International Cricket; Norway vs Vanuatu LIVE…….from Essex??
Posted: September 16, 2015
Updated: October 6, 2017
It is all too easy to forget that behind the glittering stages of the top flight in sport there are hoards of rather unsung competitors and teams striving to gain recognition, to break into the big time, to be all their nations hope them to be. None more so than in the world of International Cricket where lesser known teams fight it out in the lower World Cricket League divisions, even if they have to do so in some locations that lack the glamor of Lords, The Gabba or Eden Gardens.
Mention International Cricket and there are two major reactions. The first is a lazy smile and a sort of hazy unfocusing of the eyes as images of an English village green on a sunny afternoon are accompanied by the sound of leather on willow and the good-natured shouts of the players intermixed with the clinking of ice-cold glasses of Pimms. The second is a wrinkling of the forehead and a quite glazed expression indicating that whatever happens next they don't want the game explained to them. <blockquote Norway v Vanuatu
• League Division Six
• Tournament in Essex
• Saudi Arabia missing
There are many comic descriptions of Cricket, you know, the whole “those that are out try to get those that are in out so they can be in and try not to get out” sort of caper, but most of these just disguise the fact that under the pomp-and-circumstances of the white clothing and long-windedness there's a highly nuanced game that is far and away more interesting that any of the other bat & ball games yet invented. International Cricket simply has no equal.
Being English I was made to play at school. Thankfully, being completely inept, this stuck me in a group with the other duffers, and on sunny summer afternoons I would gamely take up a fielding position just beyond the maximum distance any of my unskilled chums could hit a cricket ball (a rock covered in leather that makes a baseball feel as soft as a tennis ball) and while away the time looking vaguely disappointed I wasn't more involved in the game.
However the English are not the only ones to play Cricket, and indeed many nations have outstripped the country of the game's origin with their own skills. Many of them are former colonies of Great Britain, of course, but there are lots of countries that play International Cricket who aren't, and whilst they might not reach the upper echelons of the game, doesn't mean they don't try, and if you're Norwegian gambling laws of common sense means this won't apply to you, think again.
There's a tendency to think that beyond England, Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies, no one else has a chance in any major tournament, these nations having dominated so long that their position seems unassailable. However behind these well publicized big name sides International Cricket has an entire league system for the rest of the world to battle it out, trying to win a coveted place at the next World Cup.
Obviously the World Cup does not follow the five-day-a-game format of test Cricket, faster games of limited overs (go and look up what an “over” is you lazy so-&-so, you've got the internet, that's what it's for) are played over the course of a single day in front of packed stands of hugely enthusiastic supporters. A much more frenetic game ensues under these compressed conditions and down the International Cricket leagues teams play against each other regularly.
That Norway is amongst these nations might surprise some, perhaps mostly those that imagine Norway to be entirely covered in snowy mountains, rally drivers and fjords, however the central tenets of Cricket, that subtle yet significant emphasis on skill that eclipses all considerations of luck per se, is as attractive to keen sportsmen and women in Norway as it is everywhere else. Football is by far and away a more popular game, but only because it's easier.
Admittedly Norway do somewhat languish in the league, being down in World Cricket League’s Division Six (which is the International Cricket equivalent of the group I was in at school) alongside such notable cricketing nations such as Fiji, Guernsey, Suriname, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, The Cayman Islands and Vanuatu. Perhaps this explains why those who like to bet on sports in Norway tend to eschew wagering on the game at ComeOn! Sportsbook or Bet365, and why it's held in Essex. </blockquote
Explaining the reputation of Essex to foreigners makes a comprehensive account of the rules involved in a game of International Cricket seem positively simple. Lest it be said its population is not known for its intellectual stature, conservative behavior or fashion sense. However some of the quieter quarters of this English county did play host to a Division Six tournament which saw those lesser cricketing nations battle it out for points and rankings.
Well. Most of them. Unfortunately for reasons that are not all that clear Saudi Arabia simply failed to turn up, leaving a seven-team International Cricket tournament to get underway in places with names that conjure up pictures of a by-gone Britain. What else could somewhere called Frinton-On-Sea look like expect like the images now playing through your head? However the relaxed atmosphere, backwater location and slight stature of the teams involved doesn't mean there wasn't controversy.
When Vanuatu squared off against Norway on Tuesday both teams shivered a bit in the breeze off the sea, and surprisingly it wasn't the more chill-hardened Norwegians that benefited as the south Pacific islanders won by a clear four wickets. It was however the bowling action of both Norway's off-spinner Zeeshan Siddiqui, and Vanuatu's Niko Unavalu that came under closer scrutiny with concerns about the legality of their play. The International Cricket Council will investigate the match reports.
It remains to be seen what the ICC will say about either or both players but as Norway continues to fall in love with International Cricket, “It's been the fastest growing sport in Norway for the last four or five years.” Norwegian Cricket general secretary Espen Andre Johansen told us, I'm gambling news of those investigations will soon spawn as strongly held and argued opinions in Oslo as internet laws in China produce on Weibo or cricket does at Lords, the Gabba and the Greater Noida Cricket Stadium.
Mention International Cricket and there are two major reactions. The first is a lazy smile and a sort of hazy unfocusing of the eyes as images of an English village green on a sunny afternoon are accompanied by the sound of leather on willow and the good-natured shouts of the players intermixed with the clinking of ice-cold glasses of Pimms. The second is a wrinkling of the forehead and a quite glazed expression indicating that whatever happens next they don't want the game explained to them. <blockquote Norway v Vanuatu
• League Division Six
• Tournament in Essex
• Saudi Arabia missing
There are many comic descriptions of Cricket, you know, the whole “those that are out try to get those that are in out so they can be in and try not to get out” sort of caper, but most of these just disguise the fact that under the pomp-and-circumstances of the white clothing and long-windedness there's a highly nuanced game that is far and away more interesting that any of the other bat & ball games yet invented. International Cricket simply has no equal.
If you’re not from the Commonwealth, chances are you have no idea what these kids are doing
Being English I was made to play at school. Thankfully, being completely inept, this stuck me in a group with the other duffers, and on sunny summer afternoons I would gamely take up a fielding position just beyond the maximum distance any of my unskilled chums could hit a cricket ball (a rock covered in leather that makes a baseball feel as soft as a tennis ball) and while away the time looking vaguely disappointed I wasn't more involved in the game.
However the English are not the only ones to play Cricket, and indeed many nations have outstripped the country of the game's origin with their own skills. Many of them are former colonies of Great Britain, of course, but there are lots of countries that play International Cricket who aren't, and whilst they might not reach the upper echelons of the game, doesn't mean they don't try, and if you're Norwegian gambling laws of common sense means this won't apply to you, think again.
International Cricket's Unsung Heroes
The famous Frinton Cricket Club hosted this prestigious international tournament..
There's a tendency to think that beyond England, Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies, no one else has a chance in any major tournament, these nations having dominated so long that their position seems unassailable. However behind these well publicized big name sides International Cricket has an entire league system for the rest of the world to battle it out, trying to win a coveted place at the next World Cup.
Obviously the World Cup does not follow the five-day-a-game format of test Cricket, faster games of limited overs (go and look up what an “over” is you lazy so-&-so, you've got the internet, that's what it's for) are played over the course of a single day in front of packed stands of hugely enthusiastic supporters. A much more frenetic game ensues under these compressed conditions and down the International Cricket leagues teams play against each other regularly.
Admittedly it’s not native Norwegians who suddenly took up cricket
That Norway is amongst these nations might surprise some, perhaps mostly those that imagine Norway to be entirely covered in snowy mountains, rally drivers and fjords, however the central tenets of Cricket, that subtle yet significant emphasis on skill that eclipses all considerations of luck per se, is as attractive to keen sportsmen and women in Norway as it is everywhere else. Football is by far and away a more popular game, but only because it's easier.
Admittedly Norway do somewhat languish in the league, being down in World Cricket League’s Division Six (which is the International Cricket equivalent of the group I was in at school) alongside such notable cricketing nations such as Fiji, Guernsey, Suriname, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, The Cayman Islands and Vanuatu. Perhaps this explains why those who like to bet on sports in Norway tend to eschew wagering on the game at ComeOn! Sportsbook or Bet365, and why it's held in Essex. </blockquote
Who Knew Essex Was A Hub Of International Cricket?
Saudis found something more important than their world league matches
Explaining the reputation of Essex to foreigners makes a comprehensive account of the rules involved in a game of International Cricket seem positively simple. Lest it be said its population is not known for its intellectual stature, conservative behavior or fashion sense. However some of the quieter quarters of this English county did play host to a Division Six tournament which saw those lesser cricketing nations battle it out for points and rankings.
Well. Most of them. Unfortunately for reasons that are not all that clear Saudi Arabia simply failed to turn up, leaving a seven-team International Cricket tournament to get underway in places with names that conjure up pictures of a by-gone Britain. What else could somewhere called Frinton-On-Sea look like expect like the images now playing through your head? However the relaxed atmosphere, backwater location and slight stature of the teams involved doesn't mean there wasn't controversy.
When Vanuatu squared off against Norway on Tuesday both teams shivered a bit in the breeze off the sea, and surprisingly it wasn't the more chill-hardened Norwegians that benefited as the south Pacific islanders won by a clear four wickets. It was however the bowling action of both Norway's off-spinner Zeeshan Siddiqui, and Vanuatu's Niko Unavalu that came under closer scrutiny with concerns about the legality of their play. The International Cricket Council will investigate the match reports.
In such an important game both sides were accused of cheating
It remains to be seen what the ICC will say about either or both players but as Norway continues to fall in love with International Cricket, “It's been the fastest growing sport in Norway for the last four or five years.” Norwegian Cricket general secretary Espen Andre Johansen told us, I'm gambling news of those investigations will soon spawn as strongly held and argued opinions in Oslo as internet laws in China produce on Weibo or cricket does at Lords, the Gabba and the Greater Noida Cricket Stadium.
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