Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Curious Case of the Cricket Aficionados

There were days, when cricket aficionados died out of sheer frustration and heartbreak, when power-cut took away the final moments of a cricket match that promised to be a nail biting and tear jerking one.

Those were the days when the little master walked onto the cricket field like a god and turned sighs of the spectators into shouts of glee.

Oscar-winning performances by youngsters reigned supreme then, in many houses. The parents worried about the mysterious head/tummy/whatever ache their kids were afflicted with and the many missed days of school/college. The cricket world cup on television was indeed a happy coincidence that helped their kid to forget the pain.  


Cricket also taught many of them to hurl abuse randomly and indulge in betting. Gosh, they were turning into a bad lot. It was just a game, wasn't it?

The cricket aficionados recklessly missed even semester exams so as not to miss a moment of the cricket world cup. An Absent written in the marks column was considered definitely better than a single digit mark which would have surely graced the place if they had attended.

Cricket parties with popcorn, vadas, samosas and hot chips, where a small television provided all the entertainment, lured them more than glitter parties held in star hotels did.

Career dreams and later on marriage, turned many of these devotees into skeptics, when concerns about creating a living threw cricket into a discarded backseat. They soon forgot the magic of the game and criticized everyone who fell to the charm of these money vending machines called cricketers. They preferred to discuss about their scandals, their scams and the share-value of the various IPL teams. Yet unknown to everyone, they still reminisced fondly about old times when Cricket was life to them, while they passed the huge hoardings of their cricketing gods. They craved for the forbidden fruit.

Then came internet and the invention called the Smartphone. With the advent of the World Wide Web, the social media and the various sporting websites, the skeptics began slowly transforming back into aficionados. They brazenly cheated their bosses and higher ups with the help of these many online tools that helped them catch up with the game at any second, at any place.

To their happiness, they soon found starsports.com.
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Now, they could pause, rewind or replay their chosen game a hundred times. They could watch their favorite cricketer hit the best shot of his life to their heart’s content or curse the devil-cricketer who bowled their hero out. Washroom breaks became frequent when a crucial match was on and it was not gross anymore when shouts of glee or anger emanated from toilets. The sick leaves again started to re-appear on their previously impeccable company attendance sheet. Bets began again and they rejoiced with their buddies when their favorite team won.

They reclaimed the energy, the passion and the madness of their favorite game. They got a daily dose of awesomeness and began to transform back into the happy creatures they once were.


They proved to the world that once a Cricket Aficionado, always remained one.







Hail starsports.com.

P.S: Written by a never-say-die Cricket Aficionado.


This post is a part of Cricket just got better! Activity by starsports.com in association with BlogAdda.com.



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9 comments:

  1. An interesting comparison of the new and the old times, wrt to cricket! :) Well written, Preethi. :)

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  2. The older Cricket was really different. I hope the same spirit comes back with Starsports.com :) A very nice and thoughtful post.

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  3. That was a good comparative study.
    Well presented.

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  4. People surely are crazy about this game but I am just not one of those!

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  5. The game has lost its sheen after coming under the cloud of match fixing...

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  6. The comparison is pretty good..Preethi.. :-) all the best for the contest...

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  7. Very true! I think the original cricket fans I know will love this piece.. all the best :)

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