板球

對于大多英語國家來說，板球不止是“板”和“球”的游戲。它的地位超脫了其國際體育項目的身份，成為一種對生命的詮釋。

“Baseball has the great advantage over cricket of being ended sooner”， wrote Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw， and many people who dont understand the sport will know what he means. Most sports are all about physical intensity， a dramatic spectacle unfolding at speed in front of your very eyes. Cricket is not.

Instead， think of it more as a chess game， played on a large green field instead of a small chequered board. And thats why it has become so adored in Britain and many of its Commonwealth countries like Australia， New Zealand and Jamaica.

Cricket has periods of relative inactivity， then brief spurts when skill and luck combine in a fascinating way. The winning team is the one that best responds tactically to the developing situation， which is why the Duke of Dorchester wrote in 1777， “What is life but a game of cricket？”

This philosophical aspect has given the sport a rather noble status. The British adore football for its visceral thrills and dramatic twists； its a high energy game thats great to play or watch. Cricket on the other hand is seen as something of a ‘higher pleasure， a slightly more intellectual activity； it is certainly more nuanced.

For this reason， it is taught in Englands elite public schools， and has an upper class image； some say it is “the sport of kings”. Certainly the act of watching cricket is a very civilised affair； fans enjoy sitting down and chatting with their friends as the game progresses. Beer and wine and sandwiches and fruit are part of the experience， and children are welcome. The matches last at least a day and amazingly， the players stop for lunch and take morning and afternoon tea.

Superficially， cricket is a simple game. You have to score more than the opposition to win， and there are two teams with eleven players in each. The bowler throws a leather covered wooden ball towards the batsman， who holds a slim long willow bat. He stands in front of three wooden stumps， on which sit two small wooden bails which he has to stop being knocked off； if the ball hits these， then he is ‘out and a new batsman begins playing.

The other way the batsman can be ‘out is if he hits the ball into the air and one of the fielders standing around him catches it directly， without the ball hitting the ground. The batting team tries to score as many points or ‘runs as they can， by hitting the ball around the oval field. The fielding team must remove the batsmen in as few runs as possible. Once the batting team is all ‘out， they swap over and become the bowling side. Whoever gets the most runs， wins.

A professional cricket test match can take five days to complete， with up to eight hours a day playing. Sometimes there is no clear winner， and it ends as a draw. The weather also plays a big part—rain can stop the game or the atmospheric conditions may change the behaviour of the ball as it flies through the air or bounces off the grass pitch. Cricket is highly unusual， which is why many fans love it so much！

The sport can be traced back to the sixteenth century， with international matches played since 1844. During that time， certain countries have developed particularly strong rivalries， such as Pakistan and India， and England and Australia—The Ashes， a five match tournament held roughly every four years since 1882， is a great favourite. It is often held at Lords Cricket Ground in St. Johns Wood， London； the spiritual home of English cricket.

Despite sometimes fierce competition， crickets strong code of honour and fair play has become a metaphor for life in countries that play the sport； if someone cheats in any situation， the phrase， “its just not cricket” is used. Once again， it reminds us of the special place it inhabits in British society—like mild weather and lightly seasoned food， life just wouldnt be quite the same without it.

愛爾蘭劇作家蕭伯納曾寫道：“相比板球，棒球有很大的優勢，因為它比賽結束得早?！辈欢迩虻娜?，都會對此有同感。大多數運動比賽拼的是身體，速度的較量瞬息萬變，使人目不暇接。板球比賽則不然。

打板球更像是下象棋，只不過棋盤挪到了一大片草地上。這就是英國和許多英聯邦國家，如澳大利亞、新西蘭和牙買加，對打板球情有獨鐘的緣故。

板球比賽中常會有平靜的間歇期，但隨之而來的短暫爆發結合了技巧和運氣，引人入勝。獲勝的球隊永遠是對比賽發展狀況做出最佳戰術回應的那個隊，正如多切斯特公爵在1777年寫道：“生命難道不是一場板球比賽嗎？”

板球被這種哲學視角賦予了高貴的身份。足球相比板球是一種高能量的運動：英國人愛足球的跌宕起伏，更愛看球時的心潮澎湃、捶胸頓足。無論是看或踢，都很有意思。板球則被視為一種“更高層次”快感的體驗，它是一種更偏向于智力的活動，其比賽中充滿了細致微妙之處。

出于這個原因，英國的精英公學中大多教打板球，這項運動也被普遍視為上層社會的游戲。有人稱板球是“國王的運動”。的確，觀看板球比賽是一件很文明的事，板球迷們喜歡與朋友們坐在一起，邊聊邊看，還要不時享用啤酒、葡萄酒、三明治和水果。孩子們也能參與其中。板球比賽至少要賽一整天。在中午，板球手們竟然都要停賽吃午餐；上午和下午的比賽還分別穿插有茶歇。

從表面上看，板球是一個簡單的游戲。兩隊各上場11名隊員，最后比分高的隊獲勝。投球員將皮革覆蓋的木球擲向手持細長柳木板的擊球員。擊球員身后有三個叫“門柱”的小木樁，門柱上邊放著兩個小橫木。擊球員要保護橫木不掉下來。如果橫木被投球員擊中，那么造成擊球員“出局”，則新擊球員上場。

如果擊球員打到的球被對方的守備員凌空接到，擊球員也會“出局”。擊球的一方把球擊向橢圓形球場的任意方向，從而得到跑位或得分。而防守一方要盡可能減少擊球一方的跑位/得分次數。當擊球方全部出局后，兩隊換位，擊球員成為投球員。兩隊跑位/得分多者獲勝。

一場職業的板球測試賽能比上五天，每天的比賽可長達八小時。有時比了五天也得不出分曉，最后以平局告終。天氣也是比賽的重要組成部分——下雨能使比賽中止，刮風會改變球在空中及反彈后的運行方式。板球運動的奇葩之處多多，著實讓板球迷們熱愛著迷！

板球的歷史可以追溯到16世紀，國際比賽則始于1844年。從那時起，某些國家就逐漸發展成了球場上的死對頭，例如：巴基斯坦和印度，以及英國和澳大利亞。后兩者自1882年起，大約每四年舉行一屆“灰燼杯”對抗賽，每屆連賽五場，成為備受矚目的賽事。“灰燼杯”經常在倫敦圣約翰森林的羅德板球場舉行，這里也是英國板球的精神歸屬處。

盡管板球比賽競爭激烈，但其榮譽感和公平競賽的傳統成了打板球的國家對生活的隱喻：在任何情況下，一旦有欺騙行為發生，短語“這也太不板球了”就會被用到。板球在英國社會中的特殊地位毋庸置疑——就像英國溫和的天氣和清淡的食物一樣，英國生活中沒有了它會很不同。