Have you ever wondered how to play cricket?
Cricket is a game of bat and ball, played between 2 teams of 11 players. It is played on a pitch 22 yards long in the center of an oval field. Both teams take turns to bat, scoring as many runs as possible, while the other team fields. These turns are known as innings.
With over 120 million players worldwide, cricket is the second most widely played sport. The earliest mention of cricket goes back to the 16th century when it was known as ‘creckett.’
Let’s look at some of the basic elements of the game.
Elements of Cricket
The main elements of this sport are as follows.
The Cricket Field
Cricket is played on an oval field with a pitch or wicket in the center. Wickets/stumps are fixed on both ends of the pitch, and they determine the position of the bowler and the batsman.
The Teams
The two teams will have 11 members each. Only two batting team players will remain on the pitch at a time. In its full strength, fields, and bowls, the other team attempts to stop the opposition from scoring runs.
Over
Each inning is broken into limited or unlimited ‘overs.’ Each over-represents six times bowling the ball. One entire ‘over’ is balled by a single bowler.
Understanding Cricket: The Basics of the Game
The batting team will attempt to protect the stumps while scoring as many runs as possible. One batsman will defend the stumps at any given time. He faces the bowler and is said to be on strike. He will try to score runs by hitting the ball off to the oval boundary/perimeter or running up and down the pitch after hitting the ball.
The batsmen will run to the opposite stumps and cross the crease to complete a run, thus alternating the striking position. If the batsman hits the ball to the boundary, it will earn him and the team 4 runs. It is counted as six runs if he hits it over the boundary.
The fielding team’s goal is to get the batting team out and keep the score to the minimum using several methods. They are focused on running the batsmen out by hitting the stumps with the ball before a batsman crosses the crease, catching a ball hit by the batsman, or hitting and dismantling the stumps when bowling. There are many other ways a batsman can get out.
Game Formats
Typically, there are two major formats of cricket. Test cricket is a longer format. It has two innings each for each team and lasts up to 5 days. Generally, there is no limit on the number of overs. In a ‘one-day’ format, each team will have a single innings each, and each innings will have a fixed number of overs.
Officials
Three umpires adjudicate a game of cricket. Two umpires stand on the field, while the third umpire monitors the game from outside the boundary using sophisticated technical equipment. The game also has a match referee who determines any penalties for misconduct or breach of rules.
Despite its intricacies, cricket is a simple and thrilling sport. Records are made in the number of runs scored by a batsman, the number of players bowled out by a bowler, and the number of catches made by fielders. A general cricket World Cup event takes place every four years. In test matches, players traditionally wear white to reflect the summer rays.
Cricket has worked its way into everyday language with expressions like “sticky wicket,” “bowled over,” and the ultimate for when something is not fair, “That’s not cricket.”
10 Cricket Terms
- All Out: This signifies an inning is completed because the batting side has run out of wickets.
- Approach: The bowler’s motion for bowling the ball is called the run-up or approach.
- Attacking Shot: A batter’s strong hit that is executed in hopes of scoring runs.
- Baggy Green: A myrtle green-colored cap that has become a symbol of Australian cricket.
- Batting: Defending the wickets and attempting to score runs.
- Biffer: Slang for an attacking batter. Biffers are thought of as big hitters.
- Centurion: A player who has scored at least 100 runs. For most coaches, a Daddy hundred scores at least 150 runs.
- Dead Rubber: A match played in a series where one team has already gained an advantage that can’t be topped, e.g., The 4th game in a five-game series when one team already has three wins.
- Featherbed: A slow pitch with a predictable bounce is good for batting.
- Grafting: Batting defensively.
I hope you enjoyed this intro to understanding the game of cricket. That’s how you play cricket.
By Mike O’Halloran
Founder and Editor, Sports Feel Good Stories
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