OT: US defeats Pakistan in World Cup cricket

[RUnTeX]

I remember seeing them in Mercer County Park when I was back last summer.

Between informal games among friends, families, social groups and matches that are part of more formalized local leagues, you'd likely witness this at most public parks in many of the larger metros across the country. Not that you or MulletCork were saying this but it's certainly not limited to central NJ.

 

[angmo]

Does anyone on this board understand fully what’s going on in both Rugby and Cricket?
Maybe one, but who knows both games?

I lived overseas for 20 years and most of my friends were Brits, Kiwis, and Aussies, so I can follow a bit of cricket and most of rugby.

 

[BLewis1968]

"We lost back-to-back wickets in the middle overs...We weren't up to it in the first six overs with the ball as usual, not taking wickets again. And then our spinners are not taking wickets in the middle either." - That was the Pakistani captain. Got to admit, I don't understand the game or what he's saying. But good on the US for what sounds like a huge win.
Since clearly some folks in here know the game. 1) clearly the US isn't as good as Pakistan but are they improving or was this a completer fluke? 2) I know Jamaica used to be solid but have taken a nosedive. Any idea why?

 

[Fat Koko]

"We lost back-to-back wickets in the middle overs...We weren't up to it in the first six overs with the ball as usual, not taking wickets again. And then our spinners are not taking wickets in the middle either." - That was the Pakistani captain. Got to admit, I don't understand the game or what he's saying. But good on the US for what sounds like a huge win.
Since clearly some folks in here know the game. 1) clearly the US isn't as good as Pakistan but are they improving or was this a completer fluke? 2) I know Jamaica used to be solid but have taken a nosedive. Any idea why?

USA versus Pakistan was an upset not a fluke. The win was earned on the field.

Jamaica competes inside the West Indies team at global international cricket. Expect West Indies to be 2-0 after tonight’s match versus Uganda.

 

[Kbee3]

USA versus Pakistan was an upset not a fluke. The win was earned on the field.

Jamaica competes inside the West Indies team at global international cricket. Expect West Indies to be 2-0 after tonight’s match versus Uganda.

It sounds like pretty much everywhere but North America where the British Empire reigned they've got cricket. I've got friends who are really into the sport....Guyanese with Indian ancestry...and they've explained the game to me any number of times. I don't understand it and can't get into it.
They feel the same way about baseball.

 

[RUScrew85]

LOL. Metric Baseball. 😛

 

[Blitz8RUCrazy]

I worked with a bunch of Indians, Pakis and Bengalis. They are passionate about cricket, especially the World Cup - and even more so when any of the teams play against each other. It's like baseball, except there are two bases (wickets) and the field is a complete circle (360 degrees), as opposed to baseball's 90 degrees.

One problem is that the sport is rarely televised on any channels most Americans would ever encounter. I doubt the average American sports fan has even heard of Willow TV. I would tune in for the USA matches or watch highlights, but the sport is unavailable here without subscribing the Willow. Given the increasing numbers of people from the Indian Subcontinent in the USA, the sport is possibly as popular as, say Rugby or Lacrosse here. But who knows? In any case, it is the World Cup and any World Cup is cool in my book.

Cricket will be played at the LA Olympics in 2028.

I've read that Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, just not popular in the US.
So this win might not be treated as a major accomplishment by most Americans, but seen as a major accomplishment by people around the world.
Kudos to the American players for doing , what some might have considered, the impossible.

Cricket has 2.5 Billion+ viewers around the world. Second only to soccer.

The lack of knowledge about cricket, in this country, is just an example of American myopia and exceptionalism. We like to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist outside of the US/Euro centric bubble. That bubble will pop over the next century due to the dominance of Asia and the rise of Africa.

The cricket world cup being played in the US this year is evidence of that.

Cricket used to be played in the US in the 1800s but it fell in popularity to baseball. It's making a come back due to south asian immigration.

One of the key bowlers (pitchers) on the US team is actually an indian immigrant who used to play for the Indian U-19 team. He left cricket in india to become a principle software engineer in Oracle.

USA's biggest cricket star kept his full-time tech job while leading his team to triumphs

Saurabh Netravalkar, 32, is gaining global recognition for his performances against the Indian and Pakistani national teams.

www.nbcnews.com

Most of the US team are either 1st generation immigrants or 2nd generation immigrants from south asia or the west indies.

 

[Blitz8RUCrazy]

It sounds like pretty much everywhere but North America where the British Empire reigned they've got cricket. I've got friends who are really into the sport....Guyanese with Indian ancestry...and they've explained the game to me any number of times. I don't understand it and can't get into it.
They feel the same way about baseball.

Baseball is much more boring than cricket to watch or play imo. Especially when you consider T20 cricket where each team is forced to face 20 overs (each over consists of 6 balls so 120 balls. Balls are like baseball pitches). This restriction guarantees quick wicket taking and quick scoring. Because no batsmen can afford to play much defense when so few balls (pitches) are headed their way to make runs (scoring points).

This is also why T20 cricket is considered the least challenging form of cricket (though probably most entertaining). Test matches (can go for 5 days) and are considered to be the most challenging as there is more endurance and strategy involved across multiple innings. It's like comparing speed chess (T20 cricket) with chess (Test Cricket).

source - I grew up playing cricket in Australia

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

So, the USA advanced to the next round (excellent!) because … of a rainout against Ireland. The match won’t be made up, so I believe the result basically counts as a tie.

This is great news, except for likely having to face Australia in the Super Eights. But still an amazing feat.

Also, the USA also gets an auto bid to the next T-20 World Cup. This and having cricket at LA Olympics should do a lot to advance the sport’s popularity here.

 

[RUBOB72]

Please move this to the Olympics sports forum if we can’t even discuss RU national champs here. It’s not like we are spitting out NCAA champs on the regular

There is a hope according to my neighbor Raj and his brother that Rutgers may start intermurals in Cricket by 2027. Hey don’t shoot the messenger. All over Middlesex county Cricket fields are popping up. Check out Woodbridge Township… know of at least 4 fields active with more scheduled.

 

[ashokan]

Cricket is more popular in former UK colonies than in UK.
US team was pretty much foreign cultured.
In UK soccer is #1 of course with cricket a distant #2.
Rugby is third and the aristocratic game played at boys schools (Eton, Harrow, Radley) and with pro clubs in more posh areas in southern UK.

US says "soccer" because that's what Brits called it originally. It wasn't a case of US warping name.

The real reason Americans call it 'soccer' is all England's fault

The FIFA World Cup is underway so this is a timely reminder of why Americans say soccer rather than football — it's all England's fault.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[RUBOB72]

Guess Rutgers will be building a cricket stadium someday. Have no real understanding of the game other than innings and a match can go on for days. That’ll be some tailgate fun.

 

[MulletCork]

The new $200M+ facility that they are allegedly building in South Edison where Rutgers baseball will theoretically play also includes a cricket pitch

Just one article on it

Middlesex County spending plan for new stadium in Edison increased to $200 million

When a bond ordinance for the project was first approved on Feb. 16, it was specifically for $85.8 million.

www.mycentraljersey.com

 

[RUBOB72]

And there you are . Home to the 2027 Rutger Men’’s Cricket team . Eastern Conference Division and B1G Champs.

 

[RUBOB72]

Spent a month on Oahu in 2017 and had the best time with the fans from NZ , Australia , Pacific Islanders who were in town for the Rugby Championships. When they talk about drinking…. The beer flows by the kegs plural. Have never seen drinking like that anywhere else. Those are some tough dudes who aren’t afraid to inflict or suffer severe pain.

 

[wheezer]

I have spent a lot of time in India with folks from the UK. Still have a problem understanding the game. The test matches that go for days I don’t get, but the 20/20 format ( I think that is the right terminology) makes it much better to watch and interesting.

That's because they make up the rules as they go along 😊

 

[HPNJRUfan]

The new $200M+ facility that they are allegedly building in South Edison where Rutgers baseball will theoretically play also includes a cricket pitch

Just one article on it

Middlesex County spending plan for new stadium in Edison increased to $200 million

When a bond ordinance for the project was first approved on Feb. 16, it was specifically for $85.8 million.

www.mycentraljersey.com

Having attended MCC and being familiar with the campus, I have doubts they'll be able to squeeze all of what they propose on the site identified, but who knows.