Live Cricket

Watching live cricket is the best way to inspire junior cricketers. If they're not playing themselves, then watching professionals play at a high standard in front of a big crowd is an experience that they won’t forget. My visit to an England v West Indies test match 35 years ago was an inspiration that has stayed with me ever since.

If you can't be at the big match, then live coverage in the media is the next best option, though of course you won't experience the live match atmosphere.

Televised live cricket coverage is available via satellite, while terrestrial TV is often limited to the highlights. However, one compensation for your not being at the match is that you can share the range of video analysis tools used by the TV commentators.

You can also keep in touch with the latest cricket score by a number of hi-tech means, including your mobile or PDA, RSS feeds and auto-refresh desktop scorecards powered by Flash graphics. Whatever your location, the technology is there to keep you involved in the action.

Want to watch live cricket online? This is in its infancy, and is usually on a pay per match basis. However, as demand rises and the cost falls, online coverage will rival satellite one day.

For the cricket purist, a five day test match is still the classic form of the game. The duration allows time for both teams to hold the advantage at different stages of the game, and the winner usually displays the best skills, tactics and endurance. This is a ruthless war, where every weakness of the opposition is exploited to gain the advantage. Of course, even these five days of battle don’t guarantee a winner – to the puzzlement of many observers from outside the sport.

Most test match spectators won’t stay for a whole test match, and get their pleasure from watching individual performances with bat and ball and in the field. If you haven’t been to a cricket match for a while, it’s worth a visit just to marvel at the athleticism and skill of modern day fielders. However, recent test matches have often generated great excitement, and it’s enough to be able to say “I was there” for any part of the match.

This is a welcome contrast to the “timeless tests” of the 1930’s, which were allowed to continue until there was a positive result. Fortunately, this format was abandoned because it was impossible to predict when a match would finish – a nightmare for tour organizers and commercial partners. The last timeless test was held between England and South Africa in 1939, and was declared a draw after 9 days play, when the England team had to catch the boat home!

In modern live cricket, entertainment is the keyword. The one day match and Twenty20 format have been a massive success in attracting fanatical crowds. The introduction of both these formats was initially resisted by the cricket purists, but the vast majority of observers now accept that that they are both exciting forms of the game that simply demand different cricketing skills.

The one day international took its cue from league cricket, where one innings of 50 overs per side had guaranteed a positive result for all matches for many years. And this was all within around 6 hours of playing time – a big attraction for the player and paying spectator alike. The ODI has spread around the world rapidly since the 1960’s, and has revitalized modern live cricket.

The Twenty20 format was introduced four years ago, so that a 20 overs per side match could easily be completed in a summer evening. This requires total attacking play from both sides, with little time to recover from tactical disasters.

Twenty20 was originally resisted by the purists, but has still become a massive global success with cricket fans. The attractions of "disco" cricket have merged cricket and show business, bringing huge financial benefits to the game.

The Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa was a huge success, and now all eyes are on the Indian Premier League. But, will "disco cricket" last the course? If Tendulkar's stumps are shattered by Brett Lee and the Mumbai crowd goes wild with delight, then the cricket world will truly have changed.

Big match entertainment isn't limited to the cricket itself. Giant screens give instant action replays of the action on the field. Modern electronic scoreboards keep you up to date with all the match statistics. The speed of each ball is often displayed on screen, using radar technology. And, the lunch break often features kwik cricket tournaments or live music. Its all about entertainment and crowd involvement – if you even want to wear fancy dress to the big match, you won’t be alone!

Going to a live cricket match does take some organisation, particularly international matches where tickets are often in great demand and are made available several months before the event. However, walk-up tickets are usually available for one-day games at county/state level, unless these are semi-finals or cup finals.

Either way, the best approach is to check fixture lists well in advance, and buy your cricket tickets in good time. Thankfully, online fixture listings are available for most international and county/state matches.

If you’re new to live cricket, you may want to try the Twenty20 experience first, and work up to a Test Match via one day matches at county/state level. If you’re an old hand, you already know these formats, but there’s always a new or inventive angle to the game to increase your enjoyment. Have you got your head around the tactics of the ODI “power play” yet? Modern cricket never stands still!

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