By ANNA DECHERT

Cricket \'krikit\ n 1: a small black insect that chirps 2 a game involving two teams of 11 players, a ball, bats, and wickets; often played in... western Massachusetts?

Term papers and Frisbee club aren't the only happening things on Sunday afternoons at Deerfield this spring. Mujib Mashal '07 of Afghanistan and Feroz Khosla '05 of India have brought the game of cricket across the ocean to a rather different setting.

In Pakistan and India in particular, cricket is a way of life. Where we have numerous sports for every season, they have cricket. It is played professionally on fields or by friends on a rooftop. Play-by-play broadcasts can be found on the radio, TV, and the internet.

Cricket is a game which, at first glance, resembles baseball. However, while some baseball games may seem to last an eternity, they're nothing compared to cricket games. A "oneday match" goes for just four or five hours, but a "test match," generally starting around lOam, can go on for a maximum of five days. Mujib's longest match has only been about five hours, but if given the opportunity to join in a test match, he would no doubt jump at it.

In each inning, the bowler (the equivalent to baseball's pitcher) bowls 300 times. The team at bat could score anywhere from 150 and 200 runs, trying to set a high goal for the other team to match. To score runs, the batter runs back and forth in a straight line from where the batter stands to where the pitcher stands. The bowler is backed up by ten teammates who are spread out as fielders.

While the batter has the chance to score many runs, he also has the chance to strike out. With one strike, the batter is not only out for that inning, but is out for the entirety of the game. A strike occurs when the batter misses and the ball hits the wicket set up behind the plate.

As overwhelming as the game may sound, Feroz says that once you start playing, it's pretty easy to pick up. He was especially impressed at the talent shown by some Deerfield boys, including Chris Diozzi '04, Roy Erikson '04, Scottie Bartlett '04, and Josh Lesko '05. Despite not being able to "chuck" the ball while bowling (a throw where you break your wrist), Lesko has mastered the art of spinning the ball. He even hit the wicket once while playing on the quad.

Mujib and Feroz have had to adjust their games of cricket in order to adapt them to the Deerfield environment. Rather than playing actual games, they just play around and practice. Luckily, just as you can have street hockey, you can play street cricket, playing with a minimum of one batter, one bowler, and two fielders.

Playing on the main quad behind Harold Smith dormitory, the boys use the baseball fence as a sort of backboard so the ball doesn't go to far when it's bowled. Their equipment was bought several years ago by Ms. Vis when students from Asia introduced the idea of cricket at Deerfield. Their first time out, Mujib and Feroz even managed to put a small game together with just the two of them on the small strip of grass beside the rink.

This doesn't alter Feroz or Mujib's hopes for the future though. With the arrival of a Pakistani junior next fall who has played professional cricket, they hope to put together one or two full matches. "Deerfield should take a break from baseball and play a little cricket," Feroz advised.