Learning Cricket in a Parking Lot

I'm from Ohio and know exactly nothing about cricket. Last year, my company hired a team of engineers from Bangalore, and in March, they invited the rest of the office to play in a parking lot after work.

They brought a real bat, a ball, and two sets of wooden stumps. They spent twenty minutes explaining the rules. I understood almost none of them. Wickets, overs, a "googly." I kept trying to run like it was baseball.

My first time at bat, I swung so hard I spun in a full circle and missed. Everyone cheered anyway. My second time, I hit the ball over the dumpster, and the whole team started yelling "SIX! SIX!" like I'd won the lottery. Apparently that's very good.

We play every Thursday now. The engineers bring snacks from home: samosas, spiced peanuts and sweet chai in a big thermos. Their wives come and cheer. My son has started coming too. He's better than me already.