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Every four years, the Test cricket fan in me gets a reality check. The FIFA World Cup, with its massive scale and magnificent scope, exposes cricket as a niche sport. This sobering reality comes with a silver lining. We non-fans may not really understand the offside rule, nor do we claim to get the club-driven sub-text of an attachment to a national side. But there's still plenty of fun to be had for the faithless.
On-field drama
Butter-smooth limbs. Operatic overreactions. Style fixations. The paragons of masculinity seem to be feminine stereotypes! Twenty-two grown men chasing a ball is a laughably simple premise for my sporting brain, used to myriad cricketing rules of varying complexity and absurdity. But there's something so cathartic about football-flavored drama, where there isn't even any pretence of controlling one's emotions or behaving in a gentlemanly fashion. I'm forever fascinated by greying managers yelling passionately from the sidelines in well-cut suits; what an incongruous sight they make to the occasional viewer. It's impossible not to get anthropological when witnessing the overall display of pride and aggression. So quaint.
Emotional supporters
This story is from the December 10, 2022 edition of Brunch.
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This story is from the December 10, 2022 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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