How has CW changed your cricket experience?

[Matt79]

Kinda a companion piece for the "where did you learn about cricket?" thread.

How has coming to or posting on CW changed your experience of cricket?

I feel I've become a lot more analytical and more appreciative of what I'd now label as substantive indicators of class, as opposed to flashy performances. I've also learnt a hell of a lot more about cricket not involving Australia. Finally, I think I've learnt a lot about how the rest of the world see cricket, and the Australian cricket team, which has been interesting, even when I've not always agreed with it. This in turn has affected my response to some things that have occurred around the Aussies.

 

[Bees]

Primarily, it's the arguments on the merits of certain players or sides that have changed the way I look at the game. You only have a frame of reference once you have a player's strengths and shortcomings in mind, and unless you have a frame of reference, the opinions you hold often boil down to superficial notions (such as merit from a flashy performance, as you alluded to above)

You learn to appreciate the standards expected of players, for example, the notion that the catch McKenzie fluffed today would have been just as unacceptable at club level. That is the crux of what I get from this forum.

As one secondary addition, I've never once been exposed to the principle of first chance averages until I started lurking around this board.

 

[Matt79]

And you'll never find them anywhere else

 

[Uppercut]

It's a big additional frame of reference on cricket matters. I'll call bull**** on commentator opinions knowing that it's not just me who thinks they're being tools. As an example, before reading CW i thought i might be the only person in the UK who thought Stuart Broad was a bit crap.

There's certain information you can't get anywhere else too. Were it not for CW i wouldn't have had the slightest idea who Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus were until Ponting mentioned them in interview last week. You find some things out that are local to other parts of the world.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's certainly made me more interested in cricket not involving England. Pre-CW I doubt I'd have stayed up til 5am to watch Oz versus SA as I did today, for instance.

As I said in the tour thread too I now recognise AFL guernseys in the crowds on sight too, which is entirely due to CW.

 

[honestbharani]

Made it better, for the most part.. As you guys have said, it has made me more interested in cricket not involving India and my other favourite teams. But it has made me more analytical and I am not completely sure if it is for the better, tbh.. I mean, I really enjoyed it when, as a younger guy or even as a kid, I always felt a 4 or a 6 was 90% of the time a good shot and a wicket was 90% off a good ball or good fielding or something like that..... After having been around CW, I reckon I have become a bit of a theoretical expert on cricket even more than I was in my pre-CW days and sometimes I feel like it has taken the joy of watching cricket out of me a bit..


I guess ignorance/innocence was indeed bliss as a cricket fan... But then again, I suppose it is the same for any sport once you gain some knowledge about the standards and become a bit of an expert (even an arm-chair one)...

 

[sanga1337]

It's a big additional frame of reference on cricket matters. I'll call bull**** on commentator opinions knowing that it's not just me who thinks they're being tools. As an example, before reading CW i thought i might be the only person in the UK who thought Stuart Broad was a bit crap.

There's certain information you can't get anywhere else too. Were it not for CW i wouldn't have had the slightest idea who Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus were until Ponting mentioned them in interview last week. You find some things out that are local to other parts of the world.

yeah agree with this. I wouldn't have any idea about most of the domestic kiwi players such as Broom, Hay and McIntosh if it weren't for CW.

Have to say some of my opinions on certain players have also been influenced by CW. For example I never thought of Hayden or Sehwag as a flat track bully before I came onto CW (I still don't, but it was definitely interesting to see people saying that) and my opinion of Watson has gone up since being on CW. You also discover just how different peoples opinions can be such as how some people think you only need bowlers who are able to keep the runs down in ODI's.

 

[Bees]

Edit: After writing this post, I realised it's fairly off-topic. I'm going to leave it here, though, because I spent a more than a few minutes on it.

After having been around CW, I reckon I have become a bit of a theoretical expert on cricket even more than I was in my pre-CW days and sometimes I feel like it has taken the joy of watching cricket out of me a bit..

As bad as it sounds, and I'm framing this as positive because it has got to do with cricket as opposed to other more 'serious' pursuits, people can often get a lot of pleasure out of being a snob or an elitist... or maybe I should just say expert.

It's never pleasant talking to a person who appreciates precious little, but that's not always the case. You can possess voluminous knowledge but yet be gracious and appropriate in conversation. Regardless of any of this, in the depths of your own mind - external from any interactions with others, I'm sure your appreciation for the finer points of the game contributes positively to your overall experience. Why shouldn't it? Judgment seems natural to most of us.

The whole snob thing is not a commentary on what you, HB, are personally - but the trends I have noticed when people become well versed on things. Take note that I'm 20 years old, so I've been seeing this throughout high school, I see it in university, and no doubt I'll see it for a very long time - until I'm older, my colleages are older, and we either learn to hide our elitism - or, better yet, learn to appreciate everything: the simple and even the primitive.

To put it another way, I don't long for the days when I worshipped Green Day (or Good Charlotte, for the even younger ones). You shouldn't either.

 

[pup11]

CW definitely helps me enjoy and appreciate the game of cricket a lot more than otherwise possible, there are a lot of knowledgeable posters around CW from around the globe who express there views of on different aspects of cricket, CW has also helped me get a lot more involved in the game and i really find it immensely interesting and educative to discuss different topics on cricket, its also real fun posting during a live game on the official game thread.

 

[silentstriker]

Yup, as others have said, I took a much broader perspective on cricket. Before, the only people I talked cricket with were fans who had no clue about the game. I also would not have known about a lot of the domestic stars/issues, even Indian domestic cricket, had it not been for this forum.

And no way I would have stayed up to see SA/Aus cricket three years ago.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Yup, as others have said, I took a much broader perspective on cricket. Before, the only people I talked cricket with were fans who had no clue about the game. I also would not have known about a lot of the domestic stars/issues, even Indian domestic cricket, had it not been for this forum.

And no way I would have stayed up to see SA/Aus cricket three years ago.

I believe it made you play 3 overs once. Must have been hard for you, learning how the game works when not on a TV.

Shame you didn't learn anything.

 

[Jono]

Obviously in terms of knowledge regarding the intricacies of the game, its improved tenfold. And I definitely know 100 times more regarding the politics and administrative side of cricket than I did pre-CW.

However I don't watch any more cricket than I did pre-CW tbh. I've always enjoyed staying up late for an intl series, or matches not involving India or Australia. I've just always enjoyed watching cricket, and truth be told I possibly watched more domestic cricket back when I was a kid than I did when I joined CW.

 

[silentstriker]

I believe it made you play 3 overs once.

Yes, and I managed to actually make it through a singular run up before collapsing. I dedicate that to CW.

I actually play cricket quite regularly again, and I wouldn't have bothered seeking cricket out in the US if it weren't for CW.

Shame you didn't learn anything.

I'll have you know that I can now regularly make it through three full runups.

 

[Chubb]

I now judge batsmen according to their First Chance Average.


Seriously, though, I'm generally better-informed about cricket in other countries, such as talented new players, who is next in line etc.

 

[susudear]

Ricardo changed my life forever and ever.

 

[GIMH]

It's changed it in loads of ways. I reckon the tour threads make it easier to go through the night though, as it's like watching the game with mates almost; people to chat to whilst watching the action helps you forget that you should be asleep.

Learnt a heap as well, and tbh I often lift arguments straight from CW into the boozer when discussing cricket

 

[aussie]

I'd say since joining CW, this site has basically linked we people from around the globe with a similar appreciaion for the game who i can discuss the game with on my level. Since i feel personally my knowledge of the game (although it has definately improved since joining) was always solid.

Talking cricket with people away from CW can be irritating at times as well. So big ups to the CW community some of astute cricket observes in the world. Bullet.....

 

[Craig]

I thought I knew cricket, then I come here and find out I don't know ****. So I guess nothing has changed

 

[nightprowler10]

I don't think I ever would've been as interested in Australian cricket history as I am now if not for CW, same with my new found interest in cricket books. Also, as others have said, its made me much more interested in watching cricket being played by other countries.

 

[Athlai]

I could know name a very accurate lineup for every Test team besides maybe Pakistan. And then a lineup of who CWers THINK should be playing.