How to play cricket

Cricket Rules

Cricket is a sport that has been tracked back to the early 16th century and has been a popular ever since. The pinnacle of the international game comes in the form of the Cricket World Cup. Other major events include the T20 World Cup, Test Series and One Day series. Each country runs a host of domestic competitions all highly competitive.

Object of the Game

The object of cricket is to score more runs than your opponent. There are three variations of the game (Test, One Day and Twenty 20) and each give a certain timescale in which the game must be completed.

To score a run you need to hit the ball with a cricket bat made from wood (usually English willow or Kashmir). Whilst one team bats the other bowls and fields. The aim is to bowl the opposing team out for as few runs as possible or restrict them to as few runs in the allocated time. After a team has lost all their wickets or the allotted time has expired then the teams will switch roles.

Players & Equipment

Each team consists of 11 players. These eleven players will have varying roles in the team from batsmen, bowlers, fielders and wicket keepers. Whilst each player may have a specialist role they can take up any role should they wish.

Pitch sizes vary greatly in cricket but are usually played on a circular grass field with a circumference of around 200m. Around the edge of the field is what’s known as the boundary edge and is basically the line between being in play and out of play.

In the centre of the pitch will be the wicket. The wicket will have two sets of three stumps at either end and they must be 22 yards apart. At each end of the wicket is known as the crease and a line is drawn about 2 yards across the wicket from the stumps. The bowler will bowl the cricket ball from one end whilst the batsmen will try and hit the ball from the other end.

Batsmen can wear a host of padding including leg guards, gloves, thigh guards, inner thigh guards, a box, a helmet and a chest guard. All players will wear spiked shoes and will all be wearing white clothing (the only exception is in shorter games where the players may wear coloured clothing).

The cricket ball is made of cork and will be either red (test match) or white (one day games).

Scoring

A run occurs when a batsmen hits the ball with their bat and the two batsmen at the wicket mange to successfully run to the other end. The batsmen can run as many times as they like before being given out. If the ball crosses the boundary rope after it has bounced at least once from leaving the bat then 4 runs are given. If the ball goes over the boundary rope without bouncing then 6 runs are awarded to the batting team.

Runs can also be scored when the bowler bowls a wide delivery (a ball that is too far away from the stumps), a no ball (where the bowler oversteps the front line on the wicket), a bye (where no one touches the ball but the two batsmen run anyway) and a leg bye (where the ball hits the batsmen’s leg or body and a run is taken).

Winning the Game

One team will bat first and one team will field first. The batting team will try and score as many runs as possible in the allotted time whilst the bowling team will try and contain them by fielding the ball. The teams then swap and the second team batting will try and outscore the runs their opponents scored first. If they fail they lose, if they succeed they win.

The remarkable rise of women’s football in England

Ok, so you know how to play cricket but you want to improve. Become a better cricketer. Wield a cricket bat with power and precision. Deliver a cricket ball like a magician.

Well, you’re in the right place…

Whether you’re a wickedly fast bowler with a Premier League club or a nervous number eleven who barely knows how to hold a bat, one thing is for certain: you can always improve.

Cricket, even for those who’ve played it day in day out for decades, can feel like a complex, baffling game sometimes. Just when you think you’ve found your groove through patient batting drills, there’s a drop in form out of nowhere.

So, how do you become a better cricketer? How to play cricket smarter? Here’s our guide to putting in the hard yards and seeing the results that will lift your confidence and performance.

Batting practice, bowling practice, repeat…

A strange thing happens in cricket. If you play as a child, you might get coached, go to nets, train hard and get picked for matches. It’s a strategy that works.

As adults, we often skip the practice bit. Indoor cricket nets can be seen as a bit of a laugh and don’t replicate how we’d actually play cricket in a match. Outdoors, some clubs struggle to get anyone to batting practice.

Though many cricket clubs have qualified coaches, it’s only the kids who are getting the batting drills or advice on swing bowling. Why? It depends how seriously you take your cricket but for some, being coached is not for them.

If you want to become a better cricketer, it starts with cricket practice. Not rocket science but true nonetheless.

Warm up first

Cricketers of all ages and abilities should warm up before a cricket session. The purpose is to stretch muscle groups and prepare your body and mind for the exercise and demand about to be placed on it.

It will make it more likely you’ll perform at your best and is a way to help avoid injuries. Here’s some tips on how to warm up for cricket. Build in enough time that this becomes part of all your cricket training.

Making indoor nets work well

The success of these devoted hours of cricket practice can largely depend on numbers. Having three bowlers in a net for an hour usually leads to fatigue, boredom and a poorer quality of session. Equally, too many in a net can also be detrimental. Aim for 4-6 per net.

One obvious, immediate upgrade is to organise nets according to standard. Yes, it can be fun to face the quickest bowler in your club but also disheartening, maybe even dangerous and not necessarily what you’ll face in an actual match.

If the true purpose of cricket nets (indoors or outside) is to get better then have separate nets for each team or age group. Many clubs have teams that play cricket in different divisions or even different leagues so standards can vary enormously.

If you’re struggling for numbers, consider approaching another local club to join forces at a certain time of net session. Or, have less bowling lanes and mix the standards up if you have to but supervise and tell bowlers to go easy on lesser experienced cricketers.

Cricket: bowling quick wins

Whether you’re into fast bowling, swing bowling or spin bowling, the basics still matter and are often the first things to be forgotten.

Get someone to stand at the stumps, like a cricket umpire would, and check no-one is bowling no-balls. If you are bowling no-balls in a cricket net, you may well bowl them outdoors too.

Measuring your run-up and avoiding no-balls

Find out how much your foot is overstepping by and re-calculate your bowling run-up. It should be the same every time; something that you repeat exactly over after over, season after season.

There isn’t one way to run up to bowl a cricket ball. It has to feel right for you and if it doesn’t, try different speeds, angles and lengths of run-up until it’s effortless.

It’s important because a faltering run-up can be the cause of you losing your momentum and accuracy. Who wants to bowl a wicket-taking delivery then see it chalked off as a no-ball?

Bowling targets and scenarios

As with measuring your run-up and the advice on preventing no-balls, enacting bowling scenarios can be done indoors or outdoors.

Rather than just bowling until everyone is tired and starts spearing it down leg-side, the idea is to be more strategic.

At each net session, work on a particular aspect of your game you want to improve on. Is it developing a new type of delivery you’ve not learnt yet? So, get the grip right and practice.

If it’s not quite working, make adjustments and ask a coach/senior players if you need advice or someone to watch how you bowl.

Running game-play scenarios turns something as routine as cricket nets into a challenge that can make you a better cricketer.

It could be you have to bowl a certain delivery for an over, focus on accuracy to keep the runs to a pre-set limit, whatever the target, it freshens things up.

Mini-games achieve the same objective. Consider bowlers and batters starting with a set number of points and no-balls or wides lose a point and same goes for with a wicket. Post a score to reach in an over or last wicket of the match so defence is key.

Bowling lengths

One of the most basic mistakes, particularly when training indoors, is to see bowlers get carried away with the bounce they can achieve and pitch the ball much shorter.

Fast bowlers lick their lips that they can bang the ball in halfway down and get it roaring past the batsman’s head. This is fine if it’s a way to fine-tune either a bouncer or a batsman’s technique for playing short-pitched bowling.

However, don’t over-do it. This in no way mimics what it will be like on a muddy, April wicket in the UK so practice bowling the right length for a type of ball or against a certain batsman.

Of course, part of the learning process for any cricketer is being able to adapt to playing conditions and a wicket that might be spinning or bouncing more or less. But, try not to lose sight of your objective.

Cricket: batting easy wins

Whatever standard of cricketer you are, batting practice can be used to re-examine some of the things you take for granted.

As adults, it might be we’ve had years of playing and those habits have become engrained. But it never hurts to ask a few questions in the quest to improve.

How to hold a bat, stance and back-lift

Of course you know how to hold a bat. Ridiculous, eh? But think about it. How often do we learn something once and that’s what we do for life, whether it’s right or wrong.

It’s true that cricket is a game that caters for many styles and that includes how you hold a bat. However, the most commonly coached style is simply to put a cricket bat on the floor and stand with your feet either side.

Pick it up with your right-hand at the bottom so it forms a ‘V’ formation with your thumb and forefinger pointing down the bat. Your other hand will naturally sit alongside it as a guiding top-hand.

You can see here how that looks in this coaching tutorial as well as an easy test to check if your grip is allowing you to comfortably play your shots.

Your batting stance is your base and is where your balance, alignment and power starts from.

Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, legs slightly bent, acting as a solid foundation, ready to move forwards or backwards.

Head position is important and the mantra is ‘head up, eyes level’ rather than tilting over to the side that will affect how you see the ball, your balance and positioning for shots. Here’s Mark Ramprakash discussing the batting stance:

When we talk about the back-lift of a bat, it’s the path your cricket bat takes from the floor to behind you, ready to execute a shot. It also affects the line your cricket bat takes as it moves to strike a cricket ball.

Why is back-lift important?

Firstly, it means you’re ready. If you don’t do it or it’s minimal then you still have to lift the bat off the ground, raise it for power then move it towards the ball. That all takes time.

So, make sure you have a back-lift of your cricket bat as the bowler is running in. The angle is important too. If your bat is picked up at a strange angle, it will likely follow that trajectory and be at a disadvantage with following the correct line of the ball.

Batting drills using cricket nets

With typical club cricket net sessions that last an hour or two, go into it with the mindset of batting practice with a set goal. What is the outcome? Nailing the pull shot, footwork to spin bowling or a defensive masterclass?

If the space and number of people allows it, have one lane dedicated to coaching. A coach can aid each batsman hone a particular shot and work together on something precise such as how to increase bat speed.

Another way of organising things could be that there’s a mini-debrief after a batsman has had their time practising to assess how it went and what the player can work on further.

Use a cricket bowling machine?

To continue the point from above, one issue with cricket nets is that a batsman will face potentially 6 or 7 different bowlers, one after another, left-handed and right-handed, spin bowling and swing bowling.

The benefit of a cricket bowling machine is that it can be set up to practice a certain shot and will put the ball in exactly the right place again and again at any speed. Something net bowlers can’t often do!

A 15-minute stint with a bowling machine can be as useful as an hour with lots of club-mates. There is usually an additional cost to renting a cricket bowling machine but using one, alongside facing your team’s bowling, is well worth doing.

It’s an intense workout that will be challenging and good fun.

Make the time count

Each batsman is usually given a set amount of time. It’s rare but some coaches may take the approach that if you’re out in the nets, your session ends there and then (unless there’s spare time later).

That will reduce individual practice time (and needs batsmen padded up as substitutes) but it also gets a batsman treasuring their wicket and thinking carefully. It won’t be for everyone but might be worth trying one week. It’s about a mindset shift and bringing a more professional approach to training.

Batting in pairs

Make your cricket training as realistic as possible. Try two batsmen (fully padded up) in a cricket net as you would in a match and rotate the strike, practice running between the wickets, calling and sliding your bat in.

It might feel unusual to do it in a cricket net but if it becomes automatic indoors, it will be engrained and show when you’re starting matches in the season.

Again, build in time for some scenarios rather than just filling time. Work on something specific. Engineer a match situation and play accordingly to score runs, defend or rotate the strike.

Power of video for cricket coaching

Video can be a great way to show batsmen or bowlers a particular technical point and help them to understand it. Alternatively, your cricket club might want to record a bowling lane or an indoor match.

Explaining a player’s body movement and its impact on the power of a shot or accuracy of a delivery can be simpler to break down with the use of video. Some find it easier to tweak behaviour if they see themselves doing it.

Getting the right technical set-up is key for the best results. You’ll need a tripod to ensure steady footage and either a DSLR camera or a phone with a quality camera and video capability.

Zoom is another consideration, the footage needs to be close enough to the action to be of use for a player and/or coach to review and assess. There’s also the risk of the equipment being struck by a cricket ball and wrecked so think carefully on positioning!

Editing hours of video is another problem to find the 30-second clip you’re after. A quick mention for Pitchero Play; a feature available in the free Manager App for iOS. You’ll be able to record, create and share highlights instantly without any post-match editing.

Cricket: Fielding drills and games

All of the aspects to becoming a better cricketer mentioned in this article can be adapted and built on both indoors and outside.

But, the focus so far has been on bowling and batting. Let’s not forget something all players have to do for half the match, every time: fielding.

Yes, batsmen want to get in the nets and crunch some sixes and bowlers want to knock those stumps flying. Yet, matches can be won through a collective effort in the field with saving runs, cutting off boundaries, catches and run outs.

As a cricket club, don’t just do cricket nets and ignore fielding entirely. Whether it’s close catching, pouching huge aerial hits or team games to improve long barriers and throwing to the keeper, it’s all useful.

Here’s the ECB’s top tips on how to field like a pro:

Make it competitive. Work in small teams. Keep the fielding drills fast, fun and challenging.

Likewise, play some pairs cricket and try six-a-side games or five-over battles to freshen up cricket training.

To wrap things up, there are lots of ways your cricket skills can get an upgrade. Whether it’s how to improve your batting, working on spin bowling or developing a rocket arm in the field, work hard and the rewards will come.

How to Play Cricket?

Cricket is a game that requires physical agility to bat, bowl, and field. Two teams of 11 players each play at one time. A set of rules were designed for the game by ICC. These are same for both men and women players. The game begins with captains of both teams and match referee gathering for toss. The toss winning captain is allowed to elect to bat/field first. This process is same across all formats. However, the dress code and fielding restrictions vary by format. It is mandatory for players to wear all white for a Test match, and colored tees and trousers for ODI and T20.

Umpires have a key role in the game as they monitor the proceedings. They decide whether the batsman is out, decide on no-ball, wide, and ensure both teams are playing according to the rules.

In this section, we will understand few laws of the game and how a cricket match is played. The cricket game begins with the on-field umpire’s signal “Let’s play!”

Let’s play! A Glimpse of the Game

Two batsmen from the batting-side and 11 players from the fielding-side take positions. Two umpires also join them on the field. One stands at the pitch and the other on leg-side.

Suppose A and B are two teams playing a limited over cricket match. Captain of A wins the toss and elects to bat first.

The game starts with bowler from B team bowling to the first batsman of A team. They are usually called opening-bowler and opening-batsman. The first two batsmen are called openers as they start the innings of their team.

The batsmen hits the balls bowled at them and score runs. Fielders attempt to stop the balls that were hit and even catch them to get the batsmen out.

Each bowler bowls 6 legal deliveries to call it an over.

The bowling and batting ends change after every over. The non-striker at the end of every over becomes the striker of the next over.

The wicket-keeper has to change ends after completion of each over. In general, the keeper stands far from stumps when a fast bowler is bowling and closer to stumps when a spinner is in action.

Once a batsman is out, he has to walk out of the field and a new batsman comes to the crease. An innings is regarded as complete if all the batsmen of team A are out or team B has bowled their full quota of overs.

Now, team B comes on to bat in the second innings to chase the target set by team A.

Team B is accorded as winners if they achieve the target else, A is victorious.

If the scores are level at the end of match, then it is called a tie.

Scoring

Manual and electronic scoring is done during the match to avoid any errors.

The scoring is done on cumulative basis. All the runs scored with bat, extra runs like no-ball, wide, etc. are added to team’s total.

In some instances, on-field umpires find it tough to give few decisions like boundaries, out, no-ball, etc. Therefore, they seek help of another umpire, called third-umpire.

The third-umpire looks at video visuals and gives a final decision.

Overview

Cricket is a team sport that is played outdoors. Cricket originated in England and gradually became popular across the globe. This sport requires complete physical fitness and athleticism to play. The sport is played between two teams of 11 players each.

Australia is the current World Champion (2015). Countries like India, Pakistan, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka also have equally dominant cricket teams.

Objective

Cricket is played outdoors on a ground. The objective of the game is that a team should score more runs than the opponent team. It is all about attempting to score more runs, while restricting the score and dismissing the batsmen of the opponent team. Further in the document, one can closely understand the game, its popular terms and rules.

Team Size

In cricket, each playing side has 11 players and one of them is appointed as captain. Apart from these 11 players, there are a few more players on each side who can only field as substitute for an injured team member. The fielding team should have 11 players and the opposition can send only two batsmen on the ground at the time of play.

A 15-member squad is a must for all international tournaments conducted by the cricket’s governing body, International Cricket Council (ICC).

Cricket as a sport began in England. The evidences available lead us to believe in south-east England in the beginning of 1900s. During those days, Australia, South Africa, and West Indies were the other countries where the sport was played. Gradually, the sport picked up popularity in the Asian continent as well. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh also started playing the sport.

Asian Countries Participating in Cricket

In late 1900s, Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have made a mark in world cricket with each winning World Cup once. It led to the founding of Asian Cricket Conference in 1983 that took charge of developing the sport in rest of Asia. By 21 st century, Bangladesh had become a new force in Asian cricket. Nepal, Malaysia, and Afghanistan also play competitive cricket now. Amongst these three nations, Afghanistan made headlines by qualifying for the World Cup in 2014.

The Asian Cricket Conference was renamed as Asian Cricket Council in 2003, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. The council is subordinate to ICC and has an association of 25 countries.

Non-Asian Countries Participating in Cricket

England, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa started playing cricket from early 20 th century. It was the brain of Abe Bailey, the then President of South Africa Cricket Association, to form an international council. Imperial Cricket Conference was formed in 1906 that was later renamed as International Cricket Council. Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Scotland, and UAE have all been part of international tournaments over two decades. United States also adopted the game since last few years. Currently, there are more than 100 countries playing this sport and associated with ICC.

International cricket is played in three formats. A five-day match called Test match; same day match comprising 50-over a side called One-day International; and 20-over a side called T-20 International are the three formats. T-20 is the latest and the most popular format over last five years.

Cricket is a team sport and is played on a big ground. The pitch in the center and ground is prepared for any format of the match. Later, stumps are rooted along the breadth of the pitch and players are called on to the ground to start the play. The team fielding will have 11 players guarding the boundary and two batsmen from opposition will come to bat. There will be two umpires on the field to monitor the match proceedings.

Cricket Field Dimensions

The sport is played on presumably a circular leveled ground with pitch as the center. The pitch is 24-yards in length and 4-yards in breadth. A rope is placed around the ground at a distance of 80 yards from the pitch. This rope is observed as boundary. The stumps are rooted at both ends with distance of 22-yards between them. Two carved small pieces of wood are placed on stumps, called bails. White parallel lines are drawn on both ends of stumps, called batting/bowling crease. It is 1.2 meters from stumps. Another set of parallel lines are drawn perpendicular to batting crease, called return crease. This is at a distance of half-meter from the length of pitch.

Dimensions of Cricket Equipment

ICC has formed certain rules for cricket equipment along with the rules of play. The bat, ball, glove, pads, and all other equipment have to meet the standards set by the governing body. It’s not only the size of equipment but also the logos used on the equipment that should conform to the standards set by ICC. Given below is a list of cricket equipment with permissible measures −

Bat − A cricket bat should not be more than 38 inches in length and 4.25 inches wide.

Ball − The cricket ball must weigh between 155.9 and 163 g. Apart from weight, the circumference should be between 224 and 229 mm.

Keeper glove − The keeper glove doesn’t have specific measurement but should not be made of stretchable material. The glove has webbing between thumb and the index finger.

Rest of the equipment are all used to protect body parts, hence there aren’t any specific measures or design standards, with safety as priority.

As cricket is a game of bat and ball, the players are subjected to wear protective gear from not getting hurt. In this chapter, we will discuss about all the important gear and equipment that the players use while playing the game.

Bat − Bat is a nicely carved equipment made out of special wood, with a handle on top to hold and play. These vary in weight and size with age and requirement of the batsman.

Ball − It is spherical object made out of cork and covered with leather. Two pieces of leather are stitched around the cork ball. The color of the ball for test matches is red and white for ODI and T20 matches.

Keeper Glove − These are worn on both hands to protect the fingers from injury. Cloth and leather are stitched together in the shape of fingers and palm to fit exactly. The inner-side of the glove has finger gaps with cork tips for more protection.

Batsman Glove − This gear is similar in shape but smaller and softer on the outer part when compared to keeper glove. It is used to hold the bat firmly. The finger part of glove has extra protection with hard sponge on the outer area.

Keeper/Batsman Pads − These are worn to protect the lower limbs of the batsman/keeper. They are made with cloth and leather. The front portion of the pads is very hard as there is hard plastic or wood sticks beneath. The rear portion is spongy and soft to soothe and comfort legs. Keeper pads are little shorter than batsman pads.

Helmet − A head gear for the batsman/keeper while batting or wicket-keeping behind the stumps. It is a mix of metal and hard plastic. It has a metallic grill in the front to protect the face.

Stumps − These are cylindrical and long in shape with shard end like spear. This end goes into the ground so that stumps stand erect in the ground.

Bails − Bails are the smallest equipment placed on stumps. It helps in giving easy decisions by umpires to dismiss the batsman when the wicket is broken.

Popular Terms in cricket

By now, you must have got the hang of terms like batsman, bowler, umpire, stumps, etc. Now, let’s know the terms used at play.

Striker − A batsman facing the bowler is caller striker and the opposite end is called non-striker.

Off-side/leg-side − One half of the ground is called off-side and the other side is called leg-side. From the perspective of a right handed batsmen, the pitch in front of his body as he takes a strike, i.e. the right side of the pitch is called off-side. Similarly, the left half of the pitch, i.e. the pitch behind his body while taking a strike is called as leg-side.

Run − It is the basic unit of scoring in cricket. It is scored when a striking batsman hits the ball bowled and runs between the stumps along with non-striker. It is usually scored in ones, twos, and threes.

Four − The ball hit by the batsman crosses the boundary rope by rolling on the ground. Then, it is called a boundary or four runs.

Six − The shot that ensures the ball lands directly outside the rope is called six or six runs are allotted to the batsman.

No-ball − If a bowler’s foot crosses the popping crease while delivering the ball then, it is called a no-ball. The ball bowled that is directed above waist of the batsman without pitching on the ground is a no-ball too.

Wide − A ball that is bowled away from the batsman and moves wide of the return crease on the off-side at the batting end is called wide. Another definition is ball bowled that bounces over the head of the batsman after pitching is also called wide.

Out − When a batsman gets out, it gives opportunity to the next person on the batting side to play until 10 players out of 11 are dismissed in various ways. Bowled, Caught, Run-out, LBW, and Stumped are the most common ways of getting out.

Bowled − It is a way of getting out where the batsman misses the ball bowled and the stumps behind are disturbed.

Caught − A batsman is declared out when the fielder catches the ball on full that is hit by the batsman. If it is caught by the wicket-keeper then, it is called caught-behind.

LBW − LBW stands for leg-before wicket. A batsman is declared out as lbw when he tries to play the ball with the body that is directed on to stumps.

Run-out − If a fielder disturbs the stumps with ball in hand while the batsman is not in crease after playing a shot, then the batsman is declared run-out.

Stumped − A batsman moves out of crease to play a ball and misses, the keeper gathers the ball and hits the stumps with ball in hand. Then, the batsman is declared out as stumped.

Spin bowling − Bowlers run short distance from stumps and release the ball with the use of wrist or fingers to get maximum revolutions. The ball tossed in the air spins after pitching. Off-break and leg-break are two varieties of spin bowling.

Fast bowling − Bowlers sprint and deliver the ball at high speed to batsman. To do so, they take long run-up from stumps. Slow-medium, medium-fast, and fast are the popular fast bowling varieties.

Extra runs − All the runs given by fielding team where the batsmen have not hit the ball with the bat are considered as extra runs. For example, wide, no-ball, etc.

Innings − A session of batting and bowling where either the batting team is all-out or the permissible number of overs to be bowled by the fielding team is completed.

How to Play Cricket?

Cricket is a game that requires physical agility to bat, bowl, and field. Two teams of 11 players each play at one time. A set of rules were designed for the game by ICC. These are same for both men and women players. The game begins with captains of both teams and match referee gathering for toss. The toss winning captain is allowed to elect to bat/field first. This process is same across all formats. However, the dress code and fielding restrictions vary by format. It is mandatory for players to wear all white for a Test match, and colored tees and trousers for ODI and T20.

Umpires have a key role in the game as they monitor the proceedings. They decide whether the batsman is out, decide on no-ball, wide, and ensure both teams are playing according to the rules.

In this section, we will understand few laws of the game and how a cricket match is played. The cricket game begins with the on-field umpire’s signal “Let’s play!”

Let’s play! A Glimpse of the Game

Two batsmen from the batting-side and 11 players from the fielding-side take positions. Two umpires also join them on the field. One stands at the pitch and the other on leg-side.

Suppose A and B are two teams playing a limited over cricket match. Captain of A wins the toss and elects to bat first.

The game starts with bowler from B team bowling to the first batsman of A team. They are usually called opening-bowler and opening-batsman. The first two batsmen are called openers as they start the innings of their team.

The batsmen hits the balls bowled at them and score runs. Fielders attempt to stop the balls that were hit and even catch them to get the batsmen out.

Each bowler bowls 6 legal deliveries to call it an over.

The bowling and batting ends change after every over. The non-striker at the end of every over becomes the striker of the next over.

The wicket-keeper has to change ends after completion of each over. In general, the keeper stands far from stumps when a fast bowler is bowling and closer to stumps when a spinner is in action.

Once a batsman is out, he has to walk out of the field and a new batsman comes to the crease. An innings is regarded as complete if all the batsmen of team A are out or team B has bowled their full quota of overs.

Now, team B comes on to bat in the second innings to chase the target set by team A.

Team B is accorded as winners if they achieve the target else, A is victorious.

If the scores are level at the end of match, then it is called a tie.

Scoring

Manual and electronic scoring is done during the match to avoid any errors.

The scoring is done on cumulative basis. All the runs scored with bat, extra runs like no-ball, wide, etc. are added to team’s total.

In some instances, on-field umpires find it tough to give few decisions like boundaries, out, no-ball, etc. Therefore, they seek help of another umpire, called third-umpire.

The third-umpire looks at video visuals and gives a final decision.

In the golden era, cricket was played for days as each team almost played more than 100 overs a day. We can relate that to the current format of Test cricket. In the early days of cricket, an over involved eight legal deliveries. Gradually, new formats and rules came into existence and an over was reduced to six legal deliveries across all formats. We’re going to discuss the different formats of professional cricket in this chapter and few rules about them.

Test Cricket

Test cricket is considered the format of highest level as it required both mental and physical strength to excel. All players wear white tees and trousers for this format. A red cricket ball is used to play. The earliest format of test cricket was played for six days with a day as reserve. The field restrictions are quite different compared to limited overs cricket.

Teams A and B have to play two innings each, if necessary. 90 overs are to be bowled every day. Team A batting first scores X runs. Team B gets to bat if team A declares their innings or is all-out. Team B should score X or more runs to stand a good chance of winning the match. Then, team A gets to bat for second time and set target for team B. Now, Team B has to achieve target in the time left and overs to be bowled.

In case team B gets all-out during the chase in second innings, team A is declared winner, else the match is drawn between the teams.

One-Day International

One-day international (ODI) is a limited over format of cricket. It was introduced in 1980s and 60 over a side were bowled. The dress code was same to that of test cricket. Over the years, this format also went through drastic changes in rules and it was reduced to 50 over a side and colored uniform. The red-ball was replaced with white-ball.

Team A batting first had to set a target for team B in 50 overs. Batting second, team B had to chase down the target in same number of overs. If they fail to do so, team A is declared as the winner irrespective of team A bowling out team B or not.

T20 International

T20 is the latest and the most successful format of cricket. It has attracted lot of spectators to the ground and witness the match. Cricket became a widespread game in this format and new countries like United States, Malaysia, Canada, and Netherlands adapted to it swiftly. It originated in Caribbean islands, West Indies. Each team gets to play 20-over a side. Since it is the shortest format of the game, it is played under flood lights.

Batting first, team A sets a target for team B in 20 overs. Team B has to achieve the target in their stipulated number of overs while batting second.

Team B is declared the winner if they achieve the target else, team A is declared victorious. Team A is declared the winner even if they restrict team B from scoring the required number of runs and don’t get themselves bowled-out.

ICC is the supreme governing body of all the international cricket events and tours. All the international teams are ranked based on their performance in a calendar year. Ranking for cricket teams is based on their progress during international events and tours. These ranks are assigned individually for each format.

Currently, there are 10 test playing nations that are eligible for all three formats. Rest of the countries have to play qualification rounds for entry into international events like ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup. The World Cup is conducted at senior and under-19 levels.

Test status is given to a national team depending on the performance at domestic level and global events. We will look at champions of different formats in the last chapter. Here is a list of all the global events organized recently by ICC and multiple nations participate for the ultimate trophy.

The venue for all the international events are finalized by ICC based on its facilities, playing area standards, and security measures.

All the cricket playing nations have their individual bodies that manage cricket events at the domestic level. The domestic level matches are also played as one-day and five-day games. The one-day games at domestic level are called List-A and five-day format is called First-class. Best players are picked from the domestic tournaments to represent country at the highest level. These national cricket boards also manage venues when another national team is touring their country. They are responsible for visiting player’s facilities and security.

The following table illustrates the domestic tournaments with respect to country and format.

Though cricket has its origins in England and are one of the best teams in the world, they have never been champions of the game. The winner of ODI World Cup finals is considered Champion of Champions. It is conducted once in four years. T20 World Cup is conducted yearly. The champion of Test cricket is decided based on the points in a calendar year. ICC has a ranking system for individual players that is similar to team rankings.

Australia is the current World Champion of ODI as they won the finals of year 2015 against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka is the T20 International champion as they defeated India in finals of year 2014.

Based on ranking system, the International Cricket Council, declares the team with the highest ranking as the winner of the Test Championship mace. South Africa was awarded in 2014 as they defeated Sri Lanka in a two match series in July 2014.

Hall of Fame

Cricket has its legacy with the way it is played across the globe and the members involved in the game. Players and umpires are key to popularize the sport over generations. Hence, the players with illustrious careers are regarded and admitted into the Hall of Fame category by ICC. Let’s take a brief look at these players and their stats.

Wasim Akram (1984-2001) − Akram was Pakistan’s finest left-arm fast bowler in cricket history. He swung the ball both ways and made lives difficult for the best batsmen in the world. He was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in ODIs. He averaged 23.5 in Tests and ODIs with 414 and 502 wickets respectively. The duo of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were considered the best fast bowlers in the 21 st century.

How to Play Cricket: Guide for Beginners

Are you looking to learn how to play cricket? Cricket is one of those sports that boasts of a lot of fans, being second after football. Even though only a handful of nations around the world plays it, this sport is pretty exhilarating to get involved. It has grown in size and stature ever since starting in England back in the 16th century. Today, more and more players are entering into cricket with the game even penetrating less popular markets. However, it is easy to get confused with the sheer volume of things to remember.

The Object of the Game

How to play cricket? Cricket is a game where two opponents clash against each other to find out the team that manages the greatest number of runs. Each team has a turn at scoring runs with the other opposition trying to prevent the same. The team with the most runs ends up taking the victory.

Players & Equipment

A wide range of equipment is used in cricket for enhancing gameplay or protecting players. There are 11 cricketers on each side. Only two of them from the batting side are on the pitch at any given moment, but minor injuries for batsmen can allow the usage of a runner. Players can use a large amount of safety gear, but a majority happens to be used by a batsman. To protect them against the balls, which almost become missiles with its weight and speed, batsmen use helmets, leg pads, arm pads, and more. Over the years, safety in the sport has grown in leaps and bounds.

Cricket games are all about two teams fighting for success. A coin toss is performed before a match to decide the order of batting. After winning a toss, teams are free to choose between batting or bowling in the first innings. A team that bats must score as many runs as possible while trying to overcome attempts of the rival to take out ten wickets. Each innings lasts until the stipulated overs are bowled or when the batting team has lost 10 out of 11 wickets. The second innings is more of the same but with the teams taking the opposite roles.

Cricket Bat

This is the equipment used to score runs. There are strict cricket rules regarding the dimensions of a bat. It should not be more than 38 inches in length, 4.25 inches in width, and 2.64 inches in depth. It should also be not lighter than 1 kg and under 2.5 kg. A key aspect that separates a baseball bat from a cricket bat is these dimensions. Baseball bats are round and narrow, while cricket ones — flat and wide. A cylindrical handle is also provided for grip on cricket bats.

Cricket Ball

An iconic aspect of cricket sport would be the balls, which are quite expressive with intense red color. There are certain situations when a white ball can be used, and this is predominantly followed when playing under floodlights. This is due to the better visibility offered by white balls. They are instantly recognizable as cricket balls due to a seam pattern that runs across. The stitching also gives the characteristic swing and bounce associated with the game as a whole. The ball should weigh 160 g. Since these are quite heavy, it is necessary to use plenty of safety equipment when using them.

Stumps

Stumps are a crucial part of the game since they are used to determine a player’s time on the pitch. Three wooden sticks are hit into the ground, and two bails are used to connect these three sticks. The bails are not attached to the stumps but are merely resting. The combined arrangement is referred to as the wicket. There are two wickets on the pitch, which are located either side of each other. The bail’s nature is to fall down upon impact – either by the ball or the cricket bat. The height of the stumps should not be more than 28 inches, while the width should be 9 inches.

Ground and Pitch

A cricket ground is a distinctive element of this sport. There is an iconic ground shape associated with cricket, but plenty of round ones do exist. It is approximately 500 feet in diameter, although there could be smaller ones. Cricket does not have any official that is used to determine field shape. This brings about the element of uncertainty and surprise when moving from one ground to another. Shorter grounds make it easy for players to get boundaries, whereas longer ones can be difficult, although this disadvantage is offset by altitude in locations like South Africa.

Cricket, though, is very strict when it comes to pitching dimensions. Apart from being rectangular, the length of a cricket pitch should also be 22 yards and 10 feet in width. There are batting creases at either end, and these are marked 1.22 m from the stumps. Game patterns can be decided based on pitch surface; a hard and dry one is better for fast bowlers, whereas some are ideal for batsmen precisely.

Ways a Batsman Can Get out

There are multiple ways through which a batsman can lose the opportunity to remain on the pitch. Once a player is dismissed, credit would go to the bowler in the form of a ‘wicket.’ The different ways to get a player out are listed below.

A batsman is deemed out when a ball hits the stumps – irrespective of whether a batsman was able to make contact with the ball. However, a ball cannot touch other players or the umpire before it touches stumps.

This form of a wicket falling involves the umpire’s decision. If the body of a player – especially a leg, given its importance in playing a stroke – obstructs a ball’s path towards the stumps, it is deemed to be an LBW. In modern times, an umpire can call upon video replays to make a decision.

A batsman’s time at the crease comes to an end when a shot is caught directly – without touching the ground – by a member of the fielding team. A batsman is deemed out even if a rival player catches a ball that touched the batsman’s hand/glove.

This wicket type is claimed when two batsmen are trying to complete runs or if a batsman is caught out of his crease. Any field player has the potential to create a run out, and it is not restricted to a bowler or wicket-keeper alone.

A wicket-keeper comes into play for this method. A batsman loses his wicket if a wicket-keeper manages to put down his stumps when he has stepped out of his crease. This is applicable only when a ball has been played.

One of the ways to be out in cricket is when a batsman hits their own stumps. This occurs inadvertently when a batsman is trying to make contact with the ball. Such an occurrence is deemed valid even when the batsman begins a first run.

Scoring

Each team gets one opportunity to score runs, and they have just two batsmen on the pitch at any given moment. They are protecting stumps located on both sides and can score either with or without a bat. Below are the ways to score runs:

With a Bat

Scoring with a bat is clearly a primary source of runs in cricket. Batsmen face six balls each over, and they are required to hit using bats, which are also handy to protect the stumps. Once a batsman connects with a ball using his bat, they can run between the stumps – with a batsman from the other end running in the opposite direction – to score runs. A batsman can score more runs when they can get this ball over the boundary line. If the ball flies over the boundary line without touching the ground, a player gets six runs. They are rewarded with four runs if the ball touches the ground before crossing the boundary line.

Without a Bat

A batsman can end up scoring even without any contact between bat and ball. However, these are seen as special scenarios, and they do not contribute a significant chunk to a team’s overall tally of runs. A wide and no-ball are given penalties of one run. Batsmen can take advantage of both penalties by connecting with their bat to score over and above the solitary run. Batsmen are also given byes when the ball enters into the field without being touched by the bat. If a batsman’s body touches the ball, it is viewed as leg-byes.

Winning the Game

Every team hopes to comply with the basic outline. It is all about scoring more than the opposition in the prescribed period of this game and end up successful. The growth of new formats has led to cricket becoming more exciting to watch and bet on. It has also become tough with teams relying on technology to get the better of opposition. It can be a complicated challenge to focus on all three versions of the game, each with its own challenges to win. Test games are about lasting through several variables over five days, ODIs are about strength and endurance in 50 overs, while the goal of T20 is to hit more boundaries.

Rules of Cricket

A large number of variables makes it very hard to understand the rules of cricket in one glance. However, there is no mistake that this sport continues to be highly regularised. Although it has been around since the 16th century, it has been kept modern with a great deal of influence from technology. Several cricket rules apply to different stages of the game. Apart from the scoring and dismissal basics explained above, there are also factors to consider like bowling and fielding. A strict set of rules also controls these.