If you’re a sports lover there is every chance you have wondered what life is like for the stars of your favorite sports. We see fragments of their lives away from the sport such as award ceremonies, and sometimes you might see interviews with the superstars of cricket, but what is life like for them?

 Whether you’ve got ambitions to become a cricketer yourself or you are just wondering what they do in their spare time, we’ve got some info about the life of a pro cricketer below.

Enough Time For Hobbies

The cricket season is relatively short, which means that there is time for hobbies. Cricketers can do whatever they please in their spare time, of course, but a few hobbies tend to crop up time and time again.

Many cricketers enjoy casinos and casino gambling. Throughout history, England cricketers specifically such as David Gower, current international Ben Stokes, and Phil Tufnell have all been known to frequent casinos to play games like blackjack and poker. Tufnell is known to be quite good at poker and has taken part in  mobile poker  tournaments and games since online poker sites became popular.

Another hobby we see a lot of cricketers enjoy is golf. It makes sense really, they spend a lot of time outside and can get some exercise while also working on hand-to-eye coordination while playing golf.

Plenty of Adoration

Some cricketers reach a huge level of fame. In some countries, cricket is the main sport and the most-watched sport. Superstars such as  Virat Kohli  are known to be hugely famous. He is one of the greatest players of the sport ever and has adoring fans wherever he goes. Cricket is huge in India so Kohli has become a household name.

The same is true of a lot of other cricketers, some of whom become huge celebrities. The late Shane Warne was even engaged to Liz Hurley becoming a real power couple.

When tournaments such as the Ashes come around the cricketers who come up with the goods are often met with adoration for the rest of their lives as millions of people watch worldwide.

A Physically-Demanding Life

Being a cricketer isn’t easy in terms of the physical demands. While not all cricketers are athletic in their build, cricket can certainly give you a workout, and to reach the elite of the sport you often need to be very fit.

On top of that, the demands come in the form of rehab and injuries. A huge number of cricketers sustain significant injuries and spend some of their careers on the sidelines. For instance,  bo wlers experience a lot of injuries  due to the force at which they are bowling and the repetitive strain on their bodies.

Cricketers spend a lot of time on the treatment table and sadly some of the health issues may stay with them throughout life.

Lots of Travel

Travel is inevitable for cricketers when they get to the top level, and even when they are playing domestic cricket. For instance, cricketers playing in Australia and India cover huge distances for their away fixtures.

If we’re talking about international cricket, there are teams from hundreds of countries but the top test-playing nations include England, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the West Indies. This means cricketers may spend hundreds of hours on flights throughout their careers, and potentially thousands of hours traveling to their matches.

Travel can be a good thing and a bad thing, but a lot of cricketers enjoy the fact that they get to see the world while playing, and actively seek out opportunities abroad.

A Short Career (But Opportunities Beyond Playing)

One of the realities of playing cricket is that it can be a relatively short career. While a lot of cricketers can stay professional into their early 40s, after that it becomes hard to stay professional. Batters have more longevity usually, but the demands on fast bowlers can mean careers often end before the age of 40. This might mean 15-20 years as a professional if a cricketer is lucky.

The opportunities after a career of playing include coaching and working in the governing bodies of cricket, but there are only so many roles out there and a lot of cricketers go into other areas once their career has finished.

Conclusion

While cricketers’ lives aren’t identical, and all have their interests and hobbies, certain patterns have emerged and things that cricketers all have in common. They all need to travel and they all face the physical demands of the sport, of course.

Their careers at the top might be relatively short, but they can have a brilliant life involving travel and sometimes earning plenty of money, while still having the chance to pursue other hobbies and interests.