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Ill-fitting hats just one of the many similarities tween surf and cricket!

Vindicated: Surfing most like cricket!

The two sports almost mirror images of each other!

For years I have been telling anyone who will listen that the closest sport to professional surfing is test cricket. Both go on for days. Both have byzantine rules that confound outsiders. Professional surfers have two balls (most of them on the men’s side) and cricket uses two bails.

Etc.

I could go on all day but you get it and I’ve always wondered why no cricket stars are also surfers, since the bails n stuff would come so naturally.

Well, I’ve just found the missing link! M. Vijay from India! Let’s read about him in The Hindu!

The thrill of the wind, the sea, and the waves beckoned him. Trying his hand at a different sport, Murali Vijay enjoyed the freshness and freedom that surfing provided.

Surfing put him in the middle of nature where he could ride the waves and listen to the rhythm of the sea. Vijay found the experience “relaxing”.

The star Indian opener was at the Covelong surfing, music and yoga festival, around 20 km from Mahabalipuram on Saturday. And he was buzzing around.

Asked to draw a parallel between cricket and surfing, Vijay said, “It’s the rush of adrenaline. When you are playing high-pressure games, you cannot do exactly what you think, you just don’t have the time — much like countering and conquering a wave. You keep your mind blank, be more reactive than proactive.”

If there is one thing that I truly enjoy in this world its the way Indians use English. If there is another thing it is being right and I am so happy to be proven right re. professional surfing and cricket being twin sisters.

Should the surfers on the World Surf League form a cricket squad? Who would be the bowler? Who would be the wicket keeper?

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34 Comments
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Nick Carroll

Fuck Off! I pretty much started surfing in order to avoid Cricket.

Jim Brown

Gabriel Medina = Trevor Chappell

Reptilian

Medina would be 12th man that’s for sure

Tim Ternstrom

“The two sports are almost mirror images of each other.” Yeah, right.

Eddie Haiku

Except cricket has a pretty simple scoring system that most moderately intelligent people can follow. Surfing? Well, fuck, who knows!

Tim Ternstrom

More surfers play golf than cricket and golf is more like cricket than surfing. So, there’s that.

Lemon Next to the Pie

Julian for wk. (Those wombat arsed legs provide a natural advantage).

Jordy, Joel and Kolohe; fast bowlers. (Jordy and Joel obviously robust, while Kolohe looks like he’d have a deceptively whippy action)

Filipe, Mick; leg and off spinner respectively. (Mick as an all-rounder).

Jeremy Flores, Adriano; openers. (Hard nosed determined types).

JJF, Mason, Frederico; middle order. (JJ looks like Steve Smith, Frederico has the elegant style for a long innings and Mason is picked as much for his sledging ability as batting ability).

12th man; Nat Young. (Basically a waiter to bring the food and drink and generally make the team look better).

Kanoa for the stumps.

Eddie Haiku

Agree on most of this, however Kolohe lacks the heart to be a fast bowler. He’d melt on a searing WACA day. I’d back The Spartan as a medium pace, go all day type.

Lemon Next to the Pie

I keep getting Kolohe and Shane Beschen mixed up. The steely look in Shane’s eye when he beat Kelly says ‘I can and will beat you’. You’re right though, Michel would strike an element of fear not necessarily commensurate with his pace.

Otto

4 clean shots there literary gun slinger.

FelipesFrontFoot

Postie in the commentary box! And also 10 points for fluid use of the word commensurate

Dogsnuts

Haha fucking Twelfth Man Again. Winner.

Tim Ternstrom

Many surfers like golf. Golf is much like cricket also. So, there’s that!

Bleedin' Brzezinski

Hey you guys gonna do something on RVCA ripping off your cheeky surf shorts?

Otto

appropriate use of the term “use”.

janeausten

Yes, if I was English I’d feel used.

Strider's Gobble Neck

So, which gals have the nads on their end?

bazutny

cricket commentary is shit loads better than its surfing counterpart but other than that they are basically the same.

janeausten

Surfing commentary is a tougher gig though, as at least there’s a ball every 90 seconds or so in cricket, rather than another lot of utterly nothing happening.
In saying that, surfing has never even had a Harsha Bhogle, let alone a Richie Benaud.

Otto

As an American, I feel marginalized by this article.

Chas Smith

I’m an American too and understand your pain but take a swing by Paki when they playing India and you’ll get into the groove real quick.

Dogsnuts

I love that you love cricket x

James Bickerton

Could be worse you could have queen Elizabeth ll as your official head of state

Bleedin' Brzezinski

She’s got the build to shred.

Dogsnuts

Medina would claim a few wickets.

Lemon Next to the Pie

Would the Brazilians be like the Indians and do anything to win?

James Bickerton

Trevor Chappell . Under arm Australian . English bodyline to take down bradman .and this years ” that’s not cricket award ” to do anything to win goes to KANOA FOR NOT ONE BUT TWO SUCESSFUL INTERFERENCES AGAINST some guy who looks a little Indian ( kind of )

Dogsnuts

Nah. They’d just be kooks for twenty years until they ripped just like surfing.

Tibbles

Surf folk full charge flinging heavy red-leather bouncers at your head *rated in order of dangerousness.
1 – AI
2 – London’s Mum
3 – Gabs dad when he’s on his period

Bleach'd Git

Sunny from the boundary launching muffins.

Dogsnuts
Bleach'd Git

Now there’s a blast from the past. Uncanny likeness.

James Bickerton

The Wright family . There is almost 11 of them and they come in all the right shapes and sizes from fast bowling avatar to wicked woman wicket keeper and Mikey’s mullet homage to WARNEY .

FelipesFrontFoot

Pretty sure Occy should be up there on that list, plus size Victorians have a rice history of delivering redhot bouncers that would brain a donkey


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