How did you get into cricket?

[Noble One]

Cannot pinpoint an exact date, I have been a follower for life. Picture on the wall at my parents place of me at about 6 months of age lying on a bean bag watching Australia play New Zealand on the television.

My first real memory, and series that captivated me was probably the Australian v South Africa double series in 1993 and 1994. Warne starting to make his mark, Donald bowling at high speeds, plenty of high quality cricket.

 

[Ikki]

I think I was about 4-5 when I started getting into Cricket. I remember a big black man smashing the ball and looking intimidating and I found out later that was Sir Viv. As I grew up I idolised Chris Cairns and was spell-bound by Warne. I played into my teens but recreational after that. I come from a family that lives and breathes football (soccer) so my fascination with the sport has been a lonely one, largely. My dad still thinks Cricket is good for nothing more than "picnic game" and can't discern why I like it so much. The funny thing is he barely puts much time into watching it or learning about it to understand anything. Which just goes to show you need a good attention span to appreciate the sport.

 

[andyc]

Just always been a big fan, played it since primary school. I'd always watch the Aussie summer, but only really started following it online probably just a bit before I joined up here. I remember that when it was suggested that we move to Shanghai in 2001, I was against it because it meant I wouldn't have been able to play cricket (didn't turn out to be true, ftr). Dad has always seemed really eager to encourage it in me too, despite him not really playing it as a kid (he's a Kiwi so it was mostly rugby) and not being all that good at it.

 

[irfan]

I'm Indian

 

[Jono]

Born in Australia with an Indian family.

 

[Perm]

Not really sure tbh, but the first time I ever concentrated on watching cricket properly was during the 2005 Ashes. I used to come home from school and watch most of the days play (on replay to be fair) and absolutely loved it. Ever since that I was hooked, though my eagerness has been reduced somewhat now.

 

[wpdavid]

Watching England vs Pakistan & India on the beeb in 1971. I'd never watched any before then, but I was pretty much hooked thereafter.

 

[Langeveldt]

Only really during England v SA in 1998.. Went to watch the Old Trafford test, was hooked.. Although at the moment my interest in cricket has waned considerably, prefer Rugby now

 

[Jarquis]

Not the 05 Ashes itself but the fallout from it and how it seemed the entire nation was cricket crazy for a few months. I didn't actually learn how cricket was played until afterwards where a bunch of us used to play on the playground with a tennis ball and shoe .
Bit of a shame that out of an entire school of 1200 (600 boys, approx) or so, only two of us went onto join a club.

 

[JBMAC]

Watching this aussie side play in the first test after WW2 on aussie soil.My old man said I went to one ten years earlier but I cannot recall it at all




S G Barnes
A R Morris
D G Bradman
A L Hassett
K R Miller
C L McCool
I W Johnson
D Tallon
R R Lindwall
G E Tribe
E R H Toshack

 

[Richard]

Watching England vs Pakistan & India on the beeb in 1971. I'd never watched any before then, but I was pretty much hooked thereafter.

Something that's just occurred to me is you really couldn't have been very old then?

 

[R_D]

I was born in India.

Probably watching Sachin bat was really what got me into it.

But once i was deprived of watching Sachin bat.... it was watching Mark Waugh and Ponting bat in his early days... what really kept my interest in cricket.
I think i loved the Aussie team of late 90's.....

 

[thierry henry]

The 1991/92 season. Watching the NZ v England series over here, and then the World Cup.

 

[Shri]

Me being good at batting as soon as I played a proper match got me in to the game. Didn't know what lbw was until after two years I started playing the game. Was good fun when I went out and had a swing without knowing or caring about the rules. Played for the school from my 5th grade to the 9th grade. Then played in the 11th grade when I changed schools to look cool.

Never taken the game too seriously either. If I had to choose between playing a match for the school and watching a movie with friends, I would always choose the movie. Maybe India missed out on an awesome all rounder.

 

[wpdavid]

Something that's just occurred to me is you really couldn't have been very old then?

I was 11 - a good few years older than my son's got into the game over th last couple of seasons.

I don't really know why I decided to start watching the tests that summer. I knew that we'd won in Aus, but only the end result and seeing pictures of Illingworth being chaired off the pitch. Perhaps I thought we must be really good and decided to watch. It soon became apparent that we weren't

 

[Burgey]

Watching this aussie side play in the first test after WW2 on aussie soil.My old man said I went to one ten years earlier but I cannot recall it at all




S G Barnes
A R Morris
D G Bradman
A L Hassett
K R Miller
C L McCool
I W Johnson
D Tallon
R R Lindwall
G E Tribe
E R H Toshack

That's fantastic.

My intro was through my grandfather's running of the club of which I'm now President. My first real memory of big time cricket though (and it's a vague one) is the 74-75 Ashes series.

 

[Smudge]

Just remember playing cricket at school at lunchtime and in my mate's front yard when I was about 6-7. Test series between NZ and West Indies in 1986/7 was capturing my imagination at that time, and by the time we got shafted by the umpires at Melbourne in 1987/8 I was hooked and already delightfully bitter towards Australians.

 

[Flem274*]

2000/01 test series in Aussie along with the VB series. Watching that Perth test especially, and the first foray into test cricket of a young tearaway by the name of Shane Bond.

Remember watching Skippy take it to the West Indies on debut as well and getting hooked, can't remember if that was before or after the Aussie series though.

 

[Cruxdude]

I was around 10 when the 1996 world cup got me hooked. All the hype about Tendulkar and the wonderful world cup that he had got me into the game. I remember crying after India lost in the semis.

Just yesterday I watched the last over of the famous hero cup semis against SA. One over 6 to win, 2 wkts in hand and Sachin to bowl. The commentator was going on saying Sachin has vast experience and has to use all his experience here to win the game. He was 20 at that time.

 

[thierry henry]

2000/01 test series in Aussie along with the VB series. Watching that Perth test especially, and the first foray into test cricket of a young tearaway by the name of Shane Bond.

Remember watching Skippy take it to the West Indies on debut as well and getting hooked, can't remember if that was before or after the Aussie series though.

That series was 2001/02, not 2000/01.

Skippy v Windies was 1999/2000.