There’s a football vs. cricket discussion over at Corridor of Uncertainty. Not surprisingly, since it’s a cricket blog, everyone is saying how wonderful cricket is and how much football could learn from it.
But I still think that for moments of sheer, jaw-dropping brilliance, football is streets ahead of cricket, just because it’s less structured. Even the most memorable moments in cricket – like Warne’s famous Gatting ball – are variations on a theme. Yes, it was an extraordinarily good leg-break, but it was still rather like all his other leg-breaks. The great moments in football – from Gordon Banks, Maradona, Cruyff, Archie Gemmill, Paul Gascoigne – give you the sense of someone doing something impossible and unthought of. It’s like watching a magic trick, except invented on the spur of the moment in front of 70 000 people and with the World Cup at stake.
18 replies on “Football vs. cricket”
Football, at its best, is unrivalled for drama, skill and passion – yet it seems to have gone downhill somewhat recently. For my money, the Premiership/Sky era has done the game some serious damage as well as some good. I’ve spoken to a lot of people over the last 12 months who are feeling disillusioned with football – but I’m sure that this general low feeling will disappear as the World Cup approaches.
I know what you mean. The relentless need to feed media space means the actual football gets lost in a constant white noise of transfer speculation and personality clashes and love-rat stories. Sport should be a simple pleasure, and some of the joy of it is lost. But as you say, the World Cup takes some beating.
I also think, though, that football gets a raw deal. It was reported after the Rugby World Cup that, on the way back from Australia, Mike Tindall tried to break the record for most cans of beer drunk on the flight – which is something like 27. But because he’s a rugby player (and, admittedly, because he’d just won the RWC) it was just a bit of a joke. Can you imagine the coverage if it had been Wayne Rooney?
cricket is the best sporteva no question
cricket and football both best sports ever most famouse sports is well but i like cricket then football
Football popularity is unrivaled. When someone says the World Cup even in India it means the Football World Cup. For all other sports it has to say Cricket World Cup or Basketball World Cup, etc. Even in India there is around 100000 people for inter club rivalry. Ok its only in Calcutta, but its there. FIFA has over 210 members. You need to qualify for the World Cup & for that matter all the Continental Championships , except probably Copa America.
Competition is intense at all levels. The Club structure is the best of all sports. The players are well known everywhere in the world. They have fanatical fan following. No other sport will have a Club Team visit another country than its origin and still have a house full and people lining up for a view of the players. Because of these club culture in football we see amazing teams of great players playing together. Well some American sports does have this but their popularity outside the USA & probably Canada is nothing to write home about. It will take a lot to displace football as the most viewed, followed & popular sport in the world.
Cricket has been an old sport, maybe with the newest format T20 they will have some air time to compete which is not Nation specific.
cricket is a boring game than football .. you can get giant killing in football.
Footbaal is much much better and popular than cricket beacause in cricket you have to wait for five days for a result and in the end it turns out to be a draw. Thats what I hate about cricket.
Cricket is a Gentleman’s sport, football is just push the ball here and there
Cricket – pants
Football – underwears
The gentle whiff of snobbery surrounding cricket is just another reason to prefer football :)
Cricket is far better than football reasons
1:-football have people like Rolando who dive unnecessary,argue with referees that really gives bad taste of sportsman spirit.in cricket Umpire’s decesion is respected
2:-Cricket involves a lot of brains,a test match is the place where your true character is tested.You have to think about game continuously.
3:-T20 format of cricket is fast and exciting,teams like nether land can beat England,Scotland can give fight to new zeland Bangladesh can make upsets.
4:-how can a player retire for playing a club even of not his own country????this tell you what commitment football players have.good players end up playing more matches for clubs rather than country.
Football really sucks compared to cricket.People crib over how boring is 5 day game but then u have T20 also.
Football just because marketed well is above cricket else Cricket is king.
Cricket is much better than football.
‘Uncertainty’ is the factor that makes cricket a great sports ever and this factor makes big difference between cricket and football.
Football is THE game…. cricket is for sissys… I cant belv there’s even a discussion on this….. Football mania is way much beyond cricket frenzy… Footballers out there …playing the game in rain , sleet , heat…. while cricketers run to the hair spa if rain hits them :-P
But jokes apart…. Ahh wot a game….Football..its to die for..
Picture this, you have 10 overs to go, need 150 runs and you have two batsmen remaining. Who will win? I dont think that i have to answer that….and that’s precisely cricket, predictable, game over before an hour of its end.
Now imagine, 1 minute left on the clock, you are two goals down, and suddenly you hit 3 goals straight in the space of that one minute!!!! Like they say in football, its never over till its over….Its called the game of life.
Further, Tendulkar comes in hits 200 of 50 balls, and yes its game over for the other team. Individual Brilliance…Period.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Plays like god for ManU or Real Madrid, because of the support he gets from other team members…what happens when he plays with Portugal…Zilch!Football is a TEAM game people.
Quit sermonizing on cricket….football has a fan base of billions against cricket’s millions…cricket is an expensive game..dependent on environmental conditions..if the pitch is not right you cant hit a ball than talk about playing. Its less strenuous physically and in short its a sissy game..
No doubt football is better…..u play a boring slow coaches game for 5 days and its a draw…FIVE DAYS….where a u can play for 90mins and it can be a draw….the time wasted it lessser…..ive seen qwite a lot of FAT cricketars…but name ONE fat over-weight footballer…..this is a stupid argument football is any day better…
we must strive togethar as a nation and encourage it,……my vote is for footbal……
For me CRICKET is the BEST . . .take abt football . In total 90 mins of play , ball is passed bt players for nearly 60-70 mins . only wen player gets ball near the post ter is excitement . . But in Cricket particularly T20 format each and every ball brings u excitement nevertheless which team u belong , becoz each ball bowled is meant for both teams in the play . . And moreover cricket requires more technical skills than football does . . Football is nothing but a shit infront of T20 CRICKET. . .
For me CRICKET is the BEST . . .take abt football . In total 90 mins of play , ball is passed bt players for nearly 60-70 mins . only wen player gets ball near the post ter is excitement . . But in Cricket particularly T20 format each and every ball brings u excitement nevertheless which team u belong , becoz each ball bowled is meant for both teams in the play. . And moreover cricket requires more technical skills than football does . . Football is nothing but a shit infront of T20 CRICKET. . .hey sowmya don’t u ever heard of T20 cricket . . U all fuckers have a point to blame cricket and thus by metioning only a test match . . Even test match has a high profile. . ASHES test series covers almost entire England , Australia and even some other countries during the play. . .so u guys don’t metion again cricket is a 5 day boring game. . U idiots will never understand the true spirit of CRICKET. . .
football is not just streets ahead,it miles ahead.no other sports has been telecast in 3D other than football.football is more tactical n strategical than cricket.never compare football with a lame game like cricket.if u say football is gentleman’s game then it is like a chess…………right!!!!!!!!!!
srry i was refein to cricket in de last somment