Cricket

BASICS

cricket is a game between two teams, each of 11 people, judged by one or two umpires. A toss of a coin is used to decide which of the teams bats first while the other team fields. Two batsmen stand in the middle of the field, holding a cricket bat and wearing pads, gloves and a helmet for protection. The batsman stands at a line called the crease which is marked in front of each of the wickets. A wicket is a set of three upright wooden posts called stumps (known as leg stump, middle stump and off stump), on the top of which two bails are balanced.

The bowler runs up and throws a cricket ball towards the batsman at the opposite wicket. There are names for different types of throws (deliveries): for example, a full toss doesn't bounce before it reaches the batsman, and a yorker bounces close to the toes of the batsman. The same bowler makes 6 successive throws - this is known as an over. If one of the balls isn't bowled properly there may be an extra (an additional throw) - the different cases are a no-ball, wide, bye or leg bye. At the end of the over the fielders change ends but the batsmen stay where they are. After a number of overs a new ball may be used.

The batsman who is facing the bowler tries to hit the ball towards the edge of the field (the boundary) and away from the fielders. The batting pair score a run each time that they both manage to run between the two opposite wickets. If the ball is hit over the boundary line it is called a four (4 runs are scored), and it is a six (6 runs are scored) if the ball reaches the boundary without first hitting the ground.

Each batsman continues playing until he is out (his wicket is taken). One way this can happen is if he is caught by one of the fielders (the ball must be caught after it has hit the bat and before it has bounced on the ground). He may be run out if a fielder manages to hit the stumps with the ball while a batsman is running (his bat must be outside the crease). A batsman is also out if he uses his leg to stop a ball which would have hit the wicket, known as lbw (leg before wicket). He may also be bowled out if the ball hits the stumps directly. The decision about whether someone is out is made by an independent umpire. A fielder may make an appeal if he thinks the batsman is out, typically by shouting the word howzat ("How's that?"). When a batsman is out he leaves the field and is replaced by the next member of the batting team, until 10 wickets have been taken and the team is all out. The last batsmen are called tailenders.

The time while a team is batting is called an innings. The score such as 154-3 is read "154 for 3" and means that 154 runs have been made for the loss of 3 wickets. At the end of an innings the fielding and batting teams change roles, and the new batting team tries to score more runs. Longer matches may have two innings for each team. Because the playing time is limited, a team that is scoring well may choose to declare, meaning that it finishes its innings before all of the batsmen are out. If the game is unfinished the result is a draw. If scores are identical the match is a tie.