Cricket is a game somewhat similar in principle to baseball. It's likeliest birthplace is the Weald, an area of arable land in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. The game was probably devised by shepherds and farm workers sometime before 1300 and perhaps as early as the 11th century. It is played on a large grass field by two teams of 11 players.
In the center of the field there is a strip of very short grass 22 yards long. At each end of this ‘pitch’, there is a wicket consisting of three sticks raised out of the ground and two bails resting on top of the stumps. The edge of the field is marked out by a boundary. If the ball goes beyond this boundary, it is dead.
At first, the captains of the two teams toss a coin to decide who should bat first and two players from the batting side go out to the middle. Their objective is to defend the wicket and score as many runs (points) as possible. At any given time, only one of the batsmen is actually batting. The other is waiting his turn at the other wicket. The objective of the other side is to get the opposing batsmen out and to restrict them to as few runs as possible. The game begins when the fielding captain has placed his players
in suitable positions around the field, the idea being to prevent runs from being scored, and to enable the fielding team to get the batsmen out. Batsman 1 stands in front of his wicket, and one of
the fielding team bowls (throws with a circular action of a straight arm) the ball from the opposite wicket. The first aim of batsman 1 is to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket. If, then, he hits the ball and it travels to a gap in the field where there is no threat from a fielder, he will run the 22 yards to the other wicket. Batsman 2 will also run from wicket to wicket and thus the batsmen change positions. They have scored 1 run. Batsman 2 will then face the next delivery, and he will try and score runs in the same fashion. The batsman may score any number of runs from one shot. If the ball reaches the boundary having hit the ground before doing so, the batsman scores 4 runs. If the ball goes over the boundary on the full, the batsman scores 6 runs.
The games are controlled by two umpires who ensure that the laws are followed. Their decision is final and should never be contradicted by the players.
There are a following ways, a batsman can out :
Bowled, Caught, Run-out, Stumped, LBW, Hit Wicket, Hit the ball twice, Handled the ball, Obstructing the field, Timed out.
Not only is the game always to be played within the laws, but also within the spirit of the game. This means that fair play is paramount, and that one should always be sporting. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t be cricket.
In the center of the field there is a strip of very short grass 22 yards long. At each end of this ‘pitch’, there is a wicket consisting of three sticks raised out of the ground and two bails resting on top of the stumps. The edge of the field is marked out by a boundary. If the ball goes beyond this boundary, it is dead.
The games are controlled by two umpires who ensure that the laws are followed. Their decision is final and should never be contradicted by the players.
There are a following ways, a batsman can out :
Bowled, Caught, Run-out, Stumped, LBW, Hit Wicket, Hit the ball twice, Handled the ball, Obstructing the field, Timed out.
Not only is the game always to be played within the laws, but also within the spirit of the game. This means that fair play is paramount, and that one should always be sporting. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t be cricket.
