21 replies to this topic

[loz]

I would say the bowling skills are quite possibly comparable but the batting and fielding skills in cricket are far superior to baseball.

[TomP]

"Kornblume":1i7r3xgt said:

Batting seems even, fielding I cannot comment, haven't seen enough cricket. But pitching? I believe the edge has to be in baseball, with the curveball, changeup, slider, 2 or 4 seem fastball, cut fastball, sinker, knuckelball.
I do not want to seem over-arrongant either, since I'm certain that the bawlers? ballers? (sorry don't know how to spell it) also put effect when they throw the ball.

Having played both sports at a dectent level, my experience is that:

Fielding is probably even (although it is about 10000 times easier to catch a ball with a glove)

Batting requires much more technique and concentration in cricket.  In baseball, there are only really two shots - hitting as hard as you can to try and hit a home run, or punching along the ground between 1st and 2nd, or 2nd and 3rd for a base hit.  Maybe three if you count bunting.  Cricket shots are all about finesse, timing and perfect placement - much less about power, and about picking the right ball to attack, defend or leave alone.

Bowling/Pitching is roughly the same - although I would suggest that you watch a highlights video of Shane Warne's career, and you will see him do things with a cricket ball that the best baseball pitchers could only dream of.  Again though, in cricket, not every ball is designed to take a wicket.  For example it is not uncommon for a bowler to spend 2 or 3 overs setting up a batsmen with outswingers, then nailing him with an inswinger.

Having said that - baseball is a great sport, and probably more fun to play as an amatuer than cricket.  My worst memories of my cricket career were opening the batting, getting out in the first over, then playing no further part in the game for the next day.