BEACH CRICKET
When there’s absolutely nothing to do, the automatic next resort to some entertainment is the idiot box. I was really bored one summer afternoon and I used this resort to help kill my boredom. There weren’t any good flicks or good music,shows,etc..so I was surfing through the sports channels when I came across a totally new version of cricket called beach cricket.
It felt kinda weird not seeing the conventional grass but sand in its place and the players in shorts and tees and not their usual jerseys. The strangest part of course, was the yellow colored plastic pitch!!
The match was between Australia and South Africa and most of the players are former players who’ve retired from international cricket .South Africa won the match. During some county matches in England, the commentators sometimes converse with the fieldsmen when the match is in progress. But in this game, they actually give the microphone to the batsman on strike and talk to them! I personally feel this could be highly distracting for the batsmen; wonder how they’ve agreed to it.
The first tournament was played on four Australian beaches, Australia being the pioneers of beach cricket.
The event was so successful that there is talk of it being extended to South Africa, though not yet to England.
Here are some rules and general information :
• The series incorporated rules that are a hybrid of the regular game and that of indoor cricket. As with the regular game boundaries score 6 runs if hit over the perimeter, and 4 if the ball hits the ground before passing or touching the perimeter.
• There are eight overs in an innings, with the final two overs declared "Captain's Choice" in which each sides captain is allowed to field the batsmen and bowlers of their own choosing. For the first six overs batsmen and bowlers are swapped out every two overs.
• When a batsman is dismissed, he keeps batting — however, he loses runs. A score is decreased by 5 runs when the batsman has been dismissed by two-handed catch, and by 7 runs with a one-handed catch. It is possible to score into negative numbers.
• A batsman cannot be dismissed LBW if he plays a shot.
• The series uses a plastic drop-in pitch to allow the ball to bounce, and batting and bowling only take place facing one direction. In this mode of the cricket the hard leather ball is replaced by a tennis ball.
• The winner’s trophy is a beer glass mounted on a wooden stand.
It felt kinda weird not seeing the conventional grass but sand in its place and the players in shorts and tees and not their usual jerseys. The strangest part of course, was the yellow colored plastic pitch!!
The match was between Australia and South Africa and most of the players are former players who’ve retired from international cricket .South Africa won the match. During some county matches in England, the commentators sometimes converse with the fieldsmen when the match is in progress. But in this game, they actually give the microphone to the batsman on strike and talk to them! I personally feel this could be highly distracting for the batsmen; wonder how they’ve agreed to it.
The first tournament was played on four Australian beaches, Australia being the pioneers of beach cricket.
The event was so successful that there is talk of it being extended to South Africa, though not yet to England.
Here are some rules and general information :
• The series incorporated rules that are a hybrid of the regular game and that of indoor cricket. As with the regular game boundaries score 6 runs if hit over the perimeter, and 4 if the ball hits the ground before passing or touching the perimeter.
• There are eight overs in an innings, with the final two overs declared "Captain's Choice" in which each sides captain is allowed to field the batsmen and bowlers of their own choosing. For the first six overs batsmen and bowlers are swapped out every two overs.
• When a batsman is dismissed, he keeps batting — however, he loses runs. A score is decreased by 5 runs when the batsman has been dismissed by two-handed catch, and by 7 runs with a one-handed catch. It is possible to score into negative numbers.
• A batsman cannot be dismissed LBW if he plays a shot.
• The series uses a plastic drop-in pitch to allow the ball to bounce, and batting and bowling only take place facing one direction. In this mode of the cricket the hard leather ball is replaced by a tennis ball.
• The winner’s trophy is a beer glass mounted on a wooden stand.
Comments
Post a Comment