25 reasons why Basketball is more fun than Cricket (Part 1)

6. Bench players cheering on their teammates

In basketball there is something called a bench on which substitutes sit. It’s right next to the action and players often cheer their teammates from it. They can be substituted at any point during a dead ball situation.

Yeah it leads to funny moments as well.

Moments when your name is World Peace (soon to be at the time of the vid) and you try and take out an entire team’s bench by yourself.

The bench in basketball is in close proximity to the action and players can easily talk to their teammates and taunt the opponents if so inclined.

The bench in cricket is a dugout where players sip tea.

7. Highlight plays

Basketball requires the athlete to work on strength, speed, quickness, balance and explosiveness. Blake Griffin going up for a rebound can become a highlight play.

And following are the highlight plays one can see in cricket:

Swing a bat. Chase a ball. Throw a ball. Catch a ball.

A ball hit for a boundary, four or six.

A wicket taken by bowling over the stumps, getting a batsman run out, or a catch.

A leg bye, case of misfielding, bloopers by the batsmen

In fact, here’s a time lapse video of a cricket match.

Its all in fast motion and it almost put me to sleep. Even fast forwarded, it still makes me yawn.

In basketball, every single second holds a potential highlight play.

There are infinite ways of making layups.

You can choose to shoot, pass, dribble, or just hold the ball watching the play develop.

Every second the possible combinations of sequences of actions change. One glance to your left makes the defender turn his neck and in that split second you can blow by him.

8. In basketball, every single player is involved in the action at all times

On offense, players move off the ball, set screens, fight for position inside, etc. On defense, everyone is keeping one eye on the ball and another on the opponents to deny them position, being alert for screens and switches, boxing out as soon as a shot goes up, leaking out on fast breaks.

In cricket more than half of the players are passive spectators to the action more than half of the time.