One of the Indian MTV VJ’s said it right, that Indian and Pakistani’s get patriotic only on two occasions; first being the times of war and second being, of course, the most loved and diehard game of the country — cricket!

The spirit of the world cup is at its peak, bubbling out in the forms of slogans, face paintings, drum rolling, flags and uproars from the onlookers. It was an amazing match and one of the most anticipated matches between India and Pakistan on March 1. It might seem pretty silly if we see that both the sides are equally passionate and equally obsessive with their respective teams. The match played was one of the most nail–biting matches, which both the teams were keenly observing. Minnesota State University–Mankato’s TV lounge was filled with Indian and Pakistani cricket lovers hooting for their teams. Both of the parties, when asked, didn’t have a specific reason, but expressed more interest and enthusiasm, whenever the neighboring teams played in the matches.

Cricket is the most favorite national game of India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh . England , where it originated, has a good amount of fan followers too. Cricket might look different to Americans, but for understanding purposes it could be compared to American football, where people go crazy when a goal is made. Cricket might be compared to American football for its popularity, but its functioning is similar to baseball except that the pitch has only strikers and there is no home run.

The world cup originated in 1912 where only three competing nations played: Australia , England and South Africa . Due to unpredictable weather the world cup was not repeated till 1975 with England , Australia , New Zealand , West Indies , India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka and East Africa . Australia was the First World Cup Champion and since then every four years the world cup has been taking place in different countries just like the Olympics.

The beauty of cricket lies in how much one supports her/his team. Even an ordinary citizen with poor cricket knowledge can enjoy the game as long as it is understood that her/his team is making runs. It might be one of the main reasons as to why cricket has still survived as long as any other favorite sports of the world. Cricket lovers are glued to screens and the spirit is seen in any person who loves cricket.

This year we have the eight ICC World Cup and the final is scheduled for March 23 in South Africa ; over 1.3 billion viewers are expected to watch the entire series of matches.

Reach Afsina Yildiz at ayildiz8990@ webmail.winona.edu