Reviews

Cricket For Dummies by Julian Knight

eely225's review

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3.0

3.5, rounded down for feeling a bit jumbled at points, though that might just be my unfamiliarity with the format.

Once the book gets going, it provides a useful intro on the rules of cricket. I still don't totally get it, but I can now put up a veneer of understanding, which is all you can ask for. I know nearly nothing about cricket going in to the book, but now I understand the basic structure. This is a hugely popular sport in countries not American, and I can start to see why.

It's a bit of a tall order for the author to put hundreds of years of cricket history (crickstory) into context, so the little bit I got is about as much as I could ask for.

I'll admit that I'm now intrigued to check it out, though it's hard to really be a fan in the US. I think I'd start with the Australian Big Bash league, since their season is during baseball's offseason. But who would I talk about Australian cricket with? And, more importantly, would I care about this because I'm a despicable hipster or because it's actually interesting? Can we ever know the difference.

Also the book was written in 2005. That's not the book's fault, but if you're looking for the most timely info on the "state of the game," it's not here.

I would recommend the book to anyone who would say they're a dummy regarding the rules of cricket but wants to be a not dummy regarding the rules of cricket.
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