For some time the debate over which format is cricket’s best, has raged on without end and nobody can conclusively say which it is, but perhaps the purest format is one that is never played on the international stage.
Backyard cricket is a format of the game that almost every top player has engaged in, it awards no caps and keeps no records it does, however, leave a lasting impression.
Playing cricket in the backyard, street, gully or park with friends and siblings is where a love of the game is truly fostered.
It is true that in those moments in all of the different corners of the world where cricket takes root, that international superstars are often the inspiration. Whether it was trying to mimic the bowling action of Shane Warne or getting down on one knee to smash a slog sweep onto the neighbour’s roof like you were Hansie Cronje, the dreams came from the TV but the action was homemade.
Every yard was different but all backyard cricket shares the same spirit. It was always more fun if you played out little scenario’s as well. At the time we were pretending to be somewhere else not realising how one day we might long for those simple joys again. That may even be true of the men who went on to live their dreams and play on the grandest stage.
The professional game for all its excellence and the phenomenal spectacle can seem like it is being played out by joyless souls. They talk about the love of the game but not many seem to have it.
Backyard cricket is absolutely all about the moment, it doesn’t matter what happened before and what will happen later on, all that matters is the next ball. The hours fly by unwatched and unchecked by officials ordered to keep things running on time so the TV companies get all their ad money. Stumps were drawn at dinner time or when it got so dark that you couldn’t see the ball anymore. In the yard it didn’t matter if you were actually any good, it just mattered that you were there having fun. You had to enjoy every six you hit as well, because once you boshed the ball over the fence you were out, and dispatched to retrieve it, no matter how much you argued it was the bowler’s fault for sending down a juicy long-hop.
We should never give up the spirit of backyard cricket, take it out into our everyday lives, play and enjoy your innings because you never know when it is going to end. And as a parting shot, never turn down a game of cricket whether it is at Lord’s, in your backyard, or even the office but mind the windows.
Written by James Richardson for Hollywoodbets
