Cricket
Cricket is everywhere this month.
It’s the Men’s World Cup and ALL the matches are taking place in England and Wales. You can catch up with the players and all the action if you live near Nottingham, Durham, London, Manchester, Leeds, Southampton, Birmingham, Taunton, Cardiff or Bristol. Lots of the games are mid week, and I know you will be at school, but cricket matches take a long time and all the coverage, if you don’t have Sky Sports in your house (like we don’t) you can watch through NOW TV with a Sky Sports day pass. The coverage will also be on Test Match Special on the radio. Channel 4 are running highlights programmes too.
Some of you will love cricket already. Some of you will think it’s boring with a lot of slow play and standing around but we hope to change your mind to at least give it a go.
What skills do you need to play cricket? Mainly hand/eye coordination. Can you throw and catch and hit a ball when you play at the park or at the beach? Can you run? Some cricketers are especially good at bowling and others are especially good at batting and others are great at fielding...running as fast as they can after the cricket balls and throwing it back to the stumps as quickly as possible.... they all come together to make a team.
We have been given permission by the ECB (the organisation that controls cricket in England and Wales for the men’s and women’s game) to show you these skills videos to help you if you are just starting or as a reminder now that the cricket season has started again.
Batting tips with Eoin Morgon England Captain
Anya Shrubsole England Cricketer
This month and next England are playing on:
3rd June v Pakistan (Trent Bridge, Nottingham)
8th June v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
14th June v West Indies at the (Hampshire Bowl, Southampton)
18th June v Afghanistan (Old Trafford, Manchester)
21st June v Sri Lanka ( Headingley, Leeds)
25th June v Australia ( Lords, London)
30th June v India (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
3rd July v New Zealand ( Chester-le-Street, Durham)
The Semi finals are 9th July 1st place v 4th place Old Trafford, Manchester and 11th July, 2nd place v 3rd place at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The final is on Sunday 14th July at Lords....who will be playing?!
It’s also the England Women’s One Day International Series against the West Indies
The England Women's Cricket Team won the World Cup in 2017.
Now you can watch them play this month across the country at:
6th June – Leicester
9th June – Worcester
13th June – Chelmsford
18th June - Northampton
21st June- Derby
25th June - Canterbury
They then play Australia in July, again at the same grounds as above.
The women’s matches are on Sky Sports as well and the highlights will be on the BBC Sport website.
The ECB have lots of schemes out there for your age group to get you playing and to teach you that cricket is good fun.
Aged 5 – 8? There is All Stars. If you go to www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars there is a club finder box. Simply put in your town or postcode and it will tell you the clubs closest to where you live. If you want to join the All Stars programme at your nearest club you are given a backpack with a bat, ball, activity book, personalised shirt and cap once you have registered.
If you are older than the All Stars age group go to www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/club-support/play-cricket and scroll down to the bottom of the page and put your postcode into the box next to ‘I want to play cricket near:’. This will then bring up either a map view or a list depending on what you want of where there’s cricket in your area.
Ask your teachers if they know about the Chance to Shine programme too. It’s a free cricket coaching/resources group for state schools. If they go to https://teachers.chancetoshine.org and register it will give them all the information they need.
We will be showing more skills videos in each edition. Next month, wicket keeping with Kent and England wicket keeper Sam Billings.
Cricket is a really fun, inclusive sport for boys and girls. Give it a go!
Interview
We were lucky enough to interview Chris Woakes ‘England All Rounder’. Here is what he had to say:
Congratulations on making the World Cup team. What are you most looking forward to about the competition?
Putting on an England shirt is a very personal and proud moment. That, coupled with playing a home World Cup, brings so much excitement. Hopefully we will be able to inspire the next generation to play cricket. If we do well, more people will want to follow the competition and it’s a real opportunity for the England team to do something great.
Out of the World Cup venues, which is your favourite ground to play at?
I am probably biased because it’s my home ground but I would say Edgbaston. It’s got a great atmosphere, the crowd’s always behind us and there’s a real party feel to matches. We also have a great record as an England team there.
How old were you when you first started playing cricket?
The first time I picked up a cricket bat I was 6 or 7. I have older brothers so I had watched and followed them playing and I instantly fell in love with the game.
Did you play for a club as well as school?
I mostly played at my local club which was Aston Manor Cricket Club and then Walmley when I was 13 or 14. I didn’t play much cricket at all at my school, I mainly played football.
Did you play other sports at school?
I played a lot of football. My favourite sports were football and cricket. I just loved sport, especially team sports, I have always enjoyed playing as part of a team. I also, however, used to play a lot of snooker with my dad and my friends.
When you were younger did you prefer bowling or batting?
I always preferred bowling, probably because I was better at it!
How about now?
It’s probably still bowling as it’s a really rewarding job on the cricket field but I’m an all rounder.
What’s your favourite country to play cricket in?
I’ve been very fortunate to travel the world playing cricket but England is where cricket started for me and when the sun’s shining, there’s nowhere better to play.
You’re over 6 ft, do you have to be tall to be a good cricketer?
Not at all. There are loads of shorter cricketers, for example former cricketer James Taylor who was a fantastic batsman. It probably naturally helps a bit as a bowler but certainly not necessary.
You’re described as a fast/medium bowler. How many different types of bowlers are there?
I would be described as a fast bowler and then there’s off spin and leg spin and all of those are right and left arm so 6.
Who is your favourite cricketer of all time?
Jacques Kallis. He is a former South African cricketer who was brilliant at everything; batting, bowling and fielding.
Top tip for boys and girls thinking about playing cricket.
I always loved cricket when I was younger because I was playing with my friends, outdoors, free and away from it all. So I would say always play cricket with a smile on your face with your friends.
Top tip for those already playing who want to continue.
Always look to improve and get better even if you sometimes fail along the way.
How many times does a ball get changed in a cricket match?
It depends on the match. In the longer 5 day matches it gets changed every 80 overs.
Do you have a pre-match routine?
Yes. I arrive at the ground, do a stretch and mobility session in the gym, go onto the pitch to warm up, do some bowling, go back to the changing rooms to change for the match then go back out on to the pitch.
There are some funny words used in cricketing like dilscoop, dolly and yorker...do you have a favourite?!
Yes it’s a ‘sticky dog’! It refers to the wicket when it’s damp.
Interview
We were delighted to interview opening batter Tammy Beaumont.
How old were you when you first started playing cricket?
I played my first proper game with a hard ball when I was eight years old but that wasn't the first time I'd tried! My dad and my brother both played and I used to love going to their cricket club and getting involved. We played lots of games in the back garden before that point, but eight years old was the first time when I gave it a proper go. I loved it!
Was it always a sport you were interested in or did you play other sports first?
I think because of my dad and my brother it was always the sport that I was most pulled towards, but I loved playing lots of sports, especially gymnastics and hockey. I think it's really great to try your hand at lots of different sports and give everything a go. Lots of different sports help you in lots of different ways and I'm sure there are skills that I've taken into cricket from other sports.
What's the difference between the Women's One Day International games and the Men's World Cup games?
No difference! The only difference might be that they are playing in the World Cup, against lots and lots of countries, but this summer we're only playing West Indies and Australia. But apart from that there are no real differences. Our next World Cup is in 2021. Last time we played a World Cup - in 2017 - we won! So hopefully the men will be able to follow on from us.
Which ground are you most looking forward to playing at?
I love all the grounds we play at but my absolute favourite has to be Canterbury, in Kent. I'm from Kent and that's where I grew up playing cricket so it always feels special to go back there. I was lucky enough to score a hundred there last summer and it felt amazing.
Do you have a pre match routine?
The most important thing for me on a match day is not being rushed. I want to stay relaxed and focused. I like to have a hit before the game to practise what I need to do in the game but apart from that I don’t do anything too superstitious.
Which other sports do you enjoy watching?
I like watching lots of sports but I'm what's known as a "cricket badger"! That means someone who really loves cricket and knows lots and lots about it, so I tend to watch a lot of it on TV.
Who is your favourite cricketer of all time?
Kumar Sangakkara is probably my favourite player. He’s just such an elegant batter, it’s lovely to watch him doing his thing.
Cricket has some funny words like dilscoop, dolly and yorker...do you have a favourite?
Cricket has so many good words! It’s like we have our own language. That can seem weird at first but you soon get used to all of the terms. My favourite is ‘googly’. A ‘googly’ is when you bowl the ball in such a way that it looks like it will spin one way but actually you’ve cleverly disguised how the ball is spinning so it turns the other way and confuses the batter. And obviously it’s a great word.
What's your top tip for boys and girls wanting to play cricket?
Enjoy it! Get stuck in, have a laugh, enjoy playing with your teammates and celebrate each other's success. It's all about having a fun time, it doesn't need to be too serious, but always try and think about what you need to do to get better.
