| Cricket Rules - The basics
The aim of cricket is simple - score more runs than the opposition.
But the game is played in two different formats and in some games
it's possible to get a draw even if you don't score as many runs as
the opposition. Confused? It's not that difficult. Those sorts of
results only happen in the longer version of the game, played over
anything between two and five days, when both teams have two
innings. If the team batting last aren't bowled out then they can
still draw the match if they've not scored as many runs as their
opponents. The game is played on a large field, although most of the
action takes place on a specially prepared area known as the pitch
or the wicket. At opposite ends of the pitch are the wickets or
stumps which the batsmen have to protect.
Cricket is played between two teams of 11 players. The fielding team
have all 11 players on the pitch at the same time. Nine members of
the fielding team can be positioned around the pitch depending on
where the captain wants them. The other two members of the team are
the wicketkeeper and the bowler. The bowler delivers the ball,
overarm, aiming to get the batsmen out. Two batsmen bat at any one
time, standing at opposite ends of the pitch. The batsman facing the
bowler is the "striker". One run is scored each time the batsmen
cross and reach the crease at the opposite end from which they
started. Although all 11 players have the chance to bat, the team
are "all out" when 10 wickets have fallen as the "not out" batsman
is left without a team-mate at the other end of the wicket. A team
doesn't have to be all out for an innings to close. If a captain
feels their team has scored enough runs, they can bring the innings
to a close by making a "declaration". Teams also have a "12th man"
who acts as a substitute fielder if one of the first 11 are injured.
However, the 12th man is not allowed to bat or bowl.
The inside of a cricket ball is made of cork while the outside is
made of red leather. The leather is then stitched together around
the centre and this area being called the seam. This seam is
slightly raised and it's this area which fast bowlers use to hit the
pitch when it bounces. With a little help from the pitch, the angle
of the delivery will (hopefully) change direction and cause lots of
problems for the batsman. Ever since coloured clothing was
introduced in one-day matches, a white ball is used instead of a red
one.
Two umpires officiate the game on the field of play, but at
international level there's also a third umpire on the sidelines and
a match referee. One umpire stands behind the stumps at the bowler's
end of the pitch, while the other umpire stands at square leg. The
umpire at the bowler's end makes decisions on lbw decisions,
no-balls, wides and leg byes. The square leg umpire will judge
stumpings and run-outs. The batsmen should be given any benefit of
doubt. This means that if an umpire is unsure about a decision, then
the batsman should be given not out. The umpires change position at
the end of each over. Only an umpire can give a batsman out after an
appeal from the fielding side. If a batsman stands their ground and
no appeal is made by the fielding side, then they shouldn't be given
out by an umpire. The umpires indicate no-balls, byes, leg-byes,
wides, boundaries and sixes to the scorers, who keep a running total
of the runs scored. The third umpire uses replays to rule on
run-outs, stumpings, whether a ball has hit the ground before being
caught or when it's unclear if the ball has crossed the boundary or
not. However, the third umpire can only rule if the decision is
referred to them by the umpires out on the pitch. The match referee
rules on disciplinary matters. If a player shows disagrees by
arguing with an umpire about a decision then the match referee can
fine the player in question.
The two captains toss a coin for the right to choose whether to bat
or bowl first. The captain who wins the toss will take a number of
factors into consideration like the pitch, weather conditions and
the form of his side. Play changes end after each over. An over is
six deliveries bowled by one bowler. When an over is completed play
switches to the other end and continues like this throughout the
game.
A match will normally be played with each side having one innings in
a limited overs game or with both sides batting twice in a game
played over a number of days. Test matches are played over five
days, while County Championship matches in England are played over
four days. Limited over cricket involves both sides bowling the same
amount of overs to score their runs from, with the winner being the
team that scores the most. In most first class competitions each
side will receive up to 50 overs, but in schools cricket it is
normally a lot less. However, if, for example, a team is bowled out
after 40 overs in a 50 over match, the other team still has the full
50 overs in which to beat their score. Play in Test matches is
usually split into three two hour sessions, although a minimum
number of overs to be bowled in a day is also usually agreed between
the sides before a series begins. A 40-minute lunch break is taken
between the first two sessions of a day's play, with 20 minutes
being allowed for tea after the end of the second session.
On a humid, cloudy day, the ball is more likely to move in the air
or "swing", as it's known in cricket. Those sort of conditions are
most commonly found in cooler countries like England and New
Zealand. "Greener" wickets with more grass on and a more damper
surface are found in these countries and they help the quicker
bowlers as they help movement off the seam. The bowler will try and
keep the seam of the ball in as upright a position as possible so
that it makes good contact with the wicket when it pitches. When the
ball hits the pitch, the seam will react with the ground and create
"movement off the seam". Drier pitches in India and Pakistan are far
more helpful to spin bowlers. The pace of these pitches is a lot
slower, giving a spinning ball more time to grip and "turn off the
pitch". But on these surfaces the bounce of the ball is far more
inconsistent. Play will be stopped if it rains or if there's bad
light which may make batting conditions dangerous.
The size of the field on which the game is played
varies from ground to ground but the pitch is always a rectangular
area of 22 yards (20.12m) in length and 10ft (3.05m) in width. The
popping (batting) crease is marked 1.22m in front of the stumps at
either end, with the stumps set along the bowling crease. The return
creases are marked at right angles to the popping and bowling
creases and are measured 1.32m either side of the middle stumps. The
two sets of wickets at opposite ends of the pitch stand 71.1cm high
and three stumps measure 22.86 cm wide in total. Made out of willow
the stumps have two bails on top and the wicket is only broken if at
least one bail is removed. If the ball hits the wicket but without
knocking a bail off, then the batsman is not out. |
