Cricket Anecdotes

Cricket, being a slow-paced sport, offers plenty of time for commentators to recount anecdotes that they themselves were part of or they happened to witness. I usually love these little stories. Ian Chappell is particularly adept at that. His set-up and punch line delivery are always effective and they usually leave a lasting impression. Here are a few that I can recall…

In an English County game in Glamorgan, a military medium bowler trundled in and beat Sir Viv Richards’ bat on more than two occasions consecutively. Frustrated, the bowler decided to have a pow-wow with Viv. He walked down the pitch, and went “Its red, its round, it weighs about 6 ounces and oh!.. by the way, you are supposed to get some wood on it”. Viv did not reply and probably just chewed his worn-out gum with a swagger as only he can. After promptly dispatching the next ball into the adjoining county river, Viv said to the bowler, “Mate! You know how it looks, go and fetch it!”

WG Grace, the popular 18^th century cricket icon, came in to bat in a big game. A Sunday crowd had gathered just to catch a glimpse of WG. As they waited with bated breath for the first ball to be smashed to a corner of the park, a shock awaited them. WG had his stumps uprooted the first ball he faced from a no-name bowler. Before anyone had time to react, WG promptly picked up the uprooted sticks and set them back in order, as if he were the umpire. The bowler’s bewildered look was answered with “All these people came here to watch me score a century and I am not going to disappoint them”. Now, I don’t know what transpired after this point, but given WG’s lore, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had held his end of the deal with the spectators.

If you believe that cricket is a gentleman’s game, this collection will make you think again! Some of these “gentlemen” will put a sailor to shame!