New to cricket, need a bit of help guys

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Okay so I've decided to give cricket a go, as a British Pakistani, I'd like to connect to my ancestorial roots to my homeland of Pakistan and learn about the sport that is played so passionately there. But I'm an absouloute beginner so does anyone have any info on where I can find info for begineers, I don't even know stuff like test match etc, I'm a complete noob, so websites explaining the game would be useful thank you, also I must ask who do the the English born Pakistanis support, England or Pakistan, I still got to make my mind up guys...
 
Welcome to the great game of cricket.

Want to learn about the game well perhaps u should try wikipedia.

I wont tell u who to support but if u have a feeble heart i highly recommend u dont support Pakistan. The incompetence of the players, officials the lack of consistency and the stubborn and idiotic selectors may just drive u to insanity. These are tough times for us Pak fans.
 
Thanks Fahdi, I'll look it into later today when I wake up, and I guess it will ultimately be my decision on who I support, but Pakistan is my home country, England is my birth country, tough call..
 
Thanks Fahdi, I'll look it into later today when I wake up, and I guess it will ultimately be my decision on who I support, but Pakistan is my home country, England is my birth country, tough call..

Why take a difficult decision? Support India (The Masters of the Game both off the field and on the field)
;-)
 
I guess the best way to learn about the game would be right here OP :). The forum is filled with passionate cricket fans, who would be more than happy to answer any questions.

I will start with the absolute basics. Cricket is a team sport, consisting of 11 players each. The usual composition of each team is 5 batsmen, 4 bowlers, an all-rounder, and a wicket keeper. Ofcourse, there are variations to this, and the term all-rounder is a very loose one. I will explain this more later.

Now, there are 3 formats of the game -T20, ODI, and Tests. I'll start with T20. It stands for Twenty-20, which means each innings will consist of 20 overs each. An over consists of 6 balls, bowled by one bowler. In T20, a bowler can only bowl up to a maximum of 4 overs. Since T20 is the shortest form of the game, it is the most action-packed and popular form of the game. This format is the best way to get introduced to cricket. But, beware it is also considered the lowest form of the game by most players and fans. The T20 format also has a World Cup, which started in 2007 and is played every 2 years. Pakistan have had a very good record in the 4 world cups played so far - we made it to the semi-finals in 2012 and 2010 (almost made the final in 2010); we marginally lost the final in 2007 to India; and won in 2009. England also are decent in the format - they won the 2010 WC.

Next we have ODI's. Same as T20's, but each innings consists of 50 overs each. In this format, a bowler can only bowl up to a maximum of 50 overs. This format also has a WC, and is considered more prestigious than the T20 one. A significant proportion of fans consider the 50-over WC as the pinnacle of the sport. The most recent champions were India. But historically, the most successful team has been Australia in the WC. England are still searching for their first title, while Pakistan won in 1992 under Imran Khan.

Lastly, we have Tests. Unlike the other 2 formats, the teams wear white instead of coloured clothing. The ball is also red instead of white. I guess Tests are like this because of tradition, and cricket is very much into its history. There is no limit of how many overs there are per innings. Each team has to play 2 innings each, and if no result can be achieved within 5 days, then the match is considered a draw. Because of its slow pace, this format can be the hardest for a newcomer to enjoy. But, it is the premier format of cricket, because, as the name suggests, it Tests every aspect of a cricketer, and only the best succeed.

That is a very basic intro to the different formats of cricket.
 
Cricket is a way of life mate. You cannot "learn" it anymore than you can learn how to live. It is to be experienced and imbibed. Every match is potentially a novel waiting to be written with nuances far beyond the capability of normal wordmongers.

I would suggest starting with some of the classics first... the videos, some good reading material .... as someone mentioned, this forum is a good place to start.
 
Cricket is a way of life mate. You cannot "learn" it anymore than you can learn how to live. It is to be experienced and imbibed. Every match is potentially a novel waiting to be written with nuances far beyond the capability of normal wordmongers.

I would suggest starting with some of the classics first... the videos, some good reading material .... as someone mentioned, this forum is a good place to start.

I guess the best way to learn about the game would be right here OP :). The forum is filled with passionate cricket fans, who would be more than happy to answer any questions.

I will start with the absolute basics. Cricket is a team sport, consisting of 11 players each. The usual composition of each team is 5 batsmen, 4 bowlers, an all-rounder, and a wicket keeper. Ofcourse, there are variations to this, and the term all-rounder is a very loose one. I will explain this more later.

Now, there are 3 formats of the game -T20, ODI, and Tests. I'll start with T20. It stands for Twenty-20, which means each innings will consist of 20 overs each. An over consists of 6 balls, bowled by one bowler. In T20, a bowler can only bowl up to a maximum of 4 overs. Since T20 is the shortest form of the game, it is the most action-packed and popular form of the game. This format is the best way to get introduced to cricket. But, beware it is also considered the lowest form of the game by most players and fans. The T20 format also has a World Cup, which started in 2007 and is played every 2 years. Pakistan have had a very good record in the 4 world cups played so far - we made it to the semi-finals in 2012 and 2010 (almost made the final in 2010); we marginally lost the final in 2007 to India; and won in 2009. England also are decent in the format - they won the 2010 WC.

Next we have ODI's. Same as T20's, but each innings consists of 50 overs each. In this format, a bowler can only bowl up to a maximum of 50 overs. This format also has a WC, and is considered more prestigious than the T20 one. A significant proportion of fans consider the 50-over WC as the pinnacle of the sport. The most recent champions were India. But historically, the most successful team has been Australia in the WC. England are still searching for their first title, while Pakistan won in 1992 under Imran Khan.

Lastly, we have Tests. Unlike the other 2 formats, the teams wear white instead of coloured clothing. The ball is also red instead of white. I guess Tests are like this because of tradition, and cricket is very much into its history. There is no limit of how many overs there are per innings. Each team has to play 2 innings each, and if no result can be achieved within 5 days, then the match is considered a draw. Because of its slow pace, this format can be the hardest for a newcomer to enjoy. But, it is the premier format of cricket, because, as the name suggests, it Tests every aspect of a cricketer, and only the best succeed.

That is a very basic intro to the different formats of cricket.
Thanks everyone and thank you guys, I agree Cricket should be from the heart, it's like me with football, I love it, but I'm looking for something new now.
 
Thanks everyone and thank you guys, I agree Cricket should be from the heart, it's like me with football, I love it, but I'm looking for something new now.

Dude, join Sri Lanka. We're one of the most competitive teams in the world and play with huge heart and spirit.
 
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