Going up a level

There's a step, or 25, to cricket

Deepti Unni  |  June 10, 2022

Sri Lanka climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sri Lanka climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge Mark Kolbe / © Getty Images

Stairs. They're everywhere. They're on the short (or vertiginous) skip down to the ground from the dressing room. They're part of the long trudge back to the pavilion. They're often the closest access points to players for fans at a stadium. And they also make for great photo ops, as Steve Waugh shows in this artfully posed photo below on the way to his retirement announcement.

How to get on top down under? Sri Lanka players take the scenic route in Sydney in the photo above.

Exit stage left: Waugh lets the photo do the talking

Exit stage left: Waugh lets the photo do the talking © Getty Images

In a city like Mumbai, you'll take the space to play cricket where you get it, even if that is the steps of a temple tank with water hazards thrown in, where cow corner features actual cows.

Not a level playing field: a boy pulls deftly across the Banganga Tank in Mumbai

Not a level playing field: a boy pulls deftly across the Banganga Tank in Mumbai Punit Paranjpe / © AFP/Getty Images

No one tells you that cricket is one of the many steps to nirvana.

A monk uses the steps of the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India as a stand-in for stumps

A monk uses the steps of the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India as a stand-in for stumps hierry Falise / © LightRocket/Getty Images

Stairwells are a great place for a bit of reflection and prayer in the midst of a chaotic match.

A fan breaks for namaaz during the 2015 World Cup match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

A fan breaks for namaaz during the 2015 World Cup match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Matt King / © Getty Images

They're also a good spot for a little creative shadow play when the game is in a slow phase.

"Which cricketer am I being now?" Scott Barbour / © Getty Images

The grabby hands coming through the tunnel-style entryway at the Wanderers in Johannesburg can sometimes look like the beginnings of a zombie apocalypse. Andrew Strauss is certainly spooked in the photo below.

Stairway to XI: many hands make light work of autograph-hunting at the Wanderers

Stairway to XI: many hands make light work of autograph-hunting at the Wanderers Paul Gilham / © PA Photos/Getty Images

Michael Vaughan has a step of his very own at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, celebrating England captains with the most wins.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall of fame

All in all you're just another brick in the wall of fame © Getty Images

In 2009, England cricketers including Mark Ramprakash, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe took part in a match played in Trafalgar Square as a warm-up to a Lord's Taverners charity match to be played at Gorak Shep on the way to Mount Everest.

A small step for man, a giant heap for mankind

A small step for man, a giant heap for mankind Antony Jones / © UK Press/Getty Images

And then there are those that believe that stairs are for losers and the vertically challenged.

Ishant Sharma takes the shortest route to the players' enclosure in Dominica in 2011

Ishant Sharma takes the shortest route to the players' enclosure in Dominica in 2011 Jewel Samad / © AFP/Getty Images

Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

 

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