The game is played outdoors with bats and a ball between two competing sides (teams) of 11
players each. The sides take turns at batting and bowling (pitching). Two batsmen are up at
once, one on either side of the central playing field. Each batsman guards a series of three
upright sticks called a wicket, which is topped by two pieces of wood. The bowler delivers the
ball toward the wicket of the first batsman and tries to put out, or dismiss, him. One way the
bowler can do this is by hitting the wicket with the ball so that one of the pieces of wood falls
off. The batsman tries to hit the ball to defend his wicket. If he hits the ball, he can begin a run
in an attempt to exchange places with the second batsman. Each time the batsmen switch
positions without being put out, they score a run. The side with the most runs at the end of the
match wins.
History:
Cricket is believed to have begun (possibly as early as the 13th century) as a game in which
country boys bowled at a tree stump or at the hurdle gate into a sheep pen. This gate consisted
of two uprights and a crossbar resting on the slotted tops; the crossbar was called a bail and the
entire gate a wicket. The fact that the bail could be dislodged when the wicket was struck made
this preferable to the stump, which name was later applied to the hurdle uprights. Early
manuscripts differ about the size of the wicket, which acquired a third stump in the 1770s, but
by 1706 the pitch the area between the wickets was 22 yards long.
The ball, once presumably a stone, has remained much the same since the 17th century,
weighting between 140 to 170 grams. Its modern weight was established in 1774.
The primitive bat was no doubt a shaped branch of a tree, resembling a modern hockey stick but
considerably longer and heavier. The change to a straight bat was made to defend against length
bowling, which had evolved with cricketers in Hambledon, a small village in southern England.
The bat was shortened in the handle and straightened and broadened in the blade, which led to
forward play, driving, and cutting. As bowling technique was not very advanced during this
period, batting dominated bowling through the 18th century.
around which are wound layers of string. A cover of heavy leather is sewed over the ball, with
raised stitching around the center (called the seam). The ball is about the size of a baseball. In
men's cricket, the ball must weight not less than (155.9 grams) nor more than (163 grams) and
must be not less than 813/16 inches (22.4 centimetres) nor more than 9 inches (22.9 centimetres)
in circumference. In women's cricket, the ball must weigh between (140 grams) and (151
grams), with a circumference between 81
/4 inches (21 centimetres) and 87
/8 inches (22.5
centimetres). The ball is traditionally red, but white balls are often used for better visibility at
night games and under artificial light.
The traditional dress is white pants, shirts, V-necked sweaters (often trimmed with club colors),
and leather shoes (called boots). In one-day matches in whom a white ball is used, however, the
players often wear brightly colored clothing. Batsmen wear pads (protective leggings), batting
gloves, an abdominal protector, and often a visor-ed helmet and other kinds of body protection.
The fielder playing the position of wicket keeper also wears pads and protective gloves.
The Game:
Cricket is played by two teams, each consisting of 11 players. Substitutions can be made only
for injured or ill players. The teams take turns batting and fielding. Each turn is called an
innings (always in plural). At the start of the match, a coin toss determines which side has the
choice of batting or fielding first. Two players are always at bat at the same time, one at each
wicket. The batsman whose turn it is to receive the ball is called the striker. When receiving the
ball, the striker must keep one foot between the bowling crease and the popping crease. The
second batsman must have at least the tip of his bat behind the popping crease on his side of the
pitch.
All 11 players on the fielding team play at once, with one as bowler, one as wicket keeper, and
the rest scattered into positions around the pitch. The bowler stands behind the bowling crease
at the wicket opposite the striker. The wicket keeper squats behind the striker's wicket.
The bowler takes a short run and then releases the ball with an overhand motion. Bowling
differs from pitching in that the arm must be kept straight when raised above the shoulder. The
object of the bowler is to hit the opposite wicket with the ball. The batsman's object is to protect
his wicket by striking the ball out of the way or by letting it glance off his bat out into the field.
There are no foul lines. After the bowler has pitched six times, an ―over‖ has been completed
and another fielder becomes the bowler at the opposite wicket. The new bowler delivers the ball
in the reverse direction, while the second batsman defends his wicket.
Runs are scored when the striker hits the ball and the two batsmen exchange places without
being put out by the fielding team. Each exchange of the batsmen counts as one run. At most,six runs are allowed from one hit. If the striker hits the ball outside the boundary of the field, he
automatically earns six runs (or four if the ball bounces first), without having to exchange
places with the other batsmen.
There are 10 ways a batsman can be put out. The first five types of out in the following list
are fairly common. The last three are called only rarely.
1: The batsman is ―bowled out‖ if the bowler hits the wicket with the ball and dislodges a bail.
The ball usually bounces off the ground once before hitting the wicket, but it does not need to.
2: If a ball hit by the batsman is caught by any fielder before it touches the ground, the batsman
is ―caught out.
3: The batsman is ―stumped‖ if he steps outside the popping crease without having hit the ball
and the wicket keeper knocks off a bail with the ball or with the hand holding the ball.
4: If a batsman stops with his legs or body a ball that in the judgment of the umpire would have
struck the wicket, he is out ―leg before wicket,‖ or LBW.
5: If a bail is knocked off a wicket by any fielder who holds the ball while the two batsmen are
trying to make a run, the batsman nearest that wicket is ―run out.If the batsman has at least the
tip of his bat within his ground (behind the popping crease), however, he cannot be run out.
6: If a batsman knocks a bail from the wicket while the ball is in play, he is out ―hit wicket.
7: In a ―handled the ball‖ out, the batsman is dismissed if he intentionally touches the ball with
the hand not holding the bat, without the permission of the other side.
8: In a ―hit the ball twice‖ out, the batsman is dismissed for striking the ball after it has already
touched any part of his body, unless the second hit is in defense of his wicket.
9: Either batsman can be called out for ―obstructing the field, or intentionally obstructing or
distracting any member of the fielding side with words or actions.
10: An incoming batsman is ―timed out‖ if he takes longer than three minutes to take his place
on the field.
Two or three umpires officiate the game. However, the umpires do not call an out unless the
players on the fielding side request a ruling, usually by asking ―How's that? (pronounced
―Howzat?). The batsman may also voluntarily acknowledge that he is out.
The umpires award a run called an extra to the batting side in the following four
situations.
1. If the bowler delivers the ball improperly for example, if he lands outside the popping crease
or bends or jerks his arm while bowling the ball: the batting side earns a run for a ―no ball.
2. If the bowler delivers the ball outside the reach of the striker, the ball is called a ―wide.
3. If the striker misses the ball and the wicket keeper fails to stop it, the batsmen can try to
exchange places. If they do so without being put out, their side earns a ―bye.
4. If the ball hits any part of the striker's body and the batsmen run and change places, their side
earns a ―leg bye.When a batsman is put out, another player on his side takes over as striker. Each team stays at
bat until 10 players are out, the 11th player having no partner at the opposite wicket. However,
a draw is called if all the innings are not completed by the end of the allotted playing time. The
captain of a batting team may call his innings closed before all 10 players bat if he believes a
draw might otherwise occur.
NOTEABLE POINTS:
Highest governing body: International Cricket Council ICC.
Team members: 11 per side.
Pitch Size: 10 feet (3.05 meters) wide 22 yards (20.12 meters) long.
Wicket Size: 28 inches (71.1 cm) long / Thickness (1.25 inches in diameter).
Bails Size: Each (10.95 cm) long.
Bat Size: Its length varies but cannot exceed 38 inches (96.5 cm), including the handle.
The
blade must not be wider than 41
/4 inches (10.8 cm).
Ball Size: (155.9 grams) to (163 grams). (22.4 cm) to (22.9 cm) in circumference.
In women's cricket, the ball must weigh between (140 grams) to (151 grams), with a
circumference between (21 cm) to (22.5 cm).
Olympic: 1900s
National Game: England
