According to
Douglas Adams'
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, cricket as we know it originated in the
Krikkit wars, the most horrific wars the galaxy ever went through. In these wars were
evil robots that would hit explosive balls at you with bats.
This game has many variations throughout the universe apart from our own. For example there is Brockian Ultra-Cricket. In this game, various pieces of sporting equipment including bats, balls, rackets, gloves, etc are thrown onto the field. All players try to grab as much of this stuff as they can. They then attack a member of the opposing team with a piece of equipment before running away and appologising from a safe distance.
The field is surrounded by a very high wall. This frustrates the spectators a lot, but makes them think the game is a lot more exciting than it really is. There are also a lot more elements and rules to the game than the ones I have mentioned. They were compiled into one book which ended up being so heavy it collapsed and became a black hole.
Despite liking to make fun of cricket, I think it's great game even if it's a bit strange. But then it's no stranger than baseball.