I like cricket...
What a lovely sport it is, the game of cricket!
The willow on leather, the sound of the breaking wicket!
The fours, the sixes, the magnificent shots!
The dives and catches and fumbles and drops!
The grace and style of Sachin and Lara!
The bounce and pace from Mr. Makhaya!
The determination and heart from Dravid and Langer,
Warne’s big turn and Harmison’s clangers!
The unorthodox geniuses in Murali and KP!
The larger-than-life personalities of Pidg/Gayle and Freddie!
The clean and brutal strikers in Afrdi and Roy/Loye,
‘Tis the game that separates the men from the boys!
It has it all: blood, sweat and tears!
Injuries and drugs, scandals and beer!
Rich in history – Messer Bradman’s style and grace,
Gary Sober’s all-round brilliance, and Fiery Fred’s pace.
Bodyline, World Cups, Tied games and the Ashes,
Match fixing, fights and tragic plane crashes.
It is the sport that has everything a person would need,
Combining mental strength with brawn and speed.
Stars have been born, legends have died,
Players of mediocre skill tossed into the tide,
Yet the game doesn’t lose its charm/appeal,
For that glorious shot or that fielding haram/ appalling misfield,
Still captivates us fanatics day in and day out,
Leaving us with lingering doubts,
About “What Ifs” and “How’s” swimming in our mind,
If that blasted umpire just hadn’t been so kind.
If the fielder had just hit the wicket,
But then again, that’s all a part of cricket!
