Green Level should have a cricket team.

What’s cricket? It originated as a British game, but with colonization, it spread throughout the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, many of the top cricket teams come from countries that were once British colonies. According to Worldatlas, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Ireland are the 12 main members who play cricket and lead the International Cricket Council (ICC). England might have invented cricket, but countries like India and Australia dominate the game.

Some think cricket is the same as baseball; however, this is not true. The game is almost like baseball but has some changes in the way it is played. Cricket is a game with a bat, a ball, and three stumps. Two teams of 11 players are put out in an open field where two batsmen, one bowler, two umpires, and one wicket-keeper are in the middle. The rest of the team is spread out in the open ready to catch a ball or stop it from reaching the end of the field. If the ball reaches the end of the field, 4 points are added to the score, and if it goes to the fans or out of the boundary, then 6 points are added. The two batsmen can also score points or runs, as they call it, by running between the pitch after hitting the ball that bowled by the bowler.

Fans get crazy when their team performs at their best, and the opposite reaction occurs when their team doesn’t perform well. But still, the emotion for the game never changes. Especially when a person’s favorite player comes into the stadium, everyone starts shouting the player’s name because of their passion for the game. 

While the game has many international fans, some, like Green Level student Zayden, think that “cricket is slightly outdated,” and therefore feel that with so many sports as options already, high schools shouldn’t add cricket to the mix. But we think cricket its world following means that cricket deserves a chance to be added to our school’s sports curriculum–especially at schools like Green Level that have such an international population.  

Cricket should be part of our sports program because Green Level has students coming from countries who lead the International Cricket Council. Spring is coming up after the winter season and it will be a perfect time to start playing cricket. It is always a good idea to learn and try out new sports.