Ready to spice up your next cricket watch party, backyard hangout, or pub crawl? Cricket drinking games are your ticket to a hilariously unforgettable time. Whether you’re sipping for sixes, chugging for wickets, or battling it out with frisbee throws, this guide will bowl you over with clever rules, hilarious variations, and everything you need to host an epic cricket-themed bash.
Table of Contents
What Is a Cricket Drinking Game?
The idea of combining cricket with drinking isn’t new. Cricket, with its leisurely pace and unpredictable drama, provides the perfect backdrop for social drinking. Whether it’s during backyard matches, live TV games, or pub crawls, cricket drinking games transform even the dullest overs into moments of hilarity. It’s a celebration of camaraderie, cricketing passion, and a healthy dose of cheeky competition.
Classic Cricket Drinking Game Rules
Basic Setup and Materials Needed
- A cricket match (live, recorded, or even backyard cricket).
- Drinks: Beers, shots, or non-alcoholic options for variety.
- A score sheet to track the “scorecard” of drinks consumed.
- Optional extras: quirky props like mini cricket bats, themed coasters, or funny penalty hats for those who lose.
Gameplay Rules and Drinking Triggers
In this classic format, every action on the field corresponds to a drinking rule:
- Runs Scored:
- 1 sip for every 1–3 runs.
- 2 sips for a boundary (4 runs).
- Finish your drink for a six!
- Wickets and No-Balls:
- A wicket means everyone drinks.
- A no-ball? The bowler drinks twice!
- Funny Extras:
- If a commentator says “unbelievable,” the last person to raise their glass must chug.
- Drop catches? Take a penalty sip for every one.
Pub Cricket: A Social Drinking Game
Perfect for a pub crawl! While no one knows exactly who created Pub Cricket, the game has evolved into a unique way to combine drinking with the thrill of cricket. Pub Cricket has seen two distinct versions over the years:
- One-Day Pub Cricket (ODPC) – A straightforward, fun, and casual game.
- Test Pub Cricket – A more competitive version with detailed scoring systems that challenge even the savviest drinkers.
How to Play One-Day Pub Cricket
Basic Rules
One-Day Pub Cricket is designed to keep things simple and fun. Here’s how it works:
- Every drink scores you runs, with different beverages awarding varying points:
- Pint: 30 runs
- Half-pint: 15 runs
- 330ml bottle: 20 runs
- Glass of wine: 15 runs
- Shot: 10 runs
- Soft drink: 1 run (hydration bonus!)
- Every trip to the bathroom means you lose wickets:
- A “number one” costs 1 wicket, a “number two” costs 2 wickets.
- Vomiting? That’s a hat-trick – a costly penalty that takes 3 wickets.
Bonus Runs
Consistency is rewarded:
- If you score 100 runs without losing a wicket, you earn a 10-run bonus.
- Reach 200 runs, and you gain an additional 25-run bonus.
Strategy Tips
- Beer drinkers have the edge in this version, as pints score the highest.
- Plan your bathroom breaks carefully; the fewer wickets you lose, the better your chances.
- Partnerships (teammates coordinating to keep scoring runs) can be a game-changer.
How to Play Test Pub Cricket
The Advanced Scoring System
Test Pub Cricket introduces fairness by scoring drinks based on their alcohol content and volume. While complex in theory, pre-made scoring tables simplify the process for game day.
Scoring Examples:
- Pint of Stella (5.2%): Scores 35 runs.
- Pint of Fosters (3.4%): Scores 24 runs.
- Shot of 40% spirit with a mixer (250ml): Scores 23 runs.
- Glass of wine (250ml at 13%): Scores 33 runs.
Gameplay Similarities
Test Cricket uses the same rules for wickets and bonuses as One-Day Cricket but provides a more accurate reflection of alcohol consumption. The added complexity can make the game more strategic—and potentially more dangerous.
Backyard Frisbee Cricket Drinking Game
Frisbee Cricket is a fast-paced, hilariously competitive outdoor drinking game designed for four players. Combining the strategic depth of cricket with the chaotic fun of frisbee and beer, this game is all about precision throws, quick reflexes, and, of course, enjoying your drinks responsibly.
Backyard Cricket Setup
What You’ll Need
- 4 empty beer bottles (your “wickets”)
- 1 frisbee (your “ball”)
- 1 cup (the “center cup”)
- Beer or any drink of choice
No frisbee? No problem! You can use a tennis ball, rubber ball, bean bag, or any small throwable item you can find around the house.
How to Set Up the Field
- Arrange bottles into two pairs, each frisbee-width apart and 10 meters apart, forming a long rectangle.
- Position the cup in the center of the rectangle.
- Split into two teams of two. Each team picks one set of bottles to defend.
- Decide who throws first with a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Frisbee Cricket Gameplay Rules
Be the first team to score 21 points by knocking over bottles while balancing your drinking challenges. Teams alternate between offense and defense, with players rotating roles within their team.
Offensive Play
- Roles:
- Thrower: Attempts to knock over the opposing team’s bottles with the frisbee.
- Macker: Assists by deflecting the frisbee (macking) to increase accuracy.
- Steps:
- The thrower starts the round by aiming at the opposing team’s bottles.
- If successful, they sprint to retrieve the frisbee and attempt a return throw to knock over their own bottles for bonus points.
- The macker can deflect the frisbee toward their bottles or pass it back to the thrower for retries until the round ends.
- Scoring:
- 1 point per bottle knocked over.
- Bonus attempts can only target the thrower’s own bottles after an initial hit.
Defensive Play
- Roles:
- Drinker: The main defender responsible for stopping the return throw.
- Caller: Provides critical information to the drinker while they’re focused on the center cup.
- Steps:
- The drinker starts behind their bottles and must finish the beer in the center cup before defending.
- The caller directs the drinker on whether the initial throw hit and where the frisbee is heading.
- Once the beer is finished, the drinker can move freely to defend their bottles.
- The round ends when the defense touches the frisbee or when the offense misses a throw.
Special Events and Penalties
- Center Cup Knock: Any player who knocks over the center cup drinks a full beer and refills the cup.
- Fouls:
- If the drinker’s body touches the frisbee before it rests, the offense gets a retry.
- A throw going between both bottles without hitting them (“tweener”) earns a retry. Three tweeners in a row reset scores to zero.
- Veteran’s Rule: On retries, if the frisbee isn’t caught in the air, the round ends immediately.
Winning the Game
- The first team to score 21 points wins, but you must win by 2 points.
- Rebuttal:
- After one team reaches 21, the losing team gets consecutive offensive rounds until they fail to score a point.
- During rebuttal, the losing team fills a larger center cup for the defense.
Why Cricket and Drinks Are a Perfect Match
In nations like India, England, and Australia, cricket is more than a sport—it’s a ritual. Incorporating drinking games into cricket events unites fans, offering a shared experience that celebrates their love for the game with a playful twist.
From BigFooty forum threads to Reddit discussions, creative minds have turned cricket drinking games into an art form. Some popular user-created rules include:
- Drinking every time an umpire checks a replay.
- Sipping through the entire over if it’s a maiden (no runs scored).
Cricket drinking games are a laugh-out-loud way to celebrate your favorite sport with friends. Whether you’re scoring big in Pub Cricket, dodging frisbee throws, or cheering on a live match with a drink in hand, the key is to enjoy responsibly and keep the laughs coming.