Why Do People Enjoy Cricket?

Cricket is one of those sports that really seems to divide views. Some people see it as exciting and providing the perfect form of entertainment. For others, however, there may be a feeling that cricket is a sport that's slow and perplexing.

As a cricket enthusiast, I hope to be able to explain the origins of my own love of the sport. If you simply don't understand how it's possible to enjoy watching a game of cricket, then allow me to enlighten you!

As a young boy, my first glimpses of cricket would have been on the village green. It's a sport that has a distinctive look and sound. In terms of appearances, there was also something rather wonderful about seeing all of the players (and umpires) dressed in white, against that lovely, green background caused by the grass playing surface.

Often cricket fields tended to be in nice locations too. They might have trees just beyond them, or a stream running close to the edge of the pitch.

But how about the sounds associated with cricket? If you've never seen cricket being played at close quarters, then you may wonder what this is all about. The truth is that there are a number of sounds that help to define the sport. Since it is generally more genteel than something like soccer, I'm not suggesting that it would be possible to really associate this sport with the roar of a crowd.

Although international matches certainly generate large crowds, my early exposure to the game was on a much smaller scale.

That's why I tend to think of the game as being about the sound of the leather ball being struck by a willow cricket bat. Good shots would be applauded by team-mates, watching spectators and opponents too. There would be the occasional conversation on the field, accompanied by further chats taking place all around.

In the pavillion, meanwhile, there would be the familiar sounds of tea and sandwiches being prepared. Simple pleasures, but they were wonderful to see and hear.

Although the modern-day, professional sport might seem to have little in common with those times, there are actually many similarities. Many of the noises are still the same and the action is not so different from that witnessed on the village green.

International cricket is played to a higher standard and it's now usual to see players wearing a range of coloured clothing. But those early days set the scene for my own love of the game and recent changes have done nothing to diminish my view.

My views on cricket are shared by millions of people around the world. It remains incredibly popular in England, Australia, India, South Africa and many more countries. Long may it continue!