Starting at 19.........too late?

[DampSquid]

The only cricket I have played is with a tennis ball up till when I was 14.
From then I've had no people/space to play cricket and I've spent my spare time hitting tennis balls with a stick and bowling at bottles/pens/balls in a small room.

I was never really serious about it until recently, when I somehow ended up viewing loads of old footage of fast bowlers on the internet and almost overnight, I wanted to be a cricketer.

I don't expect to show up at the local cricket academy and blow everyone away, or ever go on to become an international player, but I'm still considering joining it, or at least spend a bi more time on serious cricket.

So finally, coming to the point, am I too late to start. I mostly fear showing up at the local cricket place (which I'm yet to discover) among people who've been playing for a lot longer, especially after seeing some youtube videos of Under-19 world cup.

And yes, I'd like a practical, realistic, non-philosophical answer. Don't tell me things like "It's never too late".

 

[Daemon]

All I can say is that if you enjoy it then go ahead. You'll never know how good you are until you actually try it out. I've seen talented guys pick up the sport in a year or two really really quickly. On the other hand there are guys who just train and train but are **** no matter what they do. Even if you're the latter as long as you enjoy playing and training then who gives a ****? If everyone strived to be the best of the best or else just give up, club cricket wouldn't exist.

 

[OMM!]

No offence, but you would have no hope of being a good professional player (i.e. getting up to U19 International standard!) starting so late.

It takes years to hone and perfect an adequate bowling technique. Not to mention your batting is guaranteed to be abysmal, which in the modern era won't help you.

As the other guy said. Just go along and enjoy it. Cricket's a brilliant sport and the good thing is you can always measure how you're doing year-by-year by your bowling/batting average.

Don't overthink stuff or worry that someone else is better than you. They're all amateurs too, so it wouldn't take long to get up to decent club level standard. Especially at a youngish age.

Just don't be that person at the club who thinks he has a chance of going pro though! Everyone hates that guy!

 

[Cevno]

Don't think 19 is too late to start tbh. There have been a lot of domestic cricketers who have started playing cricket seriously/professionaly late in their lives.

All depends on your talent,passion and determination though. You need to give it a year and a bit maybe and give it your all and see where it takes you and then have a better idea of the talent you have.
After that you can take a call whether you want to pursue it full time more or do something else. There will be enough time to pursue either option tbh.

 

[jan]

Well I picked cricket at 31 so 19 is just superb age to start imo. Just bat & bowl and enjoy

 

[Hurricane]

Bowling will be next to impossible if you didn't learn it when you were a youngster. But I have met good batsman who started at 20.

The best advice for rapid development is to practice with the help of old videos and a mirror - if you do it for 10 minutes a day you will get ok after a year.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Think you should start out playing for enjoyment and then see how you go. You might be decent, you might not. You won't find out until you play a proper game with a team.

Disagree with others who say you can't learn to bowl. Sounds like you've already been bowling a bit and I'm sure you'll pick it up. I taught a girl to bowl in about 5 mins (good enough to get the ball down the other end reasonably straight), so I reckon if you put in an effort you'll be ok.

 

[DampSquid]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I guess I'll take the plunge soon.
I can bowl accurately, but my speed sucks. Plus, I have a short height, so what would have been a decent ball (had the speed been good) ends up being easy to hit.
If I try balling short, then the ball is falling by the time it reaches the batsmen. (All these are observations from 3 years back)

So I'll really have to work on my speed. Now I have a slightly slingy action (whether that's good or bad).
I was bowling with a tennis ball which blew up in a week so I guess I must be faster than a spinner now :o

I can't say anything about my batting because I haven't held an actual bat for years.

To users from India: Can anyone roughly explain the structure in Indian cricket?
Where do I start and how, usually, does one move up to the state team.
There is a government run academy run by the 'District Cricket Association, Gurgaon'.

Is that where I should be looking at or something else in Delhi?
Also, does club cricket exist here in India?

 

[Daemon]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I guess I'll take the plunge soon.
I can bowl accurately, but my speed sucks. Plus, I have a short height, so what would have been a decent ball (had the speed been good) ends up being easy to hit.
If I try balling short, then the ball is falling by the time it reaches the batsmen. (All these are observations from 3 years back)

So I'll really have to work on my speed. Now I have a slightly slingy action (whether that's good or bad).
I was bowling with a tennis ball which blew up in a week so I guess I must be faster than a spinner now :o

I can't say anything about my batting because I haven't held an actual bat for years.

To users from India: Can anyone roughly explain the structure in Indian cricket?
Where do I start and how, usually, does one move up to the state team.
There is a government run academy run by the 'District Cricket Association, Gurgaon'.

Is that where I should be looking at or something else in Delhi?
Also, does club cricket exist here in India?

I'd actually recommend starting off at whatever educational institute you're in currently. Look online for courses for beginning cricketers.

Thank me when you're cricinfo profile is up and you've scored a 1000 runs in FC cricket.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I guess I'll take the plunge soon...


... I can't say anything about my batting because I haven't held an actual bat for years.

Take it one step at a time, man. The best would be to join a cricket club and let the coaches/net conductor guide you through the process.

Any repeatable action that helps you produce a fair output from your body (conversion of your run-up's momentum into speed) should be a good start.

I'd be honest with you, friend. With a modified action (presumably), don't expect instantaneous results. Your accuracy and rhythm may be a bit ragged in the beginning, but persevere through that phase and you'll surely get much better. You love the game so that should be good motivation!

To users from India: Can anyone roughly explain the structure in Indian cricket?
Where do I start and how, usually, does one move up to the state team.
There is a government run academy run by the 'District Cricket Association, Gurgaon'.

Is that where I should be looking at or something else in Delhi?
Also, does club cricket exist here in India?

I am not from that region, but surely Delhi should have more options than Gurgaon.There are many clubs in Delhi which you can join - Delhi Cricket Association being the parent organisation to which these are affiliated. You are 19 so I am assuming already out of school. Otherwise, the ideal track is to progress from local school tournaments (Cooch-Behar et. al.) to club, age and district level cricket.

In your case, I would advise you to hone your skills in a club. Invest in a good cricket kit and let the coaches guide you through it. If you are studying in a university, at a later stage you can try to make your way into the university squad. If they have net facilities, as a student, you can always use them. Keep us posted on your progress. Cheerio!

 

[hanery]

19 is the best age to start cricket so don't bother about your age and start your cricket career, wish you a all the best.