For far too long, the average Indian cricket fan has been pushed, jostled and hustled about, even as the thought of watching a cricket match enters their mind. To get a ticket for a match in, say, the Wankhede, is nothing less than a nightmare. The levels of brokers, and the sub brokers involved in the process are far too many, so that by the time, one has sweated it out getting hold of the right people who may have had the sniff of these elusive rectangles of paper, the costs have soared beyond comprehensible limits.

And this is just the beginning. Things usually spiral out of control on the match day, with the queues to the likes of a mile each, outside the gates at least four hours before the match begins. If someone makes the cardinal error of trying to get into the stadium, like one usually does in a cinema multiplex – ten minutes before the start – then no-one, exactly no-one, usually remains in the position to help you. If it is a fifty over encounter, you could be rest assured of missing the first half, and watching the second half on your heels. That is simply because your seat has been occupied by the rest of the ‘junta’ who were lucky enough to know that one ought to enter the grounds a day earlier. At least.

One would need another couple of reams of paper to describe the ‘joys’ associated with the actual viewing; it is nothing short of a boot camp. Water usually tastes like anything but water and costs four times more than an equivalent amount of tequila. Or almost thereabouts. Food is for free, but for that you would need to remain at home, in a usual Indian stadium, it costs a bomb, and the probability of surviving the next two days become as minimal as one’s chances of surviving a plane crash. The seats are normally unmarked, giving uninhibited access to those who reach there early, where as the rest of them get the privilege of standing through. At least their back sides do not get squeezed to a pulpless orange like it does for them who sit.

Hopefully, the DY Patil stadium, at Nerul, defies belief and proves to be a trend setter of sorts. After all, it is this stake holder – the audiences, TV or stadium – that gets the coffers of BCCI jangling with the dollars.

These are few of those moments, which we will always rememebr. So i thought of putting them here for everyone to share and remember.

Javed Miandad and Kiran More Dance

It Gets More Better Here Sreesanth dancing after hitting Nel for a six

Prasad’s revenge on aamir sohail

Shahid afridi vs gambhir fight lol Enjoy!!!!

And Who Can Forget Yuvi’s 6 sixes vs England in twenty20 worldcup

So keep sharing. I might have forgot some,  please update me and i would put them live instantly. Thanxs for your support

Cricket is the best sport in the world, but for people new to the game it can be very confusing. There are multiple kinds of cricket, which can last for days at a time, and this in itself is difficult to understand. Thankfully there is a now a guide to explain to the newcomer all the rules and terminology.

Welcome to A Beginner’s Guide to Cricket

THE TEAMS

Cricket teams consist of 11 players as well as a 12^th man (can be compared to a reserve). Cricketers can be classed in several ways: a batsman, a bowler, or a wicket keeper. When a game begins one team bats and the other team fields. The batting team sends in two batsmen who attempt to score as many runs as possible (see SCORING).

The fielding team tries to stop the batsman from scoring runs by getting them out (see GETTING OUT). This is done by the bowlers. Bowlers throw, or ‘bowl’ the cricket ball down the pitch towards the batsman in a very specific manner – their elbow must be straight when the ball is released. There are three types of bowlers – fast, medium, and spin.

Fast bowlers try to bowl the ball as fast as possible to beat the batsman’s reflexes. They also rely on the ball snicking the edge of the bat and the ball being caught. Some fast bowlers are also able to swing the ball in the air.

Medium paced bowlers are not very common, but are between fast bowlers and spinners. They are used to try and catch the batsman out after they have been facing one of the other bowlers for a long period of time.

Spin bowlers do not take speed into account, but spin the ball either with their fingers or their wrists. When the ball hits the ground the spin makes it move, often up to a metre from where it is expected to go. Spin bowlers are very impressive to watch, as they can get the batsman out by beating through their guard completely.

SCORING

In cricket points are awarded when the batting team runs from one end of the pitch to the other, which is ways they are also called ‘runs.’ Another ways of getting runs is through boundaries. The edge of a field is usually designated by a white rope. If the batsman hits the ball and it goes over this rope, then either 4 or 6 runs are given. If the cricket ball doesn’t’ touch the grounds before it goes over the rope, then it is a 6, but if it does hit the ground first it is only a 4.

GETTING OUT

Batsman can get out in two ways – if their wickets (set of three upright poles on each end of the pitch) are hit by the ball when they are standing outside their crease (a line in front of the wickets), or if the ball is caught on the full after it has been hit.

When the wickets are hit there can be several names for it:

            Stumping – if the wickets (also known as stumps) are hit when the ball is held by the wicket keeper.

            Run Out – if the ball hits the wickets when the batsmen are running between either end.

            Bowled – if the ball hits the wickets without the batsman hitting it, eg. The bowler hits the wickets.

TEST MATCHES

Now you know how a game of cricket is played you should be able to enjoy watching a game without being bamboozled, but there is still one difficult concept to understand – the different forms of cricket.

The original and still the most popular is the test match. Test matches last for up to 5 days and consist of 4 innings. Each team has 2 innings each to try and make as many runs as possible, while the opposition tries to get them out.

There is also a rule called the follow on rule, but as a beginner you do not really need to know this right know.

ONE DAYS

As you can guess from the name, a One Day match only lasts a single day. Each team has one opportunity to bat and one to bowl. There is a total of 100 overs (there are 6 balls in an over). This means that there are a lot more boundaries and risky shots. One Day Internationals (or ODIs) are becoming much more popular because of their exciting nature. Players wear their team colours and there are more runs, and wickets in a single day than in a day of a test match.

TWENTY20

Twenty20s are a very new addition to cricket. They are designed to be more entertaining than any other form, but are opposed by traditionalists. They are simply a shortened form of an ODI. Instead of having two 50 over sessions, there are two 20 over sessions.

And that is virtually it.

From this guide you can now be upgraded from a beginner to a fan. There are only two ways for you to test out your new knowledge – watching or playing cricket.

I guarantee that now you understand cricket, you will enjoy the game a lot more. You can look forward to a fulfilling life, enriched with a knowledge of the greatest game of all – the game of cricket.