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Read this thread.

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Haha, the title is to ensure that everyone comes, you see? Genius!

Yesterday, my friend Ganesh rang me up, and asked for me to come to his house for the first time. He wanted me to help him film our major history project due in June, and of course I was more than happy to go. He said that his six Indian friends would also be there. After filming it, the idea was to go to the nets and play some quality cricket. Pretty cool.

My thoughts before the day were mainly of worry, of how I would get on with these people I had never met. I prayed to God that I would get on with them. I`m not trying to sound racist by any means, but I was not sure how I would fit in, because of culture clash or whatnot. Which, in hindsight, seems a bit stupid considering, for whatever reasons, that I do seem to get on well with Indian people in particular. There are four of them in our school 'group' of eight.

I arrived there at 10:30, thirty minutes late. I had a lot of trouble finding the house so I called Ganesh. He said he was at his friend`s house, two minutes down the road. I got there and walked in the door. It was a 'typical' Indian household, which I have gotten used to during many visits to my Indian friend`s places.

I was greeted by the seven of them with a gruff 'hey'. They were in the middle of studying Physics, a subject on which I knew/know nothing about. The time then was 10:35. I stood standing at the same doorway till 12:00, with no-one speaking to me besides Ganesh. I`m not angry at them for this, as it is as hard for a new person to talk to a group, as it is for a group to talk to a new person.

At 12:00, we shot the video, which took only 45 minutes. During that time, I finally had a chance to talk, mostly about cricket. The video had some comic elements to it, which enabled us to have a laugh about a few things. So, by about 12:45 I had sort of connected with these people, but not at a very high level.

There was then discussion as to what to do next. The popular opinion was 'Street Cricket', which was more than fine by me. Walking up to this deserted street (in which TWO CARS passed through it in the whole 210 minutes we were playing!), through listening to them talk, I heard that they had played every single day of the holidays. My group of friends all live reasonably far away, and some of them would rather eat rubbish whilst playing the latest shooter at an Internet cafe.

While we were setting up the 'field' (putting carpet over drains, and scooters on the carpet so it wouldn`t blow away and putting a marker for the boundary rope and chairs for wickets) they were all talking about what they bowl, how they bat, etc. And then asked me what I did. The subject of cricket had already proved an ice-breaker, and further proved to be one.

The rest (as the classics say) was a dream. I can`t remember EVER enjoying a game (or some games) of cricket so much.

We played two 'Test matches' and a 'One-dayer'. One of the best things was, that everyone was about equal talent. Of course, some people were better than others. But that didn`t stop the perhaps 'not-as-good' people having their moments.

I`m not trying to be up myself here: There was an incident when I was bowling to Nitesh. I was bowling reasonably paced full balls, and I was sure I could get him out, 'knowing' I was better. The first three he played and missed. The next three were all out-side edges that raced for four! And I enjoyed it! I take my cricket way too seriously sometimes, and I think normally, I would have mouthed off or the like. But after each four he hit, everyone laughed, and I walked back to my mark, light in step.

A key thing to mention, is that it was a 30+ degree day! Cricket can be tiring at the best of times, so an unseasonably warm day can really spoil a game. But it was awesome. Awesome for so many reasons.

After the games, it was 4:00, and we headed to the shops for a late lunch. It was while walking to them, I realised what exactly had happened! Only hours ago, I was feeling so uncomfortable, that I had contemplated making a lame excuse and heading home. And now, I was laughing and joking with these guys like we had been best buddies since birth!

I`m going on an awesome youth camp this weekend called Kyckstart, and bar that, that day of cricket will be the best thing I do all holidays.

Why have I bothered posting this? The joy of cricket! God has given me, given us, a wonderful gift that is this game. It turned complete strangers into friends. Something so simple, had given us a connection I seriously doubt would have been otherwise possible.

I said before, that this series if Cricket games were awesome for so many reasons. And there were many reasons. But a main one must have been that we could all communicate in a truly unique language. The language of cricket!
 
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Deja moo

International Captain
Very true Nath.

BTW, good idea covering up the drains. We never did that ( around 6-7 years ago), and being the noob in the area, I was the one who had to rescue the ball usually.
 

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
I wondered where you were going with this early on, Nnanden, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable read, even if it was a little Disneyesque. :D
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Played again today. Awesome time. Same bunch of guys.

Two 'Tests' and a 'One-Dayer'. In the one-dayer I bowled a brilliant 1/7 off 2. And in the first-Test I bowled 2/11 off 4. Awesome time, batting a bit off though.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
Cricket has made me a good number of friends in the past three years, playing with members of different age groups at my school - and captaining a team of players aged between 15 and 18 meant I had to get to know all of them pretty well. When I moved up to a higher team, I was one of only two 18 year olds in the side, but I quickly made friends with a good four or five others in the team, meaning the three games I played in that side were extremely enjoyable, despite two of them being losses.

I've made three friends at my new job through cricket (two of them attractive ladies :D ) through cricket, too - it's a great discussion topic at the moment.

It's amazing how having something in common can immediately break the ice, and it's also amazing how people who love the game of cricket immediately seem to have an affinity with each other. The cricket community is certainly far more close-knit than the football or rugby communities - and we're all the better for it.
 

cricket player

International Debutant
Man here are friend that cricket has made me

Ranvir
Vicky
Jaggi
Arvind
Nidarshan
shon
rommie
amit
prashant
badri
anuj
sandeep
ganesh
gana
kevin
darren
happy
rana
etc
etc
etc
etc
etc

I have so many friend that I found playing cricket you wont believe it.
 

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