Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players each on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps.
How to play Cricket?
The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the bowler, “bowls” (propels) the ball from one end of the pitch towards the wicket at the other end, with an “over” being completed once they have legally done so six times. The batting side has one player at each end of the pitch, with the player at the opposite end of the pitch from the bowler aiming to strike the ball with a bat. The batting side cricket scores runs when either the bowler unfairly bowls the ball to the batter, the ball reaches the boundary of the field, or the two batters swap ends of the pitch, which results in one run.
The fielding side’s aim is to prevent run-scoring and dismiss each batter (so they are “out”, and are said to have “lost their wicket”). Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the bowled ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching a hit ball before it touches the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease line in front of the wicket to complete a run. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches.
Is Cricket British or Indian?
The earliest reference to cricket is in South East England in the mid-16th century. It spread globally with the expansion of the British Empire, with the first international matches in the second half of the 19th century. The game’s governing body is the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has over 100 members, twelve of which are full members who play Test matches. The game’s rules, the Laws of Cricket, are maintained by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London. The sport is followed primarily in South Asia, Australasia, the United Kingdom, southern Africa and the West Indies.
How long is a cricket game?
Test match cricket is considered the highest standard of cricket over a longer match period. A test match day consists of 3 different sessions divided up by several breaks. Players get a 40-minute lunchtime and 20-minute tea break in the afternoon. Test matches are typically played over 5 days. Four innings are normally played in a test match where each team bats and bowls twice. Each day’s play is typically 6 hours long with at least 90 overs bowled. One of the most prestigious tournaments of test cricket is the Ashes which started in 1882. This series is played every two years between England and Australia.
England recently went on a Test Match Series Tour in South Africa and came away victorious with England winning 3 of the 4 test matches. England played spectacularly in the fourth and final test winning by 191 runs with exceptional performances from Zack Crawley and captain Joe Root.
What are basic rules of cricket?
- Cricket is played between two teams each made up of eleven players. (Sometime in junior competitions you will find 8 player teams).
- Games comprise of at least one innings where each team will take turns in batting and fielding/bowling.
- The fielding team will have a bowler bowl the ball to the batsman who tries to hit the ball with their bat.
- The fielding team tries to get the batsmen out by…
- Hitting the wickets with the ball when bowling
- Catching a batsman’s shot on the full
- Hitting the batsman’s leg in front of the wicket (LBW)
- Or hitting the wickets before the batsmen can run to the other end of the pitch
- The batmen try to score as many runs as possible before getting out by…
- Hitting the ball and running between the wickets and making it to the other end before the fielders can hit the wickets with the ball. Each time you run one full length of the pitch it equals 1 run.
- Hitting the ball to the boundary along the ground is 4 runs.
- Hitting the ball over the boundary on the full equals 6 runs.
- The fielding team must get 10 batsmen out before they can change over and start batting.
- The aim of the game is to score as many runs as possible before the fielding team takes 10 wickets. The team with the most runs wins.
Basic Cricket Skills and Exercises
To be a good cricket player requires:
- Good hand eye co-ordination
- The ability to throw and catch a ball
- Good batting and bowling technique
- The ability to concentrate for sometimes long periods of time
Learning Cricket will take patience and practice to feel comfortable.
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