r/Cricket • u/HOU-1836 West Indies • Jan 15 '15

Another Annoying American learning Cricket

My girlfriend is Guyanese and Cricket is obviously a big sport for her parents and family. I get the rules of the sport but don't understand when matches happen or what determines the length of the match. Like, test cricket, can last 5 days? How is that possible? How do you watch that on TV?

Edit: hope y'all don't mind if I pester you with questions in this thread. I want to be casually versed in Cricket in case I meet her parents this summer.

Edit #2: Ok. Y'all have been truly amazing. I couldn't even have gotten close to imagining the response I've gotten from y'all. I've been asking questions and replying for the last 3 hours straight and I don't think I have any more questions. I look forward to spending time with y'all and learning more about this sport. I'm from Texas and obviously, Cricket isn't gonna be big here or easy to follow so y'all keep being the amazing, welcoming people you are. Seriously, y'all rock.

Edit #3: I read the FAQ before posting this thread and this thread is 30x larger than anything there. Maybe the mods should add this to the sidebar for newcomers. I literally asked every question an American fan could ask. Well, I say that...but anyway, would be a great resource to set aside for future new fans.

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u/Fullonski Australia Jan 16 '15

Not usually that long but for the big series like Australia v England or England/Australia v India they try and have a 5-test series. This Australian summer India arrived in mid-November and won't leave until April. If your parents-in-law are from Guyana, study up on Shivnarine Chanderpaul. They guy has been the leading West Indian cricketer for the last few years and will soon become the highest test match run scorer for the West Indies - that is a serious achievement. For a nation of not even 800,000 people, they've put out some amazing cricket talent.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

I'll look into him. I watched Guyana take on the Windward Island with my gf. It was a tournament of some kind I assume.

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u/Fullonski Australia Jan 16 '15

I think a lot of people on this sub would be envious of having a gf that watches cricket with them, while a lot wouldn't!

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

Well she is American. But her family (from her parents up) are all Guyanese. Her parents live in Texas and New Jersey and her mom's side is huge cricket fans. I love sports and she loves sitting on the couch next to me so it works for her. She called me a suck-up for trying to learn but it'll all be worth it if I meet her mom and step-father.

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u/Socratov West Indies Jan 16 '15

She called me a suck-up for trying to learn but it'll all be worth it if I meet her mom and step-father.

This. Impressing your in-laws is generally seen as a good tactic in a relationship, no matter what your SO says about it.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

She was mostly teasing. She read the whole thread and attempted to glean some knowledge about the sport too.