Good morning, Uni Watchers! And a Happy Tuesday to one and all.
UW pal/contributor/author Leo Strawn, Jr. joins us again today, with yet another unique take on one of the lesser-known, but rapidly gaining popularity and exposure, sports to use a bat and ball: cricket. Pal and Weekend Editor Jimmer Vilk covers this occasionally but since cricket uniforms are quite, ahem, colorful, I’m always happy that UW covers them. And there are a couple non-cricket items covered as only Leo can.
Enjoy!
And now, here’s Leo with…
Some Cricket & Some Miscellaneous
by Leo Strawn, Jr.
I’m Leo…welcome to my world!
Men’s T20 season down under begins the middle of this month and as a Big Bash League fan, I thought I’d share some cricket pics with you all.
But first, I’ll start with some miscellaneous photos that don’t warrant their own article, but are interesting, nonetheless.
Leftovers from baseball that I forgot in the GBO 2024 articles: Everyone is probably familiar with this, but I have to give kudos to the artistic genius who designed the mission bell caps for the Padres.
I also wanted to share this photo of the 1979 MLB All Stars on their tour of Japan. So many pillbox caps! The Expos pillbox has a blue bill and appears to have a blue top.
One rugby item: Here’s a 1905 New Zealand All Blacks jersey. In the team photo, the fern even appears on the manager’s (?) straw hat!
I have one more miscellaneous pic before we get onto cricket. This is a beautiful lacrosse jersey from the 1951 New Westminster Commando.
A reader mentioned in the comments of a UW cricket article some time ago that he was interested in watching cricket but didn’t understand much of it. My suggestion is T20 (Twenty20) matches. They last about as long as a baseball game. ODI (One Day International) matches are longer; 50 overs long, each consisting of 6 bowls, or what we would call pitches, per over, for each side, as opposed to 20 overs in T20 (thus, the name). For several years there has been a T10 (Ten10) league in Abu Dhabi, so a game will last roughly half the time of a T20 match and is very exciting to watch.
Test matches, on the other hand, take days and series between nations involve more than one test. Each longer format brings a slower pace of play because you don’t want your side bowled out (10 wickets), i.e., you want your strikers (batters) to play safer in an ODI than a T20 or T10 so you hopefully can take advantage of scoring for the full 50 overs. The longer the format, the more the strikers are looking for “singles” and protecting the wicket rather than playing riskier and “swinging for the fences” all the time. (The cricket equivalent to that is trying to hit the ball beyond the boundary ropes.) Because it’s rare for the team on strike (the batting side) to be bowled out in T10 due to its short format, it is basically the cricket version of a home run derby.
Below is a diagram that has the basic positions that can be played on the bowling side. Unlike our sports, players don’t have a specific position name, it depends upon where they are playing. If interested, you can watch BBL and all major cricket from across the world on WillowTV.
Most of us know about “cricket whites” worn in test matches, so we’ll skip those (traditional but boooooooring) and dive into some colored kits. This is the cricket team that represents the island nation of Jersey. I think they should wear caps that say “CAPS” for the lulz.
Here are pics of the Lahore Qalandars of the Pakistan Super League, one of the top three T20 leagues, along with the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League. The Qalandars had some bright, creative kits in 2022 when they won their first PSL title with two of my favorite bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Rashid Kahn.
Unlike players in American sports, cricketers sometimes wear triple digit numbers on their jerseys. An odd example is Tim David, who wears 666 in Abu Dhabi T10 playing for the Delhi Bulls. The metalhead in me wants to think that it’s an Iron Maiden tribute, but it’s more likely that he’s referring to hitting 3 sixes (balls hit over the boundary on the fly for 6 runs). To be fair to Tim, he is a beast when he’s on strike (batting), but I doubt that he’s the beast from Revelation 13…at least I don’t think he is.
Cricket can be a source of some great action photos, like this shot of Aussie Nathan Coulter-Nile grounding his bat Superman-style to avoid a wicket (out). This is the Baggy Greens playing India Blues from an international T20 match in 2018.
Cameras in the wickets also make for some interesting shots, like this one in a match between the Adelaide Strikers (in blue) and the Melbourne Renegades of the BBL.
As you can see, the BBL kits are fairly standard and every club is basically one color (sometimes with two shades), black and occasionally some white…
…with the exception of some indigenous jersey designs, like the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers jerseys seen here…
…and the Perth Scorchers, whose jersey is comprised of two colors and black, sometimes with a bit of white.
They have been my favorites since I started watching about a decade ago, and apparently, I’m not the only Buckeye who likes them.
Until next time…
Cheers!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
GTGFTS: Rams 28, Eagles 28. After being behind 21-0 at halftime, Bob Waterfield scores all 28 points in the 2nd half (3 TD passes, 1 rush RD, and 4 PATs). The photo is his 4ths PAT to tie the game. Bob also had an INT on defense. Quite the day for Bob.
Oh, Oct 3, 1948 at the Coliseum.
Big Bash League follower here too and agree that T20 really has potential in North America to do well.
The header image for the article is not showing up on the main page.
Thanks. Now fixed
“…this photo of the 1979 MLB All Stars on their tour of Japan. So many pillbox caps!”
I’m glad those didn’t stick around for very long-save the Pirates.
Something I wonder about from time to time is why the pillboxes worked and looked so great on the Bucs (who of course kept them around for a decade after’76) but not so much on other teams…even those with more ‘traditional’ uniforms such as the Dodgers, Tigers, and Cardinals.
The bumblebee Pirates’ uniforms were intended to be busy and garish, and the stripey pillbox hats just added to the fun. One wonders how a tequila sunrise hat would have looked for Houston, but for the Astros the guiding principle was “futuristic baseball” whereas Pittsburgh’s motif was strictly antique.
I think the White Sox could have paired those caps with their 70’s take on olde-timey uniforms with positive results.
I always wished the A’s had done one in white to echo their 1910s look.
I love cricket. I find it very relaxing to watch. I actually only really watch Test and First Class (the 4 day long club version of Test). Support England internationally, and Surrey in the County Championship.
I know, I know, supporting Surrey is like supporting Manchester City or Liverpool (which I do not), but I lived in London and only ever attended a Surrey match at The Oval per chance because that’s where I was given tickets (also closest ground to my flat). So there’s a reason beyond them being consistently good.
I do watch some T20 Blast (England’s T20 tournament), but I don’t really love T20. That said, you are right, it’s the only format with a snow ball’s chance in Hell of catching on here.
As for ODI/List A (50 over), I wouldn’t bother. It seems like the ICC is beginning to phase it out. Decent chance the 2027 50 over World Cup will be the last. They’ve already committed to scrapping 50 over matches outside of World Cup years after 2027 but I wouldn’t be shocked if that decision is expanded upon to just scrap the whole format, at least for the men’s game.
At this point, the attendance for those matches is dreadful, and even most players consider the T20 World Cup to be more important. 50 over is rather redundant now, you need the 4-5 day (real) cricket as it’s the hight of prestige and tradition, and T20 cricket for those who work long hours, and the kids. 50 over really is pointless at this point. Curious as to your thoughts as a fellow rare American cricket fan, Phil?
Oh, another important thing that really confused me at first, especially as I was getting into it as T20 was taking off in the late 2000s, is the distinction between franchise leagues and clubs. Franchise leagues are newer, like Big Bash League, Indian Premier League for example. The teams were tailor made for the competition and are owned by private individuals, similar to North American sports.
Then you have the club or regional model that are either owned by club members or the national cricketing bodies. As far as I know, T20 Blast and the New Zealand Super Smash are the only top flight club/region based T20 leagues. But all the club/regional leagues play First Class, the 4-day traditional version at the domestic level. The club and regional teams date back often to the mid-19th Century, Surrey County Cricket Club dates back to 1845. The County Championship, the English First Class domestic league dates back formally to 1890, but back to the 1850s in a more informal capacity.
The County Championship consists of 18 county teams split into 2 divisions of 10 & 8. Both divisions play 14 matches throughout the summer roughly aligned with the Major League Baseball season. At the end of the season in late September, the team at the top of the First Division table is the County Champion, while the 2 teams at the bottom of the First Division are relegated, and the 2 teams at the top of the Second Division table are promoted.
I have a soft spot for ODI, since that’s where my interest in cricket started. That said, it really is kind of a “worst of both worlds” that sacrifices the grace and precision of Test but is still a full day long, making it impractical to watch as opposed to T20.
FWIW, T10 is a gimmick that is too far in the other direction. Might as well call it “Boundary Derby”.
Oh in my ideal world we’d go back to the latter half of the 20th Century and only have 50 over and Test. But, I’d make 50 over, 40 over. Like the only Sunday League in England. That would be peak for me.
But I’m also realistic, I don’t love T20 but I understand it’s necessity so if T20 wins out and makes gobs of money, some of which is then funneled to pay for Tests and First Class cricket in the nations that struggle financially outside of the Big 3, then fair play.
I’m just no longer going to invest my time in a format I think is on it’s way out. I think 2 formats is enough, the traditional format and one short format. As for T10 and Hundred Ball, I’ve never watched a single ball bowled of either and never plan too.
I’ll continue to watch every England Test, some other tests when time zones allow, every Surrey match of the County Championship, the Blast when Surrey is decent and the T20 World Cup until England are out. That’s all the cricket I need.
Cricket is very relaxing to listen to as well, especially on the BBC app. No commercials, just the commentators. In between innings or during a weather break they’ll just go off the air until play resumes.
Fellow Surrey fan here. They had me with the duck egg blue jerseys and brown helmets, and they kept me with their commentator Mark Church. I also love listening to Somerset’s Anthony Gibson.
Listening to the four-day cricket is great when you’re out for a walk or fixing dinner.
And I like all the formats equally.
Manfred should consider something similar for baseball. Start a 5-inning competition with all the crazy Manfred rules and the City Connect outfits, while keeping a traditional 9-inning season with gray (or powder) vs. white unis and traditional rules. Play maybe 120-140 games of that, and sprinkle in 20-40 games of the mini-Manfred league.
Hmmm…could a Frankenstein like baseball/cricket hybrid actually work?
One inning for each team.
Start the inning with the bases loaded.
25 player long batting order-pitchers hit again.
Pitchers can only throw to 4 hitters total, but it does not need to be 4 hitters consecutively.
Players making outs on the bases are replaced.
Inning ends when there is an open base or 100 strikes are thrown.
Just spitballing here…
This has the makings of a UW think piece article…
Cardinals 24, Giants 17, November 13, 1988. The only game Jim Burt played in Phoenix with the G-Men.
Cardinals 24, Giants 17, November 11, 1988. (The only game Jim Burt played in Phoenix with the G-Men)
GTGFTU: Cardinals 24, Giants 17, November 13, 1988.
(The only game Jim Burt played in Phoenix with the G-Men.)
The mission bell motif is but one of the many surprising elements the Padres have used for their under-appreciated uniforms. In the late ’70s, the distinctive hat was combined with raglan sleeves to create a unified two-toned treatment. Their 1976 road uniforms are one of my all-time favorites.
Can’t find the Expos hat in the photo.
To the right of Dave Parker, behind the Detroit Tiger.
Here’s a higher res image
link
Look for the Tigers jacket on the left side of the photo. The Expos player is standing right behind.
Kind of hard to see at this resolution on my pc; you might have to download and enlarge. I have a larger res image and it’s pretty easy to see on it.
Cheers!
Why was Aurelio Lopez on that barnstorming tour? He looks to be the only AL player. And he was wearing a Tigers pillbox cap! I’ve never seen one of those.
How is that I’ve never noticed the mission bell motif on those Padres caps?! I assumed it was just a yellow front panel.
Nice Iron Maiden reference Leo! Very timely in fact.
Not sure how Rodriguez managed to sneak into that pic, but there were AL all stars on tour with the NL stars.
link
When I included that IM ref, I was wondering if I was the only Uni Watcher who had ever been in a mosh pit. Up the Irons!
Love cricket in all formats but I really dislike the garish cheap looking typically Anglo design sublimated print uniforms and ghastly team logos of today’s game. The design language is so….utterly ugly. So I prefer the traditional Test match whites and flat caps with embroidered heraldic crests or animals. I always root for the West Indies and for my country, The Netherlands, who never will play Test Matches so they walk around in garish, Anglo attire as well. Brrrrr…. But a vintage flat velvet cap (short brim) of any team but preferably the West Indies, Australia, Lancashire or Surrey is still high on my wish list.