Cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a sport of bat-and-ball played between two teams of eleven players each on a large field, known as the ground, at which the centre has a 20 m (22 yd) pitch with a wicket (2 bails balanced on 3 stumps) at each end. The pitch is where the bowling and the batting takes place. There are different forms of cricket like: Test Cricket, One Day Cricket, T20 Cricket, Indoor Cricket, Blind Cricket and Backyard Cricket.

An ODI cricket match

It is the second most popular sport in the world after football (soccer) and the most popular sport in India. It is estimated to have over 2.5 billion followers and fans worldwide.

History

An olden day cricket match

          The origins of cricket are uncertain but it is believed to have been originated in England during 13^th-15^th century. It is believed to have been invented in the countryside where stones would be bowled and hit with a tree branch and preferably with the tree trunk as the stump. With the expansion of the British Empire, cricket spread globally leading to the 1^st international matches in the 19^th century. It has evolved and change from the old cricket game. The modern cricket is governed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has over 100 members.

Object

Cricket ball and bat

          The object of the game is to score more runs than the opponent team to win. The batting team aims to score more runs than the opponent team, while the bowling team tries to bowl the opponent members out and make them score as few runs as possible.  The teams will switch role after a team has lost all wickets or the allotted time is up.

Field

Melbourne Cricket Field

A cricket field is a large circular or oval grassy field with a rectangular pitch in the middle. The pitch is where the game is played, where the action bowling and batting is done. The dimensions of the dimeters of a field usually varies between 450 ft (137 m) and 500 ft (150 m). The pitch is a rectangular area with a measure of 22 yd (20 m) long at which end there is a wicket each.

Rules

A cricket match

• A team must consist of 11 players each atleast.
• An over is constituted when a bowler bowls 6 legal deliveries.
• There should be two empires at each end of the wicket.
• An out can be given when the ball hits the, caught after hitting the ball without any bounce, Leg Before Wicket, stumped, the batsmen hits his own wicket, batsman handles the ball on purpose, etc.
• A Test Cricket is played over 5 days with each team batting twice.
• The team with the more cumulative score after each inning wins.
• In International games, there will be 4 umpires, the 3rd and 4th to review any decision the 1^st and 2^nd umpires are unable to make.
• In One Day Cricket, each team tries to outscore the other with 300 balls.
• A fielding team must have a wicket keeper who is allowed to wear pads and gloves.