Basics
A game of Cricket is contested by 2 sides, with each side contaning 11 players. The game is traditionally played out in sections known as innings. In one innings, one of the sides is batting, and the other side is fielding. The game is played in a roughly-oval shaped field. In the centre of the field lies a strip of earth, known as the pitch.
On either side of the pitch 3 wooden stumps are erected, known as a wicket.
At any point in time, 2 members of the batting side are at the pitch playing, while all eleven members of the fielding side are playing.
Now let us look at the different positions players can take in a cricket team. When a side is batting, of course, the only position each player in the side can take is that of a batsman.
The Batsman
As mentioned earlier, 2 batsman are playing at any point in time. Batsmen have 2 roles. Firstly, their priority is to protect their wicket. They do this they positioning themselves in front of a wicket, and by using their bat to prevent a ball bowled by the bowler (which will be covered later), from hitting the wicket. The second role of the batsmen is to score runs. They can do this by hitting the ball and then running from one wicket at one end of the pitch to the other at the other end, one run is scored when both batsmen (the one who hit the ball and the other, positioned at the other end of the pitch), successfully manage to exchange places. In addition, the perimeter of the field is bounded by a rope known as the boundary. If a batsman manages to hit the ball such that its crosses the boundary, runs are immediately awarded, regardless of whether the batsmen ran between the wickets. If the ball crosses the boundary directly along the ground, 4 runs are awarded, and if it crosses the boundary without making contact with the ground, 6 runs are awarded. Only one batsman faces the bowler at any time.
Now let us look at positions held by players in the fielding side:
The Bowler
The bowler in essence is the direct adversary if the batsman. His job is to hurl or bowl the ball in such a manner that it hits the 3 stumps guarded by the batsman facing him, thus "taking the wicket" of the batsman or dismissing him; the batsman is out of the game. The bowler bowls the ball usually in such a fashion that it bounces once off the pitch before going on to hit the wicket. Another way a bowler can dismiss a batsman is to bowl the ball in such a way as to induce the batsman to hit the ball into the air so that a fielder (which will be covered later), can catch it before it makes contact with the ground. A bowler can operate in 2 fashions: As a pace bowler, or a spin bowler. A pace bowler uses speed (and variations of it) and bounce to trick a batsman, while a spin bowler tries to achieve the very same by causing the ball to spin off the pitch after bowling it.
A Bowler bowls in sets of 6 balls at one go, and each set of six legitimate deliveries, with no wides or no-balls (see the page on cricket rules, bowling violations section) is known as 1 over. Once an over is bowled, it is now the trun of the non-facing batsman at the end of that over to face, and a new bowler has to bowl the next over.
The Fielder
Fielders are 9 of the 11 players in the fielding side, the other 2 being the bowler & the wicketkeeper (will be covered later). The aim of the fielders is to prevent the batsmen from taking runs. They do this by stopping the ball hit by the facing batsman, and throwing it to or at either wicket. The aim of this is to ty to get the ball to hit either wicket before one of the batsmen can reach the crease, a line which is placed a few feet before either wicket. This can be done by either the fielder directly hitting the wicket with the ball, or a fielder standing near the wicket collecting the thrown ball and hiting the stumps with it, while the batsman is out of his crease.
When the wicket is hit in such a fashion while the batsman is out of his crease, the fielding side is said to have taken a run-out.
The Wicketkeeper
The wicketkeeper is a specialised fielder who stands behind the stumps guarded by the batsman facing the bowling. The wicketkeeper is given gloves. The aim of the wicketkeeper is to take edges or nicks, when the ball takes a faint touch off the edge of the batsman's bat and moves on further past the stumps. In this essence the wicketkeeper is taking a catch. As the wicketkeeper is always positioned near one of the 2 wickets, another job of the wicketkeeper is to collect throws from fielders and hit the stumps down with the ball before the batsman can reach the crease. Lastly, the wicketkeeper's final job is to take stumpings. This occurs when the bowler bowls the ball such that the batsman is drawn out of his crease in an attempt to play the ball. If the batsman misses the ball and it reaches the wicketkeeper, the wicketkeeper now can hit the stumps down with the ball with the batsman out of his crease, thus dismissing the batsman.
Means of dismissal
So far we have covered:
Even if the batsman did not mean to use his leg, if the ball is adjudged to have been blocked from hiting the stumps in such a fashion, the batsman can be dismissed.
The Umpire
Most Cricket matches are adjudicated by 2 umpires, the main empire and the leg-side umpire. The main umpire stands behind the wicket not guarded by the facing batsman, and ensures that the rules of the game are followed. The decision as to whether a batsman is dismissed LBW, or whether a catch has been legitimately taken is made by this umpire. Hence, when a fielding side believes that they can dismiss a batsman in such a fashion, they have to appeal to the umpire. The most common form of appealing is when enogh members of the team cry "How is that?" to the umpire. The role of the leg-side umpire, or leg umpire, who is positioned on the left of the facing batsman, is to judge possible stumpings, whether the batsman was in his crease or not at the point at which the stumps were hit down.
This is the essential know-how you must possess before you can begin your foray into how to play cricket.
A game of Cricket is contested by 2 sides, with each side contaning 11 players. The game is traditionally played out in sections known as innings. In one innings, one of the sides is batting, and the other side is fielding. The game is played in a roughly-oval shaped field. In the centre of the field lies a strip of earth, known as the pitch.
On either side of the pitch 3 wooden stumps are erected, known as a wicket.
At any point in time, 2 members of the batting side are at the pitch playing, while all eleven members of the fielding side are playing.
Now let us look at the different positions players can take in a cricket team. When a side is batting, of course, the only position each player in the side can take is that of a batsman.
The Batsman
As mentioned earlier, 2 batsman are playing at any point in time. Batsmen have 2 roles. Firstly, their priority is to protect their wicket. They do this they positioning themselves in front of a wicket, and by using their bat to prevent a ball bowled by the bowler (which will be covered later), from hitting the wicket. The second role of the batsmen is to score runs. They can do this by hitting the ball and then running from one wicket at one end of the pitch to the other at the other end, one run is scored when both batsmen (the one who hit the ball and the other, positioned at the other end of the pitch), successfully manage to exchange places. In addition, the perimeter of the field is bounded by a rope known as the boundary. If a batsman manages to hit the ball such that its crosses the boundary, runs are immediately awarded, regardless of whether the batsmen ran between the wickets. If the ball crosses the boundary directly along the ground, 4 runs are awarded, and if it crosses the boundary without making contact with the ground, 6 runs are awarded. Only one batsman faces the bowler at any time.
Now let us look at positions held by players in the fielding side:
The Bowler
The bowler in essence is the direct adversary if the batsman. His job is to hurl or bowl the ball in such a manner that it hits the 3 stumps guarded by the batsman facing him, thus "taking the wicket" of the batsman or dismissing him; the batsman is out of the game. The bowler bowls the ball usually in such a fashion that it bounces once off the pitch before going on to hit the wicket. Another way a bowler can dismiss a batsman is to bowl the ball in such a way as to induce the batsman to hit the ball into the air so that a fielder (which will be covered later), can catch it before it makes contact with the ground. A bowler can operate in 2 fashions: As a pace bowler, or a spin bowler. A pace bowler uses speed (and variations of it) and bounce to trick a batsman, while a spin bowler tries to achieve the very same by causing the ball to spin off the pitch after bowling it.
A Bowler bowls in sets of 6 balls at one go, and each set of six legitimate deliveries, with no wides or no-balls (see the page on cricket rules, bowling violations section) is known as 1 over. Once an over is bowled, it is now the trun of the non-facing batsman at the end of that over to face, and a new bowler has to bowl the next over.
The Fielder
Fielders are 9 of the 11 players in the fielding side, the other 2 being the bowler & the wicketkeeper (will be covered later). The aim of the fielders is to prevent the batsmen from taking runs. They do this by stopping the ball hit by the facing batsman, and throwing it to or at either wicket. The aim of this is to ty to get the ball to hit either wicket before one of the batsmen can reach the crease, a line which is placed a few feet before either wicket. This can be done by either the fielder directly hitting the wicket with the ball, or a fielder standing near the wicket collecting the thrown ball and hiting the stumps with it, while the batsman is out of his crease.
When the wicket is hit in such a fashion while the batsman is out of his crease, the fielding side is said to have taken a run-out.
The Wicketkeeper
The wicketkeeper is a specialised fielder who stands behind the stumps guarded by the batsman facing the bowling. The wicketkeeper is given gloves. The aim of the wicketkeeper is to take edges or nicks, when the ball takes a faint touch off the edge of the batsman's bat and moves on further past the stumps. In this essence the wicketkeeper is taking a catch. As the wicketkeeper is always positioned near one of the 2 wickets, another job of the wicketkeeper is to collect throws from fielders and hit the stumps down with the ball before the batsman can reach the crease. Lastly, the wicketkeeper's final job is to take stumpings. This occurs when the bowler bowls the ball such that the batsman is drawn out of his crease in an attempt to play the ball. If the batsman misses the ball and it reaches the wicketkeeper, the wicketkeeper now can hit the stumps down with the ball with the batsman out of his crease, thus dismissing the batsman.
Means of dismissal
So far we have covered:
- Bowlers taking a wicket
- Fielders taking catches and run-outs
- Wicketkeepers taking a stumping
Even if the batsman did not mean to use his leg, if the ball is adjudged to have been blocked from hiting the stumps in such a fashion, the batsman can be dismissed.
The Umpire
Most Cricket matches are adjudicated by 2 umpires, the main empire and the leg-side umpire. The main umpire stands behind the wicket not guarded by the facing batsman, and ensures that the rules of the game are followed. The decision as to whether a batsman is dismissed LBW, or whether a catch has been legitimately taken is made by this umpire. Hence, when a fielding side believes that they can dismiss a batsman in such a fashion, they have to appeal to the umpire. The most common form of appealing is when enogh members of the team cry "How is that?" to the umpire. The role of the leg-side umpire, or leg umpire, who is positioned on the left of the facing batsman, is to judge possible stumpings, whether the batsman was in his crease or not at the point at which the stumps were hit down.
This is the essential know-how you must possess before you can begin your foray into how to play cricket.
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