Cricket is a
bat-and-ball team game. Many variations exist, with its most popular form played on an
oval-shaped outdoor arena known as a
cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard (20.12 m) long
pitch that is the focus of the game. A game (or match) is contested between two teams of eleven players each. One team
bats, trying to score as many
runs as possible while the other team
bowls and
fields, trying to
dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the
crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an
innings.
There are also variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs of six bowling deliveries per side (
Twenty20) to a game played over 5 days (
Test cricket, which is the highest level of the game). Depending on the form of the match being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied. The rules of two-innings games are known as the
Laws of Cricket and maintained by the
International Cricket Council (ICC) and the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC); additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals augment these laws.
In one version of
Indoor Cricket, matches include just 6 players per side and include two 12-over innings.
Cricket was first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. The ICC is the game's governing body and currently has
10 full member countries.
Rules and Game-play
A cricket match is played between two teams (or sides) of eleven players each
on a
field of variable size and shape. The ground is
grassy and is prepared by groundsmen whose jobs include fertilising, mowing, rolling and levelling the surface. Field diameters of 137–150 metres (150–160 yd) are usual.
The perimeter of the field is known as the
boundary and this is sometimes painted and sometimes marked by a rope that encircles the outer edge of the field. The Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field
but it is often oval – one of cricket's famous venues is called
The Oval.
The key action takes place in a specially prepared area of the field (generally in the centre) that is called the
pitch. A run is scored when the
batsman has run the length of the pitch after hitting the ball with his bat, although as explained below there are many ways of scoring runs.
If the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs, the ball is dead and is returned to the bowler to be bowled again.
Before play commences, the two team captains
toss a coin to decide which team shall
bat or
bowl first.
The captain who wins the toss makes his decision on the basis of tactical considerations which may include the current and expected field and weather conditions.
The bowling side seeks to dismiss the batsmen by various means
until the batting side is all out, whereupon the side that was bowling takes its turn to bat and the side that was batting must take the field.
In professional matches, there are 15 people on the field while a match is in play. Two of these are the
umpires who regulate all on-field activity. Two are the batsmen, one of whom is the striker as he is facing the bowling; the other is called the non-striker. The roles of the batsmen are interchangeable as runs are scored and
overs are completed. The fielding side has all 11 players on the field together.
One of them is the
bowler, another is the
wicketkeeper and the other nine are called fielders. The wicketkeeper (or keeper) is nearly always a specialist but any of the fielders can be called upon to bowl.
Objectives
The objective of each team is to score more
runs than the other team and to completely
dismiss the other team. In limited overs cricket, winning the game is achieved by scoring the most runs, even if the opposition has not been completely dismissed. In Test cricket, it is necessary to score the most runs and dismiss the opposition twice in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn.
Pitch, wickets and creases
At either end of the pitch, 22 yards (20 m) apart, are placed the
wickets. These serve as a target for the
bowling (
aka fielding) side and are defended by the
batting side which seeks to accumulate runs. The
pitch is 22 yards (20 m) or one
chain in length between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor.
Each
wicket consists of three wooden
stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called
bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm).
Aerial view of the
MCG displaying the stadium, ground and pitch
Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the "popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return" creases.
A
wicket consists of three
stumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two
bails.
The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these must be 22 yards (20 m) apart. A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) long with the middle stump placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is parallel to the bowling crease and is 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the wicket. The return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m).
When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery stride" must land within the two return creases while his front foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball".
The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out of his ground".
Notes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
