I haven't been following cricket since the end of the last ashes, sounds like a lot of interesting things have happened.

Anyway, the next ashes isn't for another year so isn't this thread a little premature?

The Ashes begin on November 21. They moved it up due to the World Cup. England is currently touring Australia playing a bunch of warm-up series against 2nd-team Aussie squads.

oh ok, I don't like the idea of having 2 ashes in 1 year, but whatever.

What do you think of T20 cricket? The qualifiers are in a couple of weeks for the T20 world cup. Canada is grouped with USA and plays them in the first match.

A lot of people don't consider T20 cricket to be real cricket but I don't mind it.

Also, I normally don't waste my time watching preliminary games, especially games between two subpar teams. I might make an exception for a match between Canada and USA.

I didn't know Canada or USA had a cricket team O_o

The US played Canada in the world's first international cricket match. Cricket used to be pretty big in the US, but the lesser British game of baseball began to replace it in the civil war as maintaining a decent wicket was near impossible. Lincoln was a big fan, by all accounts, and watched a number of matches.

I wouldn't worry too much about England, Putin. We never win at the Waca. Hell will freeze over before then.

I didn't know that Octavious.

Philadelphia had a decent cricket team until WWI.

Isn't Town Rules baseball much like cricket? Something like British Rounders.

I don't know Town Rules baseball. I never really had an interest in the sport (and didn't much like rounders either). My Grandad quite enjoyed it, though. Apparently he watched a few baseball games in Liverpool in his youth. Almost as remarkably, my Gran was a big ice hockey fan when she was young. The sports had pretty much died out over here by the time I was born though.

I wonder if being a fan of baseball in Britain is as awkward as being a fan of cricket in the States without being of South Asian descent.

In the modern age? I don't think so. There is no popular anti-baseball bias like the is with American Football. The default position is one of mild interest. This tends to grow over time, fed by occasional news reports and American movies, until the Brit finally decides to watch a game. Sadly that tends to put them off for life.

Wait, Octavious are you claiming that American Football is boring?

No no, all those comments are about baseball. The only bit that refers to American Football is the bias against it. Frankly people see the uniforms with skin tight shiny trousers, helmets, and comic shoulder pads, and the typical reaction is that it looks a bit gay. Rugby for sissys is a common comment.

Totally unfair, of course. I quite like watching the highlights of a game (a live game has far too much time where sod all happens for my liking). Not a patch on rugby union, but I rank it as good as rugby league, if not better.

It is peculiar that baseball doesn't inspire interest when watched live. I thought it might be because of the lack of runs. But that can't be right because the British public is perfectly happy watching Arsenal pass backwards for 2 hours. Or Rugby scrums being reset forever on end.

American football is boring. 3 hours long and the only action plays are followed by 15 minutes of consulting the replay.

The NBA is quickly following football into this trend of replaying every damn thing. And people want baseball to do the same. I'd rather have a game completely ruined by incompetent refereeing than sit through endless replays.

this ashes is going to be hella good

if only the world chess championship (starts in a week) could be as exciting.....

The last Rugby game I watched was the 2003 finals (Where England won 20-17 in overtime), so I forget which one is union and which one is league? lol

When I was living in Africa my two favourite sports were Rugby and Cricket, moving to Canada when I was 10, my passion for Rugby sorta dropped and I started watching Hockey and American Football instead, however I've been finding it harder and harder to keep up with Cricket, I follow the Ashes, the world cup and nothing else.

As for baseball, I was never able to get into it. I don't know why.

I can only name a handle full of Jays and noone else and I rarely watch games. I've watched two games this year, one where the Jays beat the Rays back in May. And game 3 of the world series where the Cardinals beat the Sox 5-4 on a questionable call by the empire in the 9th inning).

Its not that the game is boring, Basketball is far more boring than baseball. but I just can't get into it.

They play rugby in Kenya?

Rugby League seems to be the less popular one but with far less stops & starts, as far as I can tell.

I'm interested in Australian rules football. That seems to be an exciting game from the little I've seen, but how the hell to get into it living here. *Sigh*

"American football is boring. 3 hours long and the only action plays are followed by 15 minutes of consulting the replay."
Cricket is boring. 30 hours long and the only action plays are followed by 15 minutes of consulting as to whether or not see the replay because you want to challenge the call.

Bah, I once saw two sixes, a wide, and two wickets in the same over!

I once saw five touchdowns in the span of three minutes. (three game minutes, with all the adds and stoppages it was probably closer to an hour)

"They play rugby in Kenya?"
Yes, we got to the semifinals in the 2003 cricket world cup, so you know we play cricket.

Africa plays the British sports; association football, rugby, cricket and field hockey.

Well yes I know they play cricket. But France plays rugby and they don't play cricket so one does not follow the other.

And I don't think Rugby is played in India

Also the only Frenchie I know plays cricket. I'd presume that while its not as popular, cricket is probably more popular then american football and ice hockey in France.

I'm sure ebola is more popular than American football in France.

lol

On the topic of sports in general though. Does anyone outside of Canada watch Canadian Football?

"more popular....in France"

Wow...I can't think of anything the *world* would care less about than what is popular in France...

Krellin speaks for the world? Je ne crois pas.

Not since I moved to Ohio. No longer get Canadian tv. I'm also displeased they disbanded the Ottawa Roughriders.

Wait so Putin, you think NFL is boring but CFL isn't. umm what? lol

I'm pretty sure they don't play Rugby in Pakistan (or the West Indies) either.

Don't get carried away I barely watched any CFL. My dislike of football has only happened in the past couple of years.

How could you go from liking to not liking football?

1. Living in a place where people are obsessed with college football, and especially attending a university where the influence of college football infects everything, changes one's outlook.
2. Not being able to see anything else on tv when college football is on. Won't show other sports even if some game nobody cares about is on tv. Sports channels would rather show talk shows about football than important games in other sports.
3. Just waking up and realizing how horrible of a sport it really is. The injuries, the concussions, etc. I mean, the Bills are on their what, 5th string QB at this point? It's absurd.