Cricket is a sport played with bat and ball, in an open ground, between two teams of 11 players. There
are two forms of the game at the international level. One Day Internationals
(ODI) and Test Matches.
Test matches are the traditional form of the game lasting for 5 days. ODI's are the modern
adaptation. ODI's are also called limited overs or instant cricket
as they finish within a day.
Cricket probably originated in England in he 1300's. In the 1700's, it
became a mainstream sport in England. The first rules were printed in
1744. The first ODI was played in 1961. The International Cricket Council (ICC)
controls the sport of Cricket today.
Idea of the Game
[This article mentions details of "One Day International Matches" Most of the rules between the two forms of cricket are same. To know the differences jump to Pg 22.]
In Cricket, scoring points are called RUNS, just like you have goals in
soccer. The two team captains; of Team A & Team B toss a coin
before the match. The winner of the toss decides whether he wants to bat
first or bowl first. Assuming Team A wins the toss
and bats, then the strategy for
a WIN is as follows:
Team A tries to make a lot of runs, and then dismiss the other team for a
lower
score and/or get 10 wickets (10 people out).
Team B tries to keep the runs scored by A to a
minimum and tries to get the same
number of runs as A,
plus one more run.
e.g. A scores 267 runs. B must make 268 for a win. If B makes 267, then it is a tie. Anything less, is a loss for B.
The Players
The 11 players of the team are classified into Batsmen, Bowlers & Fielders.
| BATSMEN | BOWLERS | FIELDERS |
|---|---|---|
| Batsmen hit the ball along the ground or in the air & score as many runs as possible. | Bowlers bowl (hurl) the ball to the batsmen. | Fielders wait to catch the ball, or save the ball from going to the boundary of the field. |
The field consists of a circular or oval grass ground. In the center, there is a rectangular dirt strip 22 yards (20m) x 8ft 8in (2.64m). This is the playing area and it is called the PITCH The pitch is flat and hard with a smooth surface. One end is designated as the bowling end, where the bowler comes running in. The other end is the batting end, where the batsman of the opposing team stands. The fielders, 10 of them (11th is the bowler) are placed anywhere in the 360° field.
If Team A is batting, then the 11 players are called batsmen / batters. Most teams have 5 players who are specialists; their job is to blunt the opposition bowler's attack. Team B is bowling, they are the fielding OR bowling team. Team B has 5 specialist bowlers, and a couple of part time bowlers.
Innings
An Innings is the duration a team bats. There are only two innings in an ODI. Each inning is of 50 overs. An over consists of 6 balls bowled (i.e. pitched). There are a total of 50 overs in an innings. So therefore, a total of 300 balls are bowled. A single cricket ball is used throughout an innings. Play continues until:
- 50 overs are up.
- 10 out of 11 players are out.
- Team overtakes the opponents score.
- Team declares (Only in Test Matches).
For a team to be successful, the team must have players who can bat well and bowl well and good fielders. A mix of right and left-handers help give the team some variety.
Each innings lasts for 3½ hours. Hence a complete match may take around 8 hours, with a half hour interval between innings. A match can be a Day match (morning & noon) or a Day & Night (D/N) Game played in the afternoon through late evening.
Unlike baseball, teams don't switch innings. A team bats continuously for 50 overs to set a target; then the opposition bats, to chase the target. There is also no foul territory in cricket.