying to get him out by making the pitch difficult to hit. The batter has a paddle which he uses to try and hit the ball. Once the batter makes contact, the runners will begin to run back and forth between the wickets, scoring points every time they are able to pass each other. The fielding team tries to return the ball to the wickets as soon as possible in order to stop the batting team from scoring points. The runners run different distances depending on how far the ball was hit, using strategy to determine the safe limit. After the fielding team has managed to throw or strike out three batters, the inning is over and the teams switch places. Regulation equipment includes a 5.5 ounce red and white ball, a 38 inch bat, two wooden wickets, three posts with spikes indicating where the ball cannot pass, and two wooden crosspieces, called bails, supporting the balls.
There are numerous ways a player can get out; the opponent catches the ball in the air, the striker intervenes with the defensive team, the ball touches the wicket before either striker/non-striker cross the wicket regulation line, or the pitcher touches the wicket with the ball before the batter has the chance to bat.
The York intramural program offers a two-day cricket intramural every year at the beginning of October. Participants vary from beginners to experienced players.
“It’s amazing that the intramural program at York is able to provide an opportunity for a ‘niche’ sport like cricket to be played by everyone,” says Anil Mohabir, vice-president of athletics for the Bethune College Council. “This year on the Bethune Mindblasters championship team, more than half of the team were first-time players. This shows how far an open-mind and teamwork can take you.”
Siddarth Mookerji, an avid cricket player since he was five, explains his upcoming hopes for the game he loves.
“Cricket is not an underrated sport; it is just a matter of time that the game will become widely known all around the world. The ICC already has 105 nations and more are being added rapidly. In some countries, cricket is a religion and the players are the gods. Canada has been part of the last three world cups, the last one finishing in April. Countries all over the world are now hopping on the cricket frenzy which is a good start to making cricket known universally.”
Cricket not only brings a team of players together, it can also bring a whole nation together, just as hockey does in Canada. A recent example of this is India’s world championship win, earlier this year. No matter what we think about cricket in Canada, it is important to recognize its global significance, and the powerful role it plays in the lives of millions of people.
