It only recently struck me how important cricket is to us as a people and what a vital element of survival it is for some; and I couldn’t help but write this piece to share the fever that runs through our office whenever the game is on.
It’s always hot and intense!
I was sitting at my computer in the office the other day trying to concentrate on completing some work; and man was it a task for me to stay focused on what I was doing! Cricket World Cup was on television and the excitement was as fierce as if the viewers were actually at the match. Of course you can’t ask them to tone down; you would just be wrong and out of line.
It’s hard to get the attention of 90% of the men in the company when a match is on. They are so glued to the television it’s not funny.
Of course when the game is playing, you know where to find them, but if you want to direct their attention elsewhere, you had better proceed with extreme caution.
So the phone rings and the call is for one of my male colleagues. It was an intense game, the West Indies were on the field batting and battling, they were down to the last over and needed more runs than they had the balls for (no pun intended). The adrenalin rush was at its peak on; how do I say ‘you have a caller on the line’.
Now, I have realised that the men at our company are not into playing games when it comes to this particular game, so I simply, very politely asked the caller, if it was possible to call a bit later. Thankfully, it apparently was nothing of immense importance and the caller responded, “thank you, I will.” What a relief!
The phone rang again and I immediately got nervous hoping it was not for one of the ‘cricketoholics’. Please, not again, this is not the time to be disturbing these men, I thought. But I was saved when another female colleague of mine answered instead and I guess it wasn’t for one of them since no one was called away, unless she probably did just as I had done (lol)!
And the excitement doesn’t just stop at and with the Windies, when this home team is out of the race, they automatically gravitate to another favourite team to lend support and backing and the tempo, the high-pitch fever and adrenalin rushes just as it does in the WI vein.
I know that there are women who love the game too; but man, I have noticed that men in particular take this game ‘dead serious’!
What’s more, these men simply cannot watch this game in silence; it’s like therapy for them. A conference is usually held when they surround the TV set, and only the brave walk through that circle. I tend to make use of whatever little space I can find to walk around the gathering so I don’t disturb them.
Some of the females join the gathering too; but I’ve noticed that the game has to be really intense to warrant their attention. Oh! and I must say, the men who decline to join the in-front-of-TV conference remain in their seats but pay equal attention to the happenings.
But let’s get back to the conference itself. These men stress over the “nonsense” the WI players are doing, but don’t you dare condemn the team, they don’t take the criticisms lightly. I have realised that they are diehard WI fans. It doesn’t matter how much they cuss them out.
What makes me laugh is how they each think they have the answers as to what the WI players should do, what they are lacking, and the areas in which they can improve. Perhaps these men could provide counselling for the WI before, during and after the game. I am convinced that after an encounter with them, the team would perform better.
What is even more amusing though is how after their loud applause and shouts they would realize briefly that they are still at the office and would each try to hush the other. You should see the looks on their faces when they do this; it’s just funny.
At times, they even argue for the spot closest to the TV. Man, it’s a real sight to see the guys at work watching cricket.
By now I’m sure that you would have picked up that I am no cricket fan and that’s true. When a real hot game is on, I have the ability to remain at my desk and while I do the day’s work; still catch the essence of the game. The tournament ends today and I think the guys at work have transformed my entire perception of the game.
Trust me, I would trade going to a stadium where the game is being played any day to stay in the office and watch men watching cricket. These guys can really bring the game to life. femicureforall@yahoo.com
