Cricket Vs. Football

Cricket and football share their roots in Northern Europe with the roots of each game a mystery. But it is largely argued that both games came from either the Roman Empire or ancient Greece before being taken around Europe and the world.

  1. History

    • According to ESPN’s Cricinfo the first cricket club was formed in Marylebone, London, England in 1877 with a set of rules organized to standardize the sport in 1878. Alameda High School reports the first game of football similar to the modern form was played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869.

    Time

    • The time limit for a game of cricket is based on the competition in which the game is played or on an agreement between the teams. Purdue University reports games lasting from a single afternoon to a five day game played between international teams. In contrast, the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports professional football is played across four 15 minute quarters adding up to one hour of playing time.

    Equipment

    • The balls used in cricket and football are both made with a leather casing that is stitched together, but they are different in size and shape. Other equipment is similar with both cricket players and football players wearing helmets during the game.

    Teams

    • Both football and cricket are made up of two teams with 11 players. However while Alameda High School reports both football teams have 11 players on the field at the same time, Purdue University explains that during a cricket game the teams are split into batting and fielding teams with the batting team having only two players on the field at any time.

    Playing Area

    • Purdue University describes a cricket field being of varying shapes and sizes between 90 and 150 meters in length and width marked by a rectangular area in the center of the field that is cut shorter than the rest of the field and rolled to compact the earth where the batting and bowling takes place. Alameda High School reports the football field to be a standard 100 yards long and 160 feet wide.

    Change Over

    • Michigan State University reports cricket teams change ends of the field after six balls are bowled by the fielding team, with no bowler allowed to bowl more than six legal balls at a time. Football teams on the other hand are reported by Alameda High School as changing ends after each 15 minute quarter.