The Basics

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. One Day Internationals ( ODI ) and Test Matches. Test matches are the traditional form of the game. ODI's are the modern adaptation. ODI's are also called limited overs or instant cricket.
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. Today the World Presiding body is the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Idea of the Game

In the next 20 pages, only the rules of "One Day International" matches will be explained, after that Test matches are explained.

In Cricket, scoring points are called RUNS, just like you have goals in soccer. The two teams; Team A & Team B captains 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.

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 (11^th is the bowler) are placed anywhere in the 360° field. There is no foul territory in cricket.

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 (ie. 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:

1. 50 overs are up.
2. 10 out of 11 players are out.
3. Team overtakes the opponents score.
4. Team declares (Only in Test Matches).
    

Unlike baseball, teams don't switch innings. A team bats continuously for 50 overs to set a target; then the next team bats to chase the target.

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 helps give the team some variety.

Each innings last for 3½ hours. Hence a match takes 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.