Rules for Playing Cricket

Cricket is a sport in which two teams play. It can go from a few hours to days and is similar to baseball in its concept. It has innings and runs and the opposite team tries to get them out. However the rules of the game are quite different and the play is nowhere near the same. From there being two batters on the field at once to there being no particular position for the outfield, it can get a little bit confusing.

  1. Equipment

    • In cricket there is a ball, bat, wickets and player gear. The ball is hard and covered in leather with raised stitches, weighing about five and a half ounces. It is usually red, however in night games a white ball is sometimes used for visibility. The bat is made of willow and is round on one side and flat on the other. It is held to a cane handle. There are two wickets made of three stumps with two bails on top. The bails are wooden pieces that sit on top the stumps in grooves. The stumps are posts 32 inches high that are stuck into the ground. The player gear consists of pants and shirt, shoes with spikes for grip, pads, gloves and a helmet (when batting).

    Playing

    • Deciding who goes first is based on a coin toss. There are eleven players in the outfield and the game starts with the first pitch, which is actually more of a bowling motion. There are two wickets set up in the middle of the field several yards apart. The bowler, or pitcher, stands in the field behind a wicket. Another outfielder, called a wicket keeper, stands on the other side of the other wicket, to catch the ball that the batter might miss. So these two players stand in the middle of the field with both wickets between them. There are two batters on the field. One is the striker and is farther from the bowler. He stands next to the wicket that is closest to the wicket keeper. The other is the non-striker, which stands next to the wicket that is closest to the bowler. The bowler throws to the farthest wicket. The batter can attempt to hit the ball. If missed, the wicket keeper will catch the ball. If he hits it, both batters run. When a bowler has played six balls, then that bowler is over and another field player comes up to take his place.

    Outs

    • When a batter is out, then another batter will come in to take his place. Of the two batters on the field, the one that did not get out stays on the field. When there are 10 outs, there is no possibility to have another player take another's place and that half of the inning is over. The teams will then switch places. There are multiple ways to get out. A fielder can catch a batted ball and if he does not step over the boundary the batter is out. If a ball is missed by the batter and the ball breaks the wicket. If a batter runs on a hit and a fielder breaks the wicket during the run. If the batter touches a wicket while hitting the ball or taking off on a run, he will be out. If a batter touches the ball without permission or obstructs play other than running his normal path, he will be out. And if a new batter takes too long to enter the field of play, he can be called out.

    Runs

    • When the ball has been hit by the batter, both the striker batter and the non-striker batter can score by running a path out and back to their original spot. They earn one score for running out and another if they make it back. The bats are taken with them. They have to touch a spot on the opposite side with their bat and then are allowed to return. They do not have to run.

    Extras

    • Runs can be scored by other ways than the normal hitting of the ball. If a bowler steps over a mark and bowls the ball it is called a no ball. At that point the batters can run as usual and the runs can count for the team without a hit actually having been made. The run will not count toward that batter, but go toward the overall team score.