This week, we are going to talk about how cricket is played and scored. We will start by talking about what kind of game cricket is and then move onto some definitions related to the sport.
Next, we will discuss what types of shots there are in cricket and which ones are considered legal. After that, we will learn about field settings and how different fields influence the way the game is played and scored.
We will also look at two important terms: strike rate and batting average. These numbers tell us more about a player’s performance than just knowing his or her highest score.
Last but not least, we will review some basic rules of the sport such as run-outs and over-rate penalties!
Keep reading for all of these and much more!
Cricket is played on a pitch (area marked out with boundaries) and a square area called the wicket where the ball can be hit with a bat. The size of the wicket depends on the type of match and time; usually it is around 30 x 40 feet.
The number of runs in a cricket side comes from a scoreboard used before video technology was available. Today, this has been replaced with a computer program that calculates the scores for matches.
The laws of cricket
Law 1 – Field
The field is a rectangular area with a boundary line that surrounds it. There are two main areas within the field-the batting side and the bowling side. During play, the size of each area can be adjusted to make room for players to run or for the other team to use as a base.
Each half of the field has an additional 30 meters (30 yards) of space next to the boundary. This is called the extra cover boundary and extra cover position. These are used by the fielding side if they want to throw the ball in for a catch or hit a drop shot.
Law 2 – Batsman’s Fielding Area
A batsman may not step out of his ground until he receives the ball from a fielder. A bowler cannot bowl the bat unless this happens first. Once the ball comes into contact with the ground outside the batsman’s feet, then it becomes the batsman’s responsibility to return it to the pitch. If he does not do so before it goes over the fence, then he will lose a penalty stroke and start again at one.
This is why there is a term ‘bowling gate’ — the gap between where the ball went over the fence and where the striker was standing when it happened. It is up to the umpire whether to give a penalty shot or let the batter continue.
Cricket is a bat and ball sport
In cricket, there are two main components: The field of play and the pitch or surface that the game takes place on. The field consists of three different areas: The outfield, where the goal is to get balls thrown at you; the infield, where the goal is to put the ball into a gap or slot for a run; and the middle, which is kindof in-between and not really one area or another.
The outfield can be either grass, sand or gravel and this determines how fast the ball will bounce off the surface and whether it’ll stick around enough to be caught by a player. Bouncy greens are ideal for fielding because it’s easier to scoop up a slow bouncing ball. Grassy fields also help promote good ankle and knee strength as players have to take frequent steps when running after batted balls!
The length and shape of the pitch determine what type of shot you can use. A long, thin pitch means you can hit longer, straighter shots with the same amount of power, while a short wide pitch gives you more room to work with but less chance of getting away with hitting dribbles towards the other end.
Cricket is a team sport
In cricket, there are two main teams that play against each other. These are known as the home team and the away team. The home team has to field at least six players in their lineup for it to be considered legitimate while the away team only needs five.
The number of runs scored by either side determines who wins the game. A team can have up to ten run outs before a match is decided, so scoring more than that doesn’t matter very much.
However, if one team gets close to or reaches this limit then the score becomes important again. This happens when a player from the opposing team manages to hit a goal (getting a person out) or a boundary (scoring around the yardage).
The field
A cricket match is typically played on a pitch or field that is either neutral, or home team territory. This means that it is not in your home town, nor does it belong to the opposition. It is somewhere in between!
The size of the field depends on the type of game being played. For example, a Test match will have much longer innings than a one-dayer or a Twenty20 game.
There are three main areas of the cricket field – the batting area, the bowling area and the middle (or ‘goals’) area. These are determined by where the balls go after they are hit/bowled.
The batsman can run up anywhere within their own circle which is called an outie. An inside edge off the bat goes in their circle and therefore comes into the hands of the bowler who has overstepped them, while an outside edge goes beyond their circle and so drops down in the goals for a gimme.
By law, a player may only step forward with their left foot when running and must keep their right leg behind them. Bowling from this position is known as a Right Handed Bowlers Circle.
When a ball hits the ground it can bounce or roll depending on the surface it lands on. If it bounces high then it is a bouncer and if it rolls away slowly it is a slider.
The boundaries
The field of play is divided into two main areas, which are referred to as the cricket fields or simply the grounds. These are usually called the fielding side’s ground and the batting side’s ground.
The scoring area is in front of each team’s goal (goals are 2 points for your team if you score 1 point then it becomes 3-1). This is where most of the action takes place because this is where both teams try to gain an advantage over their opponents by hitting the ball as far as possible.
A boundary is defined as any part of the pitch that is beyond the normal playing length of the game. A regulation international match is 50 minutes long so there can be up to 10 balls per player depending how fast they run around the field!
That means there can be up to 40 goals scored during the course of a single day’s play. On average, about 30% of all runs will result in a boundary being hit.
The pitch
A cricket field or ground is made up of three main areas: the playing surface, the boundary line and the scoring area. These are usually called the “wickets”, the “fences” or the “boundaries” depending on which part they belong to.
The outfield is the space outside the boundaries where play can take place. This includes anything like hills that could affect how much bounce the ball gets as well as any trees or buildings that might prevent it being hit straight down an alleyway.
The grass on the field is also important – if it is very long then it will help slow down fast bowlers and give more time for batsmen to score runs. If it is short it may cause problems for some teams by making them need to be quick off the blocks.
There is one other key element on a cricket field – the pitch! How hard the wicket is determines what kind of game you get.
A low-bouncing dry wicket is good for fast bowling because it gives the bowler more power when trying to gain swing and lift. A high bouncing wet wicket is better for slower bowling due to the extra cushioning effect it has.
The batting order
As we mentioned before, in cricket there is an important position called the batting order or captain. This person goes first, followed by another player, and so on until only one player is left at the end of the game. During a match, the batsman come out to the field in a specific sequence determined by their place in the batting order.
The opening batsmen play the ball early on in the innings and then give the rest of the team time to settle into the game. Once they have settled, the next group comes in to try and hit them hard with the bat. Only when the last member of this group has been run out or bowled do the others get to go forward as the new openers!
This system gives the other players time to adjust to the pace of the game while also enabling each individual to feel significant by being given a chance to shine. It can be quite difficult for people who don’t play the sport very often to understand how much importance that really has.
The bowling order
As we mentioned before, the number one bowler is usually given the responsibility of getting as many runs out of the field as possible by going hard at the batsman and trying to hit him as hard as possible.
This doesn’t always work though because even if he does manage to get a wicket or two, it often means that his team has to make up for lost time while he gets some rest. This can be very frustrating for them since they have to play more quickly than planned!
The number two bowler is usually the next choice, but instead of just being responsible for getting as many runs as possible, this person will try to find a way to upset the batsmen and force a result in the game.
They may choose to go all out and challenge the batsman to a duel, or they could just focus on making sure they don’t let too much time pass so their teammates don’t need to take over. Either way, there are strategies involved.
