I can't imagine a better explanation of cricket than this little piece.

I wish I'd read it before I lived in Australia. It would've saved my friends a lot of trouble and me a lot of confusion.

Not to ruin the ending, but here's a hint at what you're in for:

Well, I suppose you could bring a pie if you wanted—you know, for the other guys—but the point is that the presence of pie won't have any bearing on the outcome of the match.

The best explanation that I could come up with before reading this was: "Imagine a sport that looks deceptively similar to baseball, but has absolutely nothing in common with the great American pastime. Except in both sports, a batter is trying to hit a hard ball that's been hurled in his direction. And there are 'runs.' And 'innings.' And 'beer.'"

If you have some spare time and want a longer exposition on this topic, I can highly recommend this.