Let's do lunch

An American view of the Cricket World Cup

by Mark McKay, SI.com

I remember it well, some six-and-a-half years ago, when my boss here at CNN first told me that I was being assigned to work on our international sports show World Sport.

The very first words out of my mouth were... "you have to be kidding. Cricket, rugby, and soccer?!?!"

His response, in that management-savvy kind of way, was "embrace this as a challenge." The rest is history.

For a young man who grew up in New England, living and dying with the fortunes, or should I say, the misfortunes of the Boston Red Sox year in and year out and then moving to North Carolina where college basketball rules, the prospect of broadcasting cricket highlights was daunting... to say the least.

I mean I didn't know a "wicket" from a "boundary" but had to learn mighty fast.

I will admit that I'm still a bit cautious when approaching cricket in our show... it takes some getting used to uttering names like "Muralitharan", "Jayasuriya", and "Trescothick". But thanks to our crack staff, who do yeomen's work with the production of World Sport, the pain is eased only after asking a few questions.

Now the sport brings on a six-week long World Cup tournament. I guess I picked the wrong time to quit drinking at work! (Boss... I'm kidding of course.)

Seriously though, cricket is a sport where more than a few pints can keep one interested in the proceedings. For the uninitiated, patience is a virtue as matches can span five, full days with play running eight to 10 hours per day.

If Americans have a problem with soccer, where it's common to have a two-hour match end in a goalless draw, imagine the frustration of playing a five-day test match that ends in draw. Talk about unfulfilled expectations.

But, let the record show that there's plenty of interest in this tournament around the world... if not in the United States. It's believed that an estimated audience of 1.5 billion people took in the opening ceremony alone.

After months of political wrangling, the games are finally under way and that's really all that matters to the players and the fans.

World Sport, of course will be here every step of the way chronicling the path to the March 23 final in Johannesburg.

If you live in a non-cricket nation... pay it some attention. You might just learn something... like I have.

Plus, it's hard to completely hate a sport that allows its participants to break for lunch and for tea.

Mark McKay co-hosts World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN International.

 

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