Important note: The cricket jargon is colored in orange.
General Rules
Cricket is played between two teams of eleven players a side, with the aim being to score more runs in a match than your opponent.
At any one time, there will be two batters and eleven fielders on the pitch, as well as two umpires, whose job is to ensure that the rules of the game are being followed. Depending on the level of the match, there may be other officials watching the game from the sidelines, and often an official scorer.
An inning is over when ten batters have been dismissed. The 11th batter doesn’t hit because there must always be two batters on the field at any one time.
Before the match starts, the two captains from the opposing teams toss a coin to decide who bats and who bowls first. This can be important because the pitch or weather conditions can favor either the batting side or the fielding side.
Equipment
A cricket bat typically consists of a cane handle attached to a wooden blade, traditionally made of willow, although the use of composite, synthetic materials is becoming increasingly common.
A ball consists of a core cork wound with string, on which a leather cover has been stitched.
The field
Cricket is played on an oval field, although most of the action takes place in the middle on a rectangular strip measuring 22 yards long. This is called the pitch and, at each end of it, are three wooden upright sticks, which are hammered into the ground, called stumps or wickets. Two wooden crosspieces, known as bails, sit on top of each set of stumps.
One end of the pitch is labelled the batting end, where the batter on strike stands. The other end is designated the bowling end, where the non-striker stands, while the bowler runs into bowl.
In front of each set of stumps is a line drawn on the pitch known as the crease. This is used to decide if a batter is in or out in certain cases, and it is also used by the batter to know where to stand when waiting to receive a delivery from the bowler – this is known as taking guard.
The field itself is surrounded by a boundary that delineates the field of play. The batter can hit the ball in any direction they choose – unlike baseball, there are no fouls.
Format of the game
Traditionally, the game, or “test match”, would consist of two innings a side, which could last up to five days, and the play is stopped at the sunset each day. The problem with this format nowadays is that only a few fans of the game have the time – or patience – to watch a match for that length of time.
That has led to the advent of one day cricket, where teams have just one inning a piece and all the action is condensed. Initially, this was in the form of 50 or 60 overs a side, per game, but increasingly the most popular form of the sport is T20 cricket, with each side lasting just 20 overs each.
In particular, younger audiences, with busy working and family lives, find that T20 cricket is ideally suited to their viewing habits. It is much faster and more exciting, and generally more dramatic.
Overs
Each inning consists of overs, which consist of six balls each. The bowling side must change ends at the end of each over, and bowlers cannot bowl two overs in succession. There must always be an alternation of bowlers.
Sides of the field
Cricket uses the terms off and on side. The on, or leg side, is the side behind the batter as he/she stands to receive the ball, while the off side is the side facing them. For example, the leg side of a right-handed batter is on his left side. The right side would be the off side.
Scoring
Like baseball, a batter scores runs.
One run is scored if, after the batter hits the ball, the two batters successfully swap ends by running across the pitch. If they are able to swap sides several times from one bat, then that counts as two, three, or very rarely, four runs.
If the ball is struck beyond the boundary but hits the ground first, that counts as four runs.
If the ball clears the boundary in the air, that is a six, the maximum an individual batter can achieve with one stroke.
Extras
The umpires can award extra runs to the batting side for various infringements or errors.
For example, if the bowler delivers the ball too far to the left or right of where the batter is standing then this is judged a Wide Ball, and is penalized with one run to the batting side.
Similarly, if the bowler puts his front foot too far down the pitch, or in any other way produces a delivery that the umpires believe is illegal, then this will be called a No Ball.
With wides and no balls, not only does the batting side get an extra run, but the bowler must bowl an extra delivery.
In addition, if the wicket-keeper – the fielding player standing behind the stumps, equivalent to a catcher in baseball – fails to gather the ball cleanly, and the batter is able to take a run without it having hit the bat first, then this counts towards the overall score. Equally, if the batter is struck by the ball and is able to take a run, then that is deemed a leg bye.
There are also various other penalties, such as if the ball strikes a piece of equipment left in the field by the bowling side, like helmets, caps, or sweaters.
Dismissal of batters
There are various ways that a batter can be dismissed. In the first instance, if the bowler is able to hit the stumps at the other end,
More commonly, the batter will either hit the ball in the air or glance it off the bat, and then it is caught by one of the fielders without bouncing first.
A batter can also be given out by the umpire if the ball from the bowler hits his leg first and, in doing so, blocks the ball from hitting the stumps. This method is known as a leg out.
And just like in baseball, a batter can be run out if they fail to make their ground.
Bowling
There are various types of bowling delivery, just like there are different sorts of pitches in baseball.
Basically, there are two generic types of bowling – pace and spin – but each has its own variations.
For example, there are those pace bowlers, who rely on their speed through the air and off the pitch to threaten batters. Then there are spin bowlers, who are able to curve the ball through the air and after the bounce by using the seam of the ball. This is particularly useful in cloudy or overcast conditions.
And, top-class pace bowlers will mix up the speed of deliveries, and produce the odd slower ball to try and deceive a batter.
Spin bowlers are much slower, and rely more on guile and cunning. Again there are two basic types – off and leg-spinners. An off-spinner will attempt to turn the ball from the off side to the batter’s leg side, while the leg spinner will try and do the opposite.
Fielding Positions
Cricket has a number of fielding positions, some of which have idiosyncratic names – silly mid-on, slip or short leg, for example.
This diagram features the most common of these for a right-handed batter (they would be vice versa for a left-hander).
Domestic cricket
There are various levels of the game, from the elite competitions played by professionals, down to the various local leagues where thousands of local players will take part in the game just for fun.
Although the game began in Britain and was initially exported to its formal colonies, it has since expanded throughout the world, and there is growing interest in the sport in America.
International competitions
The first match between two countries took place in 1877 between Australia and England in Melbourne.
For many years, test matches, which could last up to five days, were the only form of international matches. Although they still continue, they have been somewhat superseded by one day cricket (sometimes known as white ball cricket, because the color of the ball is different than the traditional red).
There are now two separate World Cups, held every four years, for both the 50 over and 20 over a side game.
T20 cricket
T20 cricket is now the fastest growing format of the game, and its success has seen the proliferation of various franchise tournaments. By far the biggest of these is the IPL (the Indian Premier League) which takes place every year between April and May, and attracts some of the biggest names in the sport. The IPL is made up of 10 teams from 7 cities and 3 states. The teams include:
- North India (3 teams)
- Delhi Capitals
- Lucknow Super Giants (capital of Uttar Pradesh)
- Punjab Kings
- Central India (3 teams)
- Mumbai Indians (capital of Maharashtra)
- Rajasthan Royals
- Gujarat Titans
- South India (3 teams)
- Chennai Super Kings (capital of Tamil Nadu)
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (capital of Telangana)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (capital of Karnataka)
- East India (1 team)
- Kolkata Knight Riders (capital of West Bengal)
The IPL has spawned a host of imitators, with Australia, the UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the West Indies, and the UAE just to name some of the nations that have created their own local version, while South Africa is set to launch its own competition in early 2023.
By Shantanu