Cricket things that annoy you

[ioppolo]

View attachment 1885211

Sounds super fun to try and keep track of.

 

[the_interloper]

My list below relates to my own cricket career (juniors and years of playing 3rd and 4th grade park cricket)

• Not being able to hit outswingers
• Not getting a bowl so going mid on to mid on from 1pm - 6pm when fielding, often in the heat when spring racing is on
• Having one ump and being rostered to do square leg
• Shit arvo teas
• Teammates who don't take care of the ball
• Blokes who are silent in the field
• Dropping catches

Not an exhaustive list but many of the above are reasons why I haven't played in years and am reticent to come back for veterans

 

[1989]

My list below relates to my own cricket career (juniors and years of playing 3rd and 4th grade park cricket)

• Not being able to hit outswingers
• Not getting a bowl so going mid on to mid on from 1pm - 6pm when fielding, often in the heat when spring racing is on
• Having one ump and being rostered to do square leg
• s**t arvo teas
• Teammates who don't take care of the ball
• Blokes who are silent in the field
• Dropping catches

Not an exhaustive list but many of the above are reasons why I haven't played in years and am reticent to come back for veterans

Agree with all of those, although having no umpires at all takes it to a whole new level. Umpiring matches you are playing in is probably one of the least desirable things in sport. You’re either p***ing off the opposition or your teammates, often both.

 

[big_e]

Sounds super fun to try and keep track of.

Would love to know why we went to eight balls.

 

[31550]

Would love to know why we went to eight balls.

I don't know the official reasons, but the obvious advantage is that you get more actual game time in with fewer end-changes and it keeps the fielding side fresher. I don't think it's particularly onerous for a bowler to deliver 8 balls in succession instead of 6. Most bowlers bowl in multi-over spells anyway.
But I guess this particular change did not advantage the batsman, so they got rid of it, and as someone pointed out, 6-ball overs allow for more advertising breaks and subsequent time-wasting.

 

[swingdog]

Agree with all of those, although having no umpires at all takes it to a whole new level. Umpiring matches you are playing in is probably one of the least desirable things in sport. You’re either p***ing off the opposition or your teammates, often both.

I love umpiring your own matches.

Opportunity to wind up the opposition, “nah, going down leg, mate” or triggering your mates - hit pads while halfway down the pitch? That’s plumb!

And then after doing the latter, ignoring the skipper who’s trying to call you in.

 

[Gethelred]

I would love to know when it started that batsmen would begin to take so much time out of the game f**king about.

I do remember players like Jayasuriya in particular who had his idiosyncrasies between deliveries where he had to touch all his equipment etc and Shiv had some routines as well but I don’t remember it holding up play.

When did it become common for guys to start wandering down the pitch and sweeping tiny bits of debris away where they weren’t even in play, backing away from the crease, taking incredible amounts of time to get set, changing gloves every five seconds and generally taking so much time?

Jonothan Trott was a shocker, needing to wander towards square leg and have a chat with himself before facing up again. Used to put bowlers right off; they'd be ready and raring to run in again while he's still having a word with the cricket gods.

Think after him is when it truly started to pick up steam.

 

[Gethelred]

My list below relates to my own cricket career (juniors and years of playing 3rd and 4th grade park cricket)

• Not being able to hit outswingers
• Not getting a bowl so going mid on to mid on from 1pm - 6pm when fielding, often in the heat when spring racing is on
• Having one ump and being rostered to do square leg
• s**t arvo teas
• Teammates who don't take care of the ball
• Blokes who are silent in the field
• Dropping catches

Not an exhaustive list but many of the above are reasons why I haven't played in years and am reticent to come back for veterans

The one that really bothers me from that list is the not getting a bowl one.

You're out there for 5 hours plus. You've volunteered your time. You've got 65 odd overs, and you can't spare a measly single over to let some poor bloke do their best?

Variety alone gets wickets sometimes. Some captains treat bowling like a sacred relic only to be touched by a chosen few.

 

[1989]

I love umpiring your own matches.

Opportunity to wind up the opposition, “nah, going down leg, mate” or triggering your mates - hit pads while halfway down the pitch? That’s plumb!

And then after doing the latter, ignoring the skipper who’s trying to call you in.

‘Missing off and missing leg’.

 

[the_interloper]

The one that really bothers me from that list is the not getting a bowl one.

You're out there for 5 hours plus. You've volunteered your time. You've got 65 odd overs, and you can't spare a measly single over to let some poor bloke do their best?

Variety alone gets wickets sometimes. Some captains treat bowling like a sacred relic only to be touched by a chosen few.

In fairness I don't reckon I'd get myself out, so understand why I didn't get a bowl except if the game was over.

I reckon though if you gave me 10 overs I'd get a wicket, you get yourself out at that level, you bowl enough overs you'll get wickets.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Agree with all of those, although having no umpires at all takes it to a whole new level. Umpiring matches you are playing in is probably one of the least desirable things in sport. You’re either p***ing off the opposition or your teammates, often both.

I remember giving a team-mate out caught behind and he gave me an absolute serve and angrily asked if he was out LBW haha. The non striker told him off and that he'd hit the bloody cover off the ball. He still refused to admit he'd even come close to hitting it.

 

[Rabish Binney]

I would love to know when it started that batsmen would begin to take so much time out of the game f**king about.

I do remember players like Jayasuriya in particular who had his idiosyncrasies between deliveries where he had to touch all his equipment etc and Shiv had some routines as well but I don’t remember it holding up play.

When did it become common for guys to start wandering down the pitch and sweeping tiny bits of debris away where they weren’t even in play, backing away from the crease, taking incredible amounts of time to get set, changing gloves every five seconds and generally taking so much time?

100% Phat.

Also batsman pulling up half way through a bowlers run up because a fly landed on the sightscreen.

Seems to be happening more and more often.

 

[Rabish Binney]

View attachment 1885211

Sorry for the indulgence....but the mention of 8 ball overs embarrasses me.....

My first cricket game was back in the 1970's & I was only 11. I was 12th man and our coach, who was also our umpire asked me to get him 8 rocks prior to the game starting.

I proceeded to find 8 rocks all right. All about the size of a small dinner plate

 

[Rabish Binney]

My list below relates to my own cricket career (juniors and years of playing 3rd and 4th grade park cricket)

• Not being able to hit outswingers
• Not getting a bowl so going mid on to mid on from 1pm - 6pm when fielding, often in the heat when spring racing is on
• Having one ump and being rostered to do square leg
• s**t arvo teas
• Teammates who don't take care of the ball
• Blokes who are silent in the field
• Dropping catches

Not an exhaustive list but many of the above are reasons why I haven't played in years and am reticent to come back for veterans

Was playing in the country in the 80's and one of the guys in our footy side was getting married which meant that there were 7 of our cricket team invited to the wedding which meant most of them batted early and left after getting out

I was next in.....but had to umpire at square leg with the pads on as there was only 4 of us left to bat the afternoon out. As soon as my teammate got out, we simply exchanged places.....

I actually never minded umpiring despite some of the most blatant cheating from oppo sides (and indeed our own) you'll ever see (we would have all experienced this). I never subscribed to the get even mantra..... If I thought our batsman was out, I gave him out.

 

[ioppolo]

The one that really bothers me from that list is the not getting a bowl one.

You're out there for 5 hours plus. You've volunteered your time. You've got 65 odd overs, and you can't spare a measly single over to let some poor bloke do their best?

Variety alone gets wickets sometimes. Some captains treat bowling like a sacred relic only to be touched by a chosen few.

 

[the_interloper]

Cummins is a great captain in a lot of ways, but he has the great fortune of being able to call on himself to bowl!

 

[eddiesmith]

The one that really bothers me from that list is the not getting a bowl one.

You're out there for 5 hours plus. You've volunteered your time. You've got 65 odd overs, and you can't spare a measly single over to let some poor bloke do their best?

Variety alone gets wickets sometimes. Some captains treat bowling like a sacred relic only to be touched by a chosen few.

What’s frustrating for me is when you bat first, the batsmen fail so the captain thinks only his chosen few can defend a low total. Then when they’ve been belted and the game is lost, he’ll give someone else a bowl.

A few weeks back it was a minefield tailor made for slow medium cutters, but instead he bowls out the quicks, they bowl short and get carted, brings them back for second spell, get carted. 6 runs to win, get thrown the ball. The ball darted everywhere and popped up into the gaps, the batsman had no clue. That was my only over…

 

[eddiesmith]

I remember giving a team-mate out caught behind and he gave me an absolute serve and angrily asked if he was out LBW haha. The non striker told him off and that he'd hit the bloody cover off the ball. He still refused to admit he'd even come close to hitting it.

Great being a deaf umpire.

‘Sorry, didn’t hear it!’

Was one this year, the bowling side, square leg, non striker all adamant it was an edge. It was windy so I heard nothing and afterwards batsman said he didn’t hit it. But they absolutely lost their shit at me.

Funniest part I find is the biggest complainers are usually the worst cheats themselves.

I got called a cheat years ago when it wasn’t out, missed the bat by a mile and flicked the shirt, I saw that one! Then when they were 9 down, I hit their last batsman on the shin in front of middle, not out…

Next week I rocked up to their finals game as the official league umpire, oh their reactions were priceless!!!

Same team’s captain was a leftie, pitched a ball a foot outside leg stump and complained when given not out LBW.

 

[Gethelred]

What’s frustrating for me is when you bat first, the batsmen fail so the captain thinks only his chosen few can defend a low total. Then when they’ve been belted and the game is lost, he’ll give someone else a bowl.

A few weeks back it was a minefield tailor made for slow medium cutters, but instead he bowls out the quicks, they bowl short and get carted, brings them back for second spell, get carted. 6 runs to win, get thrown the ball. The ball darted everywhere and popped up into the gaps, the batsman had no clue. That was my only over…

That sucks.

The one that really bothers me is the captain who treats spin - any spin except left arm darts around the wicket to a 7-2 off side field, all 6 outside off and can be left completely safely - as inherently risky. It's stupid.

At any given point, slow bowling can be used in as a stress builder, to take the pace off the ball and force the batter to try and make the running, to take wickets, to slow or accelerate the run rate. You can do so, so much more with a spinner than a quick purely by dint of the fact that you can work a quick for 4 without doing very much work yourself; with a spinner if you want that boundary if they're not stuffing up you've got to work for it.

 

[eddiesmith]

That sucks.

The one that really bothers me is the captain who treats spin - any spin except left arm darts around the wicket to a 7-2 off side field, all 6 outside off and can be left completely safely - as inherently risky. It's stupid.

At any given point, slow bowling can be used in as a stress builder, to take the pace off the ball and force the batter to try and make the running, to take wickets, to slow or accelerate the run rate. You can do so, so much more with a spinner than a quick purely by dint of the fact that you can work a quick for 4 without doing very much work yourself; with a spinner if you want that boundary if they're not stuffing up you've got to work for it.

Yep! Maybe my captain is actually normal if it’s common!!!

We have a spinner who’s got 2 wickets from the 3 overs he’s bowled all season…

 

[FredLeDeux]

Was playing in the country in the 80's and one of the guys in our footy side was getting married which meant that there were 7 of our cricket team invited to the wedding which meant most of them batted early and left after getting out

I was next in.....but had to umpire at square leg with the pads on as there was only 4 of us left to bat the afternoon out. As soon as my teammate got out, we simply exchanged places.....

I actually never minded umpiring despite some of the most blatant cheating from oppo sides (and indeed our own) you'll ever see (we would have all experienced this). I never subscribed to the get even mantra..... If I thought our batsman was out, I gave him out.

I was once playing in a game with no official umpires and the batting team umpring both ends.
All proceeded normally until late in the innnings until their striker and bowlers end umpire ran into each other.
They were both, to put it mildly, challenged in the brain stakes, but they had also hated each other since primary school, 30 years earlier.
So our bowler appealed for a speculative LBW, to which the umpire responded "Ha ha, that's out, you bastard Fogarty!"
At which stage, he started running as the batsman came after him, with the bat, and murder in his eyes.

 

[Gethelred]

Was playing in the country in the 80's and one of the guys in our footy side was getting married which meant that there were 7 of our cricket team invited to the wedding which meant most of them batted early and left after getting out

I was next in.....but had to umpire at square leg with the pads on as there was only 4 of us left to bat the afternoon out. As soon as my teammate got out, we simply exchanged places.....

I actually never minded umpiring despite some of the most blatant cheating from oppo sides (and indeed our own) you'll ever see (we would have all experienced this). I never subscribed to the get even mantra..... If I thought our batsman was out, I gave him out.

For me, it's scoring I don't mind (unless I'm getting unundated with muppets asking me either to update the scoreboard or what the score is).

 

[FredLeDeux]

For me, it's scoring I don't mind (unless I'm getting unundated with muppets asking me either to update the scoreboard or what the score is).

How much are we, mister?

 

[big_e]

Guys retiring from international cricket to play in a domestic league overseas...

 

[PhatBoy]

Guys retiring from international cricket to play in a domestic league overseas...

To be fair this sort of retirement to play domestically has been happening for a hundred years