The GAME

Cricket is a game played with a ball and a bat between two teams consisting of 11 players on each side. It is played on a field with a defined boundary. The center of the field is called the pitch and it is a 22-yard stretch of land where the main action takes place.

There are two umpires in a match. The object of this game is similar to baseball, only the rules are different. The bowler has to throw the ball with a circular motion of the arm i.e. without bending the elbow, and hit the wicket with the ball. The batsman has to protect the wicket, hit the ball with his bat and score runs.

The game begins with all 11 players of the defending team taking their positions somewhere in the field.
One player from the other team, a batsman, stands at the wicket.
When the batsman hits the ball he may run to the other wicket where his partner is standing and his partner may run to the other end of the pitch from which the ball was hit -- this is one complete run.

Taking runs depends upon the batsman and the situation. A maximum of 4 runs can be run on a ball bowled. Other ways of scoring faster is to hit the ball hard enough to cross the boundary for 4 or 6 runs (depending on whether it bounced inside the boundary rope or not respectively).

A batsman can get out if he is bowled, caught, stumped, lbw, runout, hit-wicket, ball-in-hand and timed out. After each over the bowling ends are changed and the fielding is also reversed.

A team has a limit of playing all their 11 players, but a batsman always has to have a partner at the other end. Therefore, after 10 players are out the eleventh player does not have a partner and the innings is officially over. Then the other team bats and tries to chase the target set by its opponent.



The Origins

Cricket is an English game, which originated during the medieval time in England. This game, common only with the nobles and the royal families, was unknown to the rest of the world. During the late medieval period, the expansion of the British Empire all over the world expanded cricket too.

Cricket today is gaining tremendous popularity. In 1996 there were only nine major cricket countries, but today other teams have joined the International Cricket Council [ICC]. According to some sources, during the 18th century, cricket was limited to the southern counties of England, but it was soon discovered by society and brought to London, where a famous match took place between Kent and All-England in 1744.



Cricket Categories There are two different types of cricket matches:

Glossary of Cricket Terms

Wicket: Consists of three stumps entrenched into the ground in such a manner so that the ball does not pass between them.

Pitch: The 22-yard area between the two wickets where the batsman bats and the bowler bowls is the pitch.

Crease: The area marked in white around each wicket. The bowler has to bowl the bowl with some part of his front foot on or behind the line. The batsman has to cross the crease at the other end to complete a run. If his bat is on or outside the crease, when the opposition takes the bails off, he is adjudged run-out or stumped; as the case may be.

Over: Six legal balls bowled by a bowler complete an over. After the completion of an over a new over begins from the other end by a different bowler.

Maiden Over: When there are no runs scored in an over except leg bye & byes, it is known as a maiden over.

Four: When a ball hit by the batsman bounces at least once on the field before crossing the boundary ropes, the batsman scores 4 runs.

Six: When a ball is hit directly over the boundary, the batsman gets 6 runs.

Overthrow: When a batsman runs for a run and the fielder throws the ball towards the stumps, but misses and the ball goes far enough for the batsman to take another run; the runs taken after that are known as overthrows.

No ball: When the front foot of the bowler is completely outside the bowling crease or the ball bowled is higher than the batsman's shoulder when it passes him, that delivery is declared as a no-ball. A batsman cannot be out on a no ball except for a run-out. An extra run is given to the batting team and the ball has to be re-bowled.

Wide: If a ball is way out of the reach of the batsman it is declared a wide. One run and an extra delivery is penalized.

Byes: When a fair ball(not a no ball or a wide) passes the wicket untouched by the batsman and the batsman runs for a run, the runs so taken are known as byes.

Leg byes: A ball when hit on some part of the batsman's body below the waist-line and the batsman runs for a run, it is known as a leg bye.

Bowled: A batsman is declared out when the ball bowled by the bowler hits the wicket. Caught: A batsman is out when a fielder catches the ball hit by a batsman before it touches the ground.

LBW: Short for Leg Before Wicket. A batsman is declared out LBW when a ball pitched in line with the stumps and seemed like going straight on to the wicket hits the batsman's pad.

Runout: A batsman is declared run out when the fielder hits the wicket before the batsman crosses the crease while running for a run.

Stumped: A batsman is out when while hitting a shot he is outside the crease and the wicketkeeper takes the bails off the wicket with the ball in hand.

Batsman: A member of the batting side who faces the bowling

Bouncer: A short pitched ball, which usually rises over the batsman's head

Boundary: A ball which hits or clears a boundary fence or rope

Bowler: A member of the bowling team who bowls an over

Dead ball: A ball is dead when: a) it lodges in a batsman's clothing or equipment b) it loges in a helmet of the fielding side c) the bowler loses his footing while bowling

Declaration: When a team's innings is halted by its captain before 10 wickets have fallen

Extras: Runs accumulated by a team that do not come off a batsman's bat, for example wides, byes and no-balls

Follow on: When a team batting first in a test match scores certain amount of runs and the other team falls 250 or more runs short of the target after the innings has ended; the captain of the first team can enforce a 'follow on'. In this case, the other team bats once again and sets a final target for the first team.

Inswinger: A ball bowled that moves into a batsman Outswinger: A ball that moves away from the batsman

Run: A score of one when the batsmen cross while the ball is in play and reach their opposite creases

Hit wicket: When the batsman hits his wicket (and the bails fall) with his bat, body or dress while preparing to receive a ball or while playing the ball or in completing his shot

Handled the ball: When a batsman deliberately touches the ball with his hand

Hits the ball twice: When a batsman deliberately hits the ball twice unless he is protecting his wicket

Obstructing the field: When a batsman deliberately obstructs a member of the fielding side by word or action

Timed out: When a new batsman purposely takes more than two minutes







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