The game of cricket has been synonymous with sports in the United Kingdom and many other countries for centuries. While the game shares many similarities with baseball, it can be confusing to watch for an outsider. A brief overview of the basic rules can help you understand what's going on and give you a foundation for understanding the further complexities of the game.
Basic Setup
The game of cricket requires on an oval-shaped field with a rectangular dirt "pitch" at its center. The standard pitch is around 74 feet long, and a wicket stands at each end. Consisting of three vertical "stumps" topped by two horizontal pieces called "bails," the wicket is the focus of the game of cricket. The batting team attempts to defend the wickets, while the opposing team attempts to use a hard rubber ball to knock down the stumps.
Players
Teams consist of 11 players. For the batting side, one player stands at each end, defending the wicket with an oblong bat. The active player is the batsman, while his opposite is the "non-striker." For the fielding team, one player stands behind each wicket, with the player behind the batsman the "wicket keeper" and the player opposite him the "bowler." The remaining nine members of the fielding team stand spread around the pitch, waiting to catch batted balls.
Play
Play is divided into "overs." The bowler takes a running start toward the pitch and delivers an overhand throw, attempting to bounce the cricket ball off the pitch and hit the opposing wicket. The batsman attempts to hit or deflect the ball, protecting the wicket. The bowler will bowl six balls from his end of the pitch, completing the over, and then another bowler will bowl six balls from the opposite end. This pattern continues until the batter is out.
Outs
The most direct way of putting a batter out is by striking the wicket with the ball. If the batsman is standing in the safe area next to the wicket, only the bowler can knock down the stumps. If he steps away, however, the wicket is fair game for any player to strike with the ball. In addition, if the batsman hits the ball into the air and a fielder catches it before it hits the ground, he is out. Once one player is out, a new batsman takes his place, and play continues until 10 batsmen are out. At this point, the team has had their "innings," and then the teams switch places. Play continues until an agreed-upon number of innings are completed.
Scoring
Once the batsman hits the ball, he and the non-striker may switch places. Each time the players pass each other, the batsman scores one run. In addition, hitting the ball out of the field scores six, and if the ball rolls out of the field on the ground, it scores four runs. One batsman can score many runs through careful play, and cricket games are notorious for being long, drawn-out events.
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