Introduction to Cricket
-batting%2C-England-V-Australia-the-Ashes%2C-2nd-test-at-Lords-150x113_tcm18-97451.jpg "Alec Stewart (Eng) batting, England V Australia, The Ashes, 2nd test at Lords")
The Basic Rules of Cricket
Cricket is played between 2 teams of 11 players. To win, you must score more runs than the other team within a defined period of time or number of 'overs' - an over is when the ball has been bowled 6 times.
There are 2 batsmen at any time. A bowler bowls the ball, and the batsmen must attempt to hit the ball away from the fielders and, if it is safe, he must run to the other end of the pitch to score a run. The 2 batsmen start at opposite ends of the pitch and both batsmen must run at the same time.
There are a number of forms of cricket matches: Test matches are played over five days and involve each team batting twice, 1-day games last for 50-overs per team, Twenty20 games involve 20 overs per team and county games last for 3 days with both teams batting twice.
Cricket can be described as a giant game of chess, with the different strategies devised by each team being very important to the outcome. Players bowl differently to each batsman, and fielders field in different positions too. It's still seen as a 'gentleman's game' - what other game do you know where the players stop for 20 minutes for afternoon tea!
Other bat and ball games
Cricket is often confused with other bat and ball games, such as rounders and baseball. But they are in fact, very different games. The biggest confusion is usually between cricket and baseball. Find out about the differences between the great games.