This week, we are going to talk about one of cricket’s most fundamental rules. The rule we will discuss this week is called “The Leg-Hit” or as it is more commonly known, the leg-side berm.
As you can probably tell by now, the term “leg-hit” refers to when a batsman hits the ball with his foot (the leg) instead of his hand (the bat). A batsman may be hit leg-wise for two reasons: poor fielding or bad shot selection.
Poor fielding usually rewards him with a run out, while a good shot often results in a boundary or even a six. That being said, if a player chooses to go down the leg side rather than play along the ground, then he has conceded a penalty run and reduced his chances of scoring slightly.
This article will focus mostly on how to defend against the leg-side berm, but once again we will emphasize that only batting mistakes warrant such drastic action.
Laws of cricket
The laws in this book are organized into five chapters, each one pertaining to a different area of cricket. Each chapter is also divided into several sections that describe specific rules or types of play.
The first three chapters discuss what happens when the ball is in play and how time is spent during a game. These chapters include the field dimensions, how the innings are structured, and what kind of scoring opportunities there are for each player.
Chapter four covers all aspects of offense including ways to run down a batsman, hit him with the ball, pick his arm off the ground, and so on. This includes things like hitting the hand, elbow, shoulder, or face.
Chapters five through eight focus on defense. These cover dropping the bat, protecting the stumps, defending against balls that don’t quite make it onto your body, and more. All of these can be done using your hands, arms, legs, or head.
International cricket matches
What is an international match? An international match is when two or more teams compete against each other for either a prize (like a championship) or just for fun. Teams that play in international competitions are called full national teams because they consist of players from all around the world!
International competition can be very competitive, even between countries who have never competed before. This is why people watch international games — it’s exciting to see what kind of new strategies each team comes up with.
The winner of the game gets some sort of reward like a trophy or money. The organization that hosts the game also makes lots of money since hotels and restaurants are busy during this time frame.
There are different types of tournaments in international cricket. A series-style tournament has several rounds, and you get to know the teams better as the season goes on. A one-off event is only one day long, but it can feel longer due to the length of the game.
Domestic cricket matches
In domestic cricket, countries play against each other at home. These are not international games as they do not have qualification points for getting into the next level. They are more like MLS soccer teams playing against each other or your local high school football team fighting for state supremacy.
Domestic cricket has two types of competitions: limited-overs (or ODI) cricket and Twenty20 cricket. Both are played over a set amount of time with a winner determined by a score. The length can be one day, three days, or a single twenty-four hour period in a marathon tournament such as the World Cup!
The most popular form of both ODI and T20 cricket is the five-over game. This means there are just five balls per person, unless someone gets out. At that point, people get extra time off to discuss what happened and who should win!
Another type of cricket you will see in some countries is Test match cricket. A test match is longer than any other kind of cricket! It usually lasts three to four days and is only stopped when it looks like one side is going to completely lose.
The field
In cricket, the field is made up of three different zones; back zone, middle zone and front line. These are referred to as the ‘zones’ because they create boundaries for the ball to bounce off or hit before it becomes a run. Each of these zones can be adjusted in size depending on what kind of game is being played.
The back fence or boundary is typically about 30 yards (27 m) long and this changes slightly from stadium to stadium. This length gives enough space for a batsman to run between the wicket and the fence, but not so much that he has too much room to move around. It also allows for an adequate running area for a bowler.
The middle pitch is usually 10-12 meters wide and this varies according to how many runs there should be on the ground. A normal sized cricket ground will have a medium width pitch which makes it easy for most players to get used to when coming into the sport.
The goal of the batting team is to score as many runs as possible by hitting the ball through the air with a bat. When a player hits the ball over the top edge of the field, it goes out for a run unless the other team gets it stuck behind a wall, roof or cable net. If a batted down in the grass then the batter must take a new turn at the crease until it is retrieved.
The boundary
A cricket field has two boundaries, which are very important parts of the game. These are referred to as the “fence” or the “gates” (the end walls).
The fence is typically made out of white plastic material and is about ten feet long. This gives each team one half-field to run around with the ball while the other team must wait outside this area for them to return it.
Teams usually have six players per side so there are three fields in total. Each player has a job that they do during a match – batsman to score runs, bowler to stop the opposing team scoring by taking wickets, and keeper to defend their goal directly ahead of them.
The difference between the keepers at either gate is called the extra cover position. The goalkeeper here can try to hit the runner running towards his goal with the ball, or he can just dive and take a risk on being hit by it.
If a member of your team steps off the field before the allotted time is up, then your team loses the next turn! This happens once every twenty minutes depending on how many goals there are.
The bowler’s run up
As we mentioned before, bowlers can choose how they prepare for the ball to be delivered to them. Some prefer to start with their left foot forward and then move their right leg backwards as they crouch down, while others go directly from standing upright with both feet together.
The important thing about this is that when the batsman steps out of his crease, the bowler must shift or re-position themselves so that their front foot is in position to receive the bat. If it’s not, you’ve wasted your energy and chances are he will get away with bowling a no-ball! (A no-ball is when the batter gets two bounces off the wicket without hitting the pad first.)
This also applies if the batsman decides to step back instead of forwards – the rules don’t change. It’s just more difficult to do so because the longer legs make it take longer to get back into position.
The bowler’s release point
As we mentioned before, the type of bowling style you are determines how your feet move when pitching the ball. It also dictates what position your body is in while bowling. For example, if you want to be a fast bowler, then you have to learn how to get faster!
The first thing about bowling that most people get wrong is the release point of the ball. You see this very often with young bowlers who feel they need to drag their leg back much more than necessary before throwing the ball. This takes away some of their speed because it requires them to use more energy to pull the trigger.
By using a light hand-swing, your muscles don’t have to work as hard which helps you generate more power. Once you’ve got the swing down, then you can add weight to the ball (by diving forward or keeping high knees) to create extra momentum and thus increase the velocity of the ball.
The ball
The size, shape, material and spinning speed of the cricket ball is one of the most important parts of the game. A well-fed batter will do nothing but stand there while the pitcher throws the ball at him.
The diameter of the ball must be more than 6 inches for it to count as a regulation cricket ball. This can sometimes pose a problem because many brands produce balls that are slightly thinner than what the rules require.
It’s totally fine to use these thinned out versions during practice or casual games, but make sure to switch up the balls you use in matches so players don’t get too used to playing with them.
Because the ball becomes very aerodynamic when it enters the field of play, different materials perform differently. Most countries use white balls which some say has an adverse effect on the batsmen by making it harder to see where the ball is traveling. Others prefer using grey balls due to this same reason.
Your country may have official regulations about the type of ball that can be used in games, so do your research before buying! Luckily, we have some great sellers from our website marketplaces who usually cater to international sports fans and teams.
