Carly is a Sports Journalist. Who says she often gets asked whether she chose this path for herself or if she just somehow found herself thrown into it. She love sport and says her life revolves around it (probably a bit too much) and most definitely chose this path for herself. She has always enjoyed cricket, but over the years learned to love it. Carly says being able to cover it and report on it in depth, getting to know the personalities and the behind-the-scenes drama, makes it even more compelling to watch.
Her other passion is football, more specifically, Arsenal (ed: not something we want to openly admit after the weekend). In fact, I’d love to see the Gunners play the Proteas on a football field.
You can follow Carly on Twitter or check out her blog.
1. The generic question: where does your love for cricket come from?
I put it all down to Shaun Pollock, actually. While my friends had posters of Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio all over their walls when we were still at school, my walls were full of this ginger-haired, lanky bowler who just happened to be a Cancerian (so much like me, without the ginger hair). He had me convinced that I’d be the first girl to play for the Proteas. I tried my best to copy his action and used to bowl to my younger brother in the passage (no wonder, then, that my brother now has next to no interest in cricket). His perfectly aimed bowling just appealed to the perfectionist in me and I’ve been the hugest fan of his ever since.
2. Biggest challenge being a female blogger/sports presenter/female cricket lover?
Always having to prove your knowledge. And, strangely enough, dealing with other women in the industry.
3. If there were manhole covers on the outfield, would the game be more interesting?
Oh absolutely. The first to disappear down one would definitely be Morne Morkel, arms and legs flailing all over the place. It would be highly entertaining.
4. How do you think we can promote the game to girls and get them interested (the hot cricketers
don’t count)?
Well, judging by the awesome crowds at Newlands recently, there seem to be plenty of girls interested in cricket. So I would start with that; just get girls to watch live cricket at the stadium. I mean, how can they not enjoy that experience?
Twitter is also doing a fantastic job of getting more people interested in the game. You can’t believe how many knowledgeable tweets I see from cricket-loving females.
But it would only be fair to explain to other girls how truly heartbreaking it can be to support a cricket team so passionately. I wish someone had taken the time to warn me that Allan Donald may drop his bat in a World Cup semi-final against Australia and cause me years of grief and anguish.
Anyway, I like to think that there’s an elite cricket fraternity that doesn’t make it too easy for just anyone to join.
5. How would you explain the game of cricket to somebody who’s never watched it before?
Well, I could start by explaining the basics of a Test match, except that there are no basics. Or I could attempt to explain the ODI format, where one match is concluded in a day, even though it still takes nearly two months to conclude a World Cup tournament. Maybe I could just tell them about the least complicated T20 version, which is really known as street cricket, although that’s where all the money is. Okay, I give up – it would take a very long time to explain the game of cricket.
6. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
‘Dissecting Comical Complications and Other Tales’
7. If we could teach monkeys to play cricket, would they play on a standard sized field?
For sure. If Herschelle Gibbs can write a book, monkeys can play cricket on a standard sized field.
8. What’s the reaction when you are watching cricket with guys who don’t know you, somebody
appeals and you say: “no way, too high, pitched outside” and the replays show exactly that?
They usually pretend they didn’t hear me, unless they’re not actually pretending.
9. Who is going to win the World Cup in 2011?
It really does pain me to say this, but I do believe it may well be England. Shudder.
10. Have you ever fielded at short third man?
No, but I have fielded off a couple of short men.
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The legendary captain of the West Indies, Clive Lloyd was the first captain to win 25 Test Matches.. Involve yourself in hot world cup chat