These days, with so many different styles of cricket being played around the world, there is little chance anyone will get into a game that doesn’t know the rules. Luckily, most of the games have official rule books which contain all the hard-earned knowledge that past players have gathered over the years!
There are three major sports in this category – rugby union (union), football (soccer) and baseball/ussie cricketer (AFL). The other two don’t really need an introduction but for cricket, we will go through the basics here.
It is very important to be familiar with the laws of the game before you start watching matches. Not only can it help determine whether or not your team has won or lost, but also some laws can be quite tricky and therefore interpreted differently from person to person. This can lead to lots of arguments and distractions!
This article will cover the basic rules of cricket as well as some helpful tips and tricks.
Definition of the crease
The “crease” is the area where the cricket ball can bounce off the pitch, or hit the ground. It comes down from the wicket at both ends. This is done to give the batter more time to get set before the bowler delivers the next ball.
The length of the crease in each end will vary depending on how fast the pitch is. A very slow pitch gives you longer for your batsman to wait before he has to run forward to face the bowling side.
A medium paced pitch gives you shorter leeway because the balls take less time to cross over the boundary. Therefore, it requires him to be ready earlier!
A quick pitch allows for no such luxury as the ball crosses the boundary quickly.
How the game is started
The match starts with the toss of the coin. If one team chooses to receive, then it must do so within 30 seconds or the other team gets to choose whether they want to bat or bowl first.
If the receiving team does not take up their option to be bowled, then they will go into batting order as normal.
If the bowling team wants to have a spin, then they can ask for a cricket ball that has been dried in an electric dryer. This is known as a crickey and the rule says you cannot play under such conditions without having them.
If your team does not have access to this equipment then there are some good online sources you can use to get a quality cricket ball.
The field umpires
Field Umpires are also known as “umpire-in-charge” or simply “referee.” They work with other people to determine whether the game has ended, and what happens next.
Field umpires make sure that play can continue by awarding a free kick (an indirect free kick) to either team if they believe an infringement took place outside of the playing area.
They may also award a goal via a direct free kick using their flag. This is done when the ball goes out of bounds directly behind the goal line.
The referee will usually be someone who already knows how the game is played so it does not matter which position they hold — unless there is a specific cricket rule they must know about.
The bowler
As a cricket fan, you will eventually come across some rules of the game that seem very complicated. These are called the “basic” or “simple” rules because most people know them already. However, knowing these basic rules can be tricky as not everyone knows all of them!
In this article we will look at the three main types of bowlers in cricket and what their roles are. We will also talk about how to field a throw from a pitcher’s hand.
I would like to add here that while fielding is an integral part of the sport, it is quite difficult to do well without understanding the basics of bowling. Luckily, you have just learned one! 🙂
The term ‘bowling’
When talking about the different types of bowlers in cricket, your first thought might be – “oh, he/she must mean someone throwing the ball”. But no, I am referring to anyone who takes a run up before they deliver the ball.
This person is referred to as a “bowler”. A good number 4 (or lower) batsman will try his best to stay out of the way when a bowler delivers the ball so that it does not hit the bat but goes straight down towards the ground where the fieldsmen can take control. This is why they call such a player a “fielding” position.
The batsman
As a batter, you will need to know some basic cricket rules. These include what happens when the bowler is not allowed to run or throw the ball (a no-ball), how a player can be awarded a penalty run, and how a wicket falls.
There are three different types of wickets in one-day internationals (T20Is) – two man, five fielders, and sixes. A regulation test match has four innings with a total of ten twenty-minute games per half. This means that there are fifty minutes between each type of wicket for an inning.
This article will go more into detail about these different types of wickets as well as discuss other important things such as over rates and time limits.
The ball
The size of the cricket ball depends on the type of cricket you are playing. For example, if you are watching Test matches then a 5-ball or 50-ball (i.e. regulation sized) ball will be used.
If you are watching one-day internationals or Twenty20 games then a 4-ball or 40-ball ball is more suitable. And if you are watching domestic cricket competitions then an even smaller 3-ball ball is needed!
The circumference of each ball must not exceed 76 mm and it should bounce above the surface where the field is situated – this is important to ensure fair play.
“Fair Play” in cricket means ensuring that no player gets advantage by using a heavier ball than their opponents. This may result in some sort of balls being banned due to them being too heavy.
Leg-side boundaries
A leg side boundary is any part of the field that goes down to, or beyond, the edge of the wicket along the length of an extended leg. The size of this area varies from stadium to stadium and even between different parts of the same stadium.
The number of leg side runs in cricket comes down to how many balls are hit into the air off a bat. More shots going up means longer arms give you more room for a run. This is why most professional cricketers have very long bats!
But not all professionals play every game so some time there will be a lower scoring match where only quick bowlers are needed. Or maybe there’s a big gap between innings and no need to keep the score high. In these situations, shorter bats may be better because it allows you to go faster!
There are two types of leg side boundaries — ones that can be scored with a single bounce and ones that require at least one bounce.
Off-side boundaries
The other major rule in cricket is how to determine if the ball has crossed the boundary line for an off side run. There are two main factors determined whether or not it crosses this line.
The first factor is where the batter was standing at the time of the shot. If he was outside his normal running position, then the field will assume that he wanted to run down the pitch and take a new batting position. Therefore, they assign him as out for running down the pitch.
If the batsman were walking away from the bowler’s area when he hit the ball, then there is no need to worry about determining if it went over the fence or not. Because it did! It goes way beyond it!
However, if the batsman was moving closer to the bowling area when he hit the ball, then the boundary must be reevaluated because now he would like to go back towards the bowler. This changes how we calculate off side runs.
Since he would now like to return to the middle of the field, it becomes harder to say whether or not the ball crossed the boundary. What you can do though, is add 10 yards to the size of the outfield per our earlier rule!
That way, even if it seems close, you can confirm that it didn’t cross the line.
