Oh, I don't know that I would agree that cricket is tactically superior to baseball. For one thing, your premise that the fielders' positions in baseball are fixed is incorrect. The only fixed positions are the battery (pitcher and catcher -- had to throw some vocabulary in there). The other seven fielders may play anywhere on the field, in fair or foul territory. And in fact, they move around quite a bit, depending on the pitcher, the batter, the presence of runners on base, the wind, etc. There are also considerations of substituting players, stealing bases, bunting (squaring the bat over the plate and gently pushing the incoming ball to the turf), sacrificing (hitting the ball to an easy fielding position for the purposes of advancing a runner when there are fewer than two outs), and many others; to my knowledge, none of these are important tactics in cricket.
I have watched a few cricket matches, and the game is somewhat interesting. Here's a question, though: why don't the fielders ever run? I see them jog over to a batted ball, but no one seems to be in a hurry to field it. Meanwhile, the batting team is scoring run after run.
A great resource for learning baseball strategy and tactics is Leonard Koppet's The New Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball. It's well written by a journeyman sportswriter, and it explains the decisionmaking inherent to all facets of the game. Is there a similar book for cricket? I'd love to pick up a copy, if there is.
