Just Not Cricket?

 Dear Fellow South Africans 

Please help. 

Watching SABC TV is almost as absorbing as watching dung beetles on a slow day. I turned to the cricket test for some relief.

I know little about the game. After this morning's session, I feel as if I know even less. A presenter described the game as strenuous, demanding. 'Ha', I thought.  I saw batsmen relaxing at the wicket, strolling around and chatting. Then I learned that the game lasts five days. I've seen football matches run an extra half hour. Tennis matches that last a few hours. But five days! Is this not cruel and unusual punishment? Do the players do it willingly? Or are they pressured into it?

My suspicions were heightened when a commentator said that the South African target is lunch. Logic tells us that the target should be one run more than the Sri Lankan score. Good heavens, these chaps are starving. It's no wonder we struggle in the big competitions.

Another alarming comment was that Mickey Arthur, the Sri Lankan coach,  is worried by injuries. If the coach is getting injured, then there's more to this game than meets the eye. None of it good.

'He (a bowler) needs to ask questions of the South African batsmen', was another perplexing comment. So why doesn't he do it during those chat breaks? What questions? 'Would you rather I hit you on the head or on the ribs?' might be a logical one. I hope it's not general knowledge stuff like: 'Which comes first; South Africa or the ANC?' The game's slow enough as it is.

When the talk turned to leg spinning (surely physically impossible), chirping (is this a Sri Lankan thing?) and other stuff that hadn't the remotest connection to any sport I know, I turned off the sound.

Is this normal in cricket matches? Please let me know.

Yours in the struggle for understanding.

Richard