Monday’s Maiden: Nicole Sobotker aka @paperstargirl

Nicole is a misanthrope and ex left arm leg spinner who currently spends her days as an academic marching ever closer to life as a university professor.  When she’s not writing long rambling essays, she spends her time tweeting while watching cricket, reading, running and dreaming up ways to destroy the entire England ODI squad. Her favourite current cricketers are Rahul Dravid, Mahela Jayawardene, Murali, Michael Hussey and the mighty Hashim Amla, who she supported even in his lean years as a failing opener. Favourite past cricketers include Curtley Ambrose, Justin Langer and Marvin Atapattu.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter.

1.       The generic question: where does your love for cricket come from?

My first “cricket love” memory is watching India play in the 1992 World Cup, at age 5, and being fixated with Sachin Tendulkar. During primary school, I went through a phase where I tried desperately to hate all sports. I even went to a day night ODI against Australia at the Wanderers in 2000 and took a book along, book light included. That didn’t stick, though, and upon reaching high school I started playing and rediscovered my love for cricket.

2.       Biggest challenge being a female blogger/sports presenter/female cricket lover?

I wouldn’t call them challenges, but some mild annoyances include being constantly told that I only watch cricket to be around men and having to defend myself when, for example, I want to leave a night out to get home in time for the start of a test in Australia.

3.       If there were manhole covers on the outfield, would the game be more interesting?

I’m not sure, but it would be fun to watch some of the prissier world cricketers field around them.

4.       How do you think we can promote the game to girls and get them interested (the hot cricketers don’t count)?

I don’t think there is any way to promote cricket to anyone who doesn’t already love it, except perhaps in World Cups where sport becomes a unifying national force – stand behind your boys, cricketers belong to the nation, etc.  It is also hard to think of why more women would watch cricket when they’re not very well represented in the sport and are objectified and harassed at sporting grounds. In the last three years, with the exception of the World T20 in the West Indies last year, the only time I’ve ever seen women near a cricket field on TV they were either cheering or suntanning on grass embankments.

I think there are many women who love cricket, but when you’re constantly being told you don’t or can’t understand sport except to stare at the guys on the field, then that’s certainly no incentive to go around shouting about your love for the game.

5.       How would you explain the game of cricket to somebody who’s never watched it before?

Well, having encountered some fairly special people who’ve never watched the game before, I’d start with “It’s not like baseball!” However, one of the best answers I’ve ever seen on this topic was from a reply to a comment on a YouTube video: “It won’t help me explaining it to you. It’s like trying to pronounce the Danish Ø sound. You have to grow up with it.”

6.       If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Deep Backward Point – story of an academic cricket tragic.

7.       If we could teach monkeys to play cricket, would they play on a standard sized field?

Definitely.  Anything bigger and it’d be a “bowler’s game”.

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?

Usually, “Lucky…” or a quizzical look, but occasionally, “Oh, did you learn about cricket from your boyfriend/father/brother?”

9.       Who is going to win the World Cup in 2011?

It’s hard to decide between this World Cup as Murali’s swan song, or a love letter from India to Tendulkar. My gut feeling is Sri Lanka, but an Indian side at home with an in-form Tendulkar and an attacking top six is formidable.  To be honest, as long as it’s not England, I don’t mind…I won’t mention the team in green and gold with that gorilla sized monkey on their back.

10.   Have you ever fielded at short third man?

No, but I am accustomed to fielding at fine leg…

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