Deemed to be one of the world’s most famous sports, cricket has indeed gained a lot of fans from all over the world. Despite the numerous number of fans that the sport has, a lot of people still get confused about how the sport is really played. Watching a game of cricket may not be enough to understand the fundamentals of the sport. However, it is by following a cricket guide like this that can help you have a grasp on how to play cricket properly.
The Objective
Each sport has an objective that will require a certain team to win. In cricket, a team’s objective is to score more runs than the opposing team. Each team will have its turn to be the bowling team and the batting team.
Number of Players Needed
To play cricket, there must be two teams of 11 players each. Each officiated by an umpire, the game starts off with a coin toss. Upon the umpire’s decision, the team who wins in the coin toss gets to decide whether their team would like to bat first or bowl first.
Things needed
A cricket game wouldn’t be complete without a wicket that is comprised of three stumps and two dials. There are two sets of wicket on the pitch and that is where most of the action takes place during a cricket game.
The other things that are needed in the game are a pair of gloves, a set of knee pads, a bat, and a ball. A player may also opt to use a helmet for additional safety purposes.
Mechanics of the Game
Now that the essentials had been discussed, let’s move forward to the mechanics of the game. By moving forward, you’ll be oriented on how to play cricket.
After the coin has been tossed and the teams have decided on their roles, the game starts. The bowling team has two players inside the pitch, the bowler and the wicket-keeper. The bowler is the one who throws the ball in an attempt to destroy the wickets or make the dials fall. The wicket-keeper, on the other hand, stays behind the wickets in an attempt to catch the ball.
The bowling team also has its players spread across the field. This is known as the fielding side. The objective of the fielding side is to catch the ball after it has been hit by the batsman of the opposing team. If they happen to catch the ball, the batsman gets to be called out of the game. After the batsman has been called out, it will be replaced by another substitute. Another thing that should be remembered by the bowling team is that they only have a limited number of balls that can be bowled.
The other important team in a cricket game is the batting team. There are two members of the batting team that gets to stay in the middle of the pitch. One of them is the batsman and the other is the non-striking batsman. The other members of the batting team are to stay on the side as they wait for their turn to be the batsman.
The goal of the batsman is to strike the ball after it has been bowled. The main goal of a batsman is to prevent the ball from hitting the wickets. Another goal of his is to prevent being called out from the game. Upon hitting the ball, the batsman and the non-striking batsman run back and forth to score runs. These runs are necessary because it is how the game of cricket is scored. Sooner or later, the batsman will be called out of the game. In fact, there are numerous ways on how a batsman can be called out. Upon being called out, he/she is to be replaced by another player.
The first inning is done after all balls had been bowled by the bowling team or after all of the ten batsmen had been called out of the game. After the first inning, the second inning pushes through where the teams are to switch roles. On the second inning, the batting team (formerly the batting team) aims to score more runs than the first batting team.
Scoring
It was previously stated that runs are used to measure the score of a team. Runs are scored based on the number of runs that the batsmen had made after the ball had been hit. However, a team may also earn an automatic number of four and six runs based on how the ball has been hit. Here’s how:
Four runs – An automatic count of four runs will be added to the team’s total score if the ball reaches the boundary of the field.
Six runs – An automatic count of six runs will be added to the team’s total score if the ball exceeds the boundary of the field.
Dismissal
A batsman can be called out after the following scenarios happen:
Bowled – happens if a bowler hits the wickets with the ball ;
Caught – happens when the ball is caught by a bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground ;
Leg Before Wicket (LBW) – happens when the umpire believes that the wicket would have been hit if not for the batsman’s leg ;
Run Out – happens when the bowling team knocks out the wickets before the batsmen reach the end of their run; and
Stumped – happens when the wicket-keeper puts down a wicket after a batsman has stepped out of his grounds.
Overview
There are still lots of things that can be learned about cricket than just what had been stated in this basic cricket guide. However, what had been stated are the basics of the sport and it would be helpful enough to remember the key points before you go deeper into understanding the sport. Now that you know the fundamentals, go on and try to appreciate the beauty of the sport more!