FIELD THIS
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 3:30 pm
FIELD THIS
© Jeffrey Thorpe December 2024
How, on flat ground, can anyone stand in a gully?
Have you ever seen someone with a square leg?
What about sighting a short third man,
no, this is not a dream, I differ to beg.
Cricket season’s in full swing, these terms are well known
silly mid on not as ridiculous as it sounds,
cover and deep cover are normal terminology
along with mid-off and mid-on, not at all “out of bounds”.
Fronting a doosra, is this a summer cyclone
and a yorker an accompanying wind?
Those who bat are well-aware of this pair
and in their path are easily chargrined.
Slips are well known, who hasn’t fallen foul through life
yet, three are the usual in this intriguing game,
a full toss part of bowling’s repertoire
while a bouncer can intimidate and maim.
The uninitiated are clearly baffled by this game
which can last for five days without result,
though to millions world wide it fits the bill,
in the subcontinent especially, it’s almost a cult.
So, when you hear of short fine leg or deep cover point
don’t dismiss these idioms as Swahili,
you could, in time, connect the names Bradman and Tendulkur
and understand cricket’s rules, or probably not really.
© Jeffrey Thorpe December 2024
How, on flat ground, can anyone stand in a gully?
Have you ever seen someone with a square leg?
What about sighting a short third man,
no, this is not a dream, I differ to beg.
Cricket season’s in full swing, these terms are well known
silly mid on not as ridiculous as it sounds,
cover and deep cover are normal terminology
along with mid-off and mid-on, not at all “out of bounds”.
Fronting a doosra, is this a summer cyclone
and a yorker an accompanying wind?
Those who bat are well-aware of this pair
and in their path are easily chargrined.
Slips are well known, who hasn’t fallen foul through life
yet, three are the usual in this intriguing game,
a full toss part of bowling’s repertoire
while a bouncer can intimidate and maim.
The uninitiated are clearly baffled by this game
which can last for five days without result,
though to millions world wide it fits the bill,
in the subcontinent especially, it’s almost a cult.
So, when you hear of short fine leg or deep cover point
don’t dismiss these idioms as Swahili,
you could, in time, connect the names Bradman and Tendulkur
and understand cricket’s rules, or probably not really.