Cricket in England

The dust has now settled. All the chaos seems like a thing of the past. Its like second year in college! That probably explains my academic slump too (the infamous sophomore slump!). Look at me looking for excuses.

I have noticed that cricket can do wonders to my morale. Coursework almost ended. Only a project to deal with. The weather is awesome. And finally the girls look pretty! Could life get any better? Yes.

For starters, who dresses up to play? and who plays 40 overs a side?and who uses a leather ball? and who does nets on a regular basis?

I dont think anything compares with basketball court cricket. Play for an hour, bunk a class, buy a juice from the dhaba, go back to your room, re-dress. Here, its very different though.

First the good parts. Drinks come on to the field every fifteen overs. Usually orange squash. I love it. The lunch is absolutely fabulous. Not so much because of what they serve, but because I don't cook it! Also, imagine 22 men clad in white lining up to pick up a sandwich and a coke. Funny. My friend circle (the previously non-existent one) has finally reached a respectable diameter. (Note: All brown men play cricket). Its great to hear people swearing at you in hindi when you are batting. The sledging is just amazing. The brits have a nice sense of humour. I love it.
E.G: I play and miss twice.
Brit Response1: " Someone get him to buy me a lottery ticket. Its his lucky day out."
Brit Response2: " Its red shiny and round, weighs 5 ounces, you are supposed to hit it" of course copied from their likely hero Ian Botham i think!
Desi response 1: Abbe ch*****e, chashma bhool gaya na apna.
Desi response2: when it hit my pad "Abbe ch*****e, football mood mein hai na aaj. milke champions league final dekhenge. Jaldi out hoja"

When playing with another 'desi', we were exchanging bats when we came on strike without realising it was not normal here. The looks we got were awful. Also the tendency to move to the other end once the over is bowled. Its damn funny when I keep doing that and realise that they bowl from both ends!

Now to the not so good ones. Dressing up in whites to play cricket. Bloody tradition. Someone tell them its not a test match! Standing in the field or sitting in the pavillion (all grounds have one!) through 40 overs. Very boring. The ball in england swings a mile and barely bounces. In oxford it awings two miles. 22 pitches in a piece of land surrounded by two rivers. What else could you expect! Running with pads and thigh guards and the proverbial "box" are not a very comfortable thing to do if you bat long enough.

Did I also mention earlier that the girls have started looking pretty here. I think it has to do with the sun. With good sun come good looking girls. So whenever you plan a trip here, make sure its in the summers.