Cricket is a
bat-and-ball team sport that is first
documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century.
By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point
where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of
the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the
mid-19th century the first international matches were being held.
Today, the game's governing body, the
International Cricket Council
(ICC), has
104 member
countries. With its greatest popularity in the
Test playing countries, cricket is widely
regarded as the world's second most popular sport.
The rules of the game are known as the
Laws of Cricket. These are maintained by the
ICC and the
Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC), which holds the copyright. A cricket match is
played on a
cricket field at the
centre of which is a
pitch. The match
is contested between two teams of eleven players each. One team
bats, trying to score as many
runs as possible without being dismissed
("
out") while the other team
bowls and
fields, trying to dismiss the other
team’s batsmen and limit the runs being scored. When the batting
team has used all its available
overs
or has no remaining batsmen, the roles become reversed and it is
now the fielding team’s turn to bat and try to outscore the
opposition.
There are several variations in the length of a game of cricket. In
professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side
(
Twenty20) to a game played over 5 days
(
Test cricket). Depending on the form
of the match being played, there are different rules that govern
how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied.
Objectives
A cricket match is played between two teams (or sides) of eleven
players each on a
field of variable
size and shape. The ground is
grassy and is
prepared by groundsmen whose jobs include fertilising, mowing,
rolling and levelling the surface. Field diameters of are usual.
The perimeter of the field is known as the
boundary and this is sometimes painted
and sometimes marked by a rope that encircles the outer edge of the
field.
The
Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field but
it is often oval – one of cricket's most famous venues is called
The
Oval
.
The objective of each team is to score more
runs than the other team and to completely
dismiss the other team. In one
form of cricket, winning the game is achieved by scoring the most
runs, even if the opposition has not been completely dismissed. In
another form, it is necessary to score the most runs and dismiss
the opposition in order to win the match, which would otherwise be
drawn.
Before play commences, the two team captains
toss a coin to decide which team shall
bat or
bowl first. The captain who wins the toss
makes his decision on the basis of tactical considerations which
may include the current and expected field and weather
conditions.
The key action takes place in a specially prepared area of the
field (generally in the centre) that is called the
pitch. At either end of the pitch, apart, are
placed the
wickets. These serve as a target
for the
bowling (
aka
fielding) side and are defended
by the
batting side which seeks to
accumulate runs. A run is scored when the
batsman has run the length of the pitch after
hitting the ball with his bat, although as explained below there
are many ways of scoring runs. If the batsmen are not attempting to
score any more runs, the ball is dead and is returned to the bowler
to be bowled again.
The bowling side seeks to dismiss the batsmen by various means
until the batting side is all out, whereupon the side that was
bowling takes its turn to bat and the side that was batting must
take the field.
In professional matches, there are 15 people on the field while a
match is in play. Two of these are the
umpires who regulate all on-field activity.
Two are the batsmen, one of whom is the striker as he is facing the
bowling; the other is called the non-striker. The roles of the
batsmen are interchangeable as runs are scored and
overs are completed. The fielding side has
all 11 players on the field together. One of them is the
bowler, another is the
wicketkeeper and the other nine are called
fielders. The wicketkeeper (or keeper) is nearly always a
specialist but any of the fielders can be called upon to
bowl.
Pitch, wickets and creases
pitch is 22 yd (one
chain) long between the wickets and is wide.
It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn
away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a
significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always
determined with the state of the pitch, both current and
anticipated, as a deciding factor.
Each
wicket consists of three
wooden
stumps placed in a straight
line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called
bails; the total height of the wicket
including bails is and the combined width of the three stumps is .
Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the
wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to
determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the
"popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return"
creases.
The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these
must be apart. A bowling crease is long with the middle stump
placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is
parallel to the bowling crease and is in front of the wicket. The
return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are
adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through
the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least .
When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery
stride" must land within the two return creases while his front
foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler
breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball".
The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it
marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run
out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out
of his ground".
Pitches vary in consistency, and thus in the amount of bounce,
spin, and seam movement available to the bowler. Hard pitches are
usually good to bat on because of high but even bounce. Dry pitches
tend to deteriorate for batting as cracks often appear, and when
this happens spinners can play a major role. Damp pitches, or
pitches covered in grass (termed "green" pitches), allow good fast
bowlers to extract extra bounce. Such pitches tend to offer help to
fast bowlers throughout the match, but become better for batting as
the game goes on.
Bat and ball
The essence of the sport is that a bowler delivers the ball from
his end of the pitch towards the batsman who, armed with a bat is
"on strike" at the other end.
The
bat is made of wood (usually
White Willow) and has the shape of a
blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more
than wide and the total length of the bat not more than .
The
ball is a hard leather-seamed
spheroid with a circumference of . The
hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than
, is a matter for concern and batsmen wear protective clothing
including
pads (designed to protect the
knees and shins),
batting gloves for
the hands, a
helmet for the head
and a
box inside the trousers (to
protect the
crotch area). Some batsmen wear
additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh
pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads.
Umpires and scorers
The game on the field is regulated by two
umpires, one of whom stands behind the
wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square
leg", a position 10–12 metres to the side of the "on strike"
batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the
wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires
confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone
the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for
example rain or deterioration of the light.
An umpire
Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a
third umpire who can make decisions on certain
incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is
mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited
overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These
matches also have a
match
referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the
Laws of cricket and the spirit of the
game.
Off the field, the match details including runs and dismissals are
recorded by two official
scorers, one
representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand
signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger
to signal that the batsman is out (has been dismissed); he raises
both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six
runs. The scorers are required by the Laws of cricket to record all
runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled. In practice, they
accumulate much additional data such as bowling analyses and run
rates.
Innings
The innings (ending with 's' in both singular and plural form) is
the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.
In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to
bat but, for various reasons, an "innings" can end before they all
do so (see below).
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or
two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to
describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine
innings" etc).
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to
dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out"
and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by
the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed
(i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings
is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is
not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen
"in". This batsman is termed "not out".
If an innings should end before ten batsmen have been dismissed,
there are two "not out" batsmen. An innings can end early for three
reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare"
the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the
batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because
the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of
time. In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still
"in" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled.
Overs
The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls")
and each set of six balls is called an
over. This name came about because the umpire
calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point,
another bowler is deployed at the other end and the fielding side
changes ends. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a
bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The
batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is
now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions
so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket
at the non-striker's end and
vice-versa.
Team structure
A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary
skills, a player may be classified as a specialist
batsman or
bowler. A
well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and
four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a
specialist
wicket-keeper because of
the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a
captain who is responsible for
making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order,
the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.
A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an
all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman
and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes
regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as
most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.
Bowling
bowler reaches his delivery stride by means of a "run-up", although
some bowlers with a very slow delivery take no more than a couple
of steps before bowling. A fast bowler needs momentum and takes
quite a long run-up, running very fast as he does so.
The fastest bowlers can deliver the ball at a speed of over and
they sometimes rely on sheer speed to try and defeat the batsman,
who is forced to react very quickly. Other fast bowlers rely on a
mixture of speed and guile. Some fast bowlers make use of the seam
of the ball so that it "curves" or "swings" in flight. This type of
delivery can deceive a batsman into mistiming his shot so that the
ball touches the edge of the bat and can then be "caught behind" by
the wicketkeeper or a slip fielder.
At the other end of the bowling scale is the "spinner" who bowls at
a relatively slow pace and relies entirely on guile to deceive the
batsman. A spinner will often "buy his wicket" by "tossing one up"
(a
parabolic path) to lure the batsman
into making a poor shot. The batsman has to be very wary of such
deliveries as they are often "flighted" or spun so that the ball
will not behave quite as he expects and he could be "trapped" into
getting himself out.
In between the pacemen and the spinners are the "medium pacers" who
rely on persistent accuracy to try and contain the rate of scoring
and wear down the batsman's concentration.
All bowlers are classified according to their looks or style. The
classifications, as with
much cricket terminology, can be very confusing. Hence, a bowler
could be classified as LF, meaning he is a left arm fast bowler; or
as LBG, meaning he is a right arm spin bowler who bowls deliveries
that are called a "
leg break" and a
"
Googly".
During the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and
may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow
straightens illegally then the square-leg umpire may call
no-ball. The current laws allow a
bowler to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less.
Fielding
All eleven players on the fielding side take the field together.
One of them is the
wicket-keeper
aka "keeper" who operates behind the wicket being defended
by the batsman on strike. Wicket-keeping is normally a specialist
occupation and his primary job is to gather deliveries that the
batsman does not hit, so that the batsmen cannot run byes. He wears
special gloves (he is the only fielder allowed to do so), and pads
to cover his lower legs. Owing to his position directly behind the
striker, the wicket-keeper has a good chance of getting a batsman
out caught off a fine edge from the bat. He is the only player who
can get a batsman out
stumped.
Apart from the one currently bowling, the other nine fielders are
tactically deployed by the team captain in
chosen positions around the
field. These positions are not fixed but they are known by specific
and sometimes colourful names such as "slip", "third man", "silly
mid on" and "long leg". There are always many unprotected
areas.
The captain is the most important member of the fielding side as he
determines all the tactics including who should bowl (and how); and
he is responsible for "setting the field", though usually in
consultation with the bowler.
In all forms of cricket, if a fielder gets injured or becomes ill
during a match, a
substitute is
allowed to field instead of him. The substitute cannot bowl, act as
a captain or keep wicket. The substitute leaves the field when the
injured player is fit to return.
Batting
At any one time, there are two batsmen in the playing area. One
takes station at the striker's end to defend the wicket as above
and to score runs if possible. His partner, the non-striker, is at
the end where the bowler is operating.
Batsmen come in to bat in a
batting order, decided by the team
captain. The first two batsmen – the "openers" – usually face the
most hostile bowling from fresh fast bowlers with a new ball. The
top batting positions are usually given to the most competent
batsmen in the team, and the non-batsmen typically bat last. The
pre-announced batting order is not mandatory and when a wicket
falls any player who has not yet batted may be sent in next.
If a batsman "retires" (usually due to injury) and cannot return,
he is actually "not out" and his retirement does not count as a
dismissal, though in effect he has been dismissed because his
innings is over. Substitute batsmen are not allowed.
A skilled batsman can use a wide array of "shots" or "strokes" in
both defensive and attacking mode. The idea is to hit the ball to
best effect with the flat surface of the bat's blade. If the ball
touches the side of the bat it is called an "edge". Batsmen do not
always seek to hit the ball as hard as possible, and a good player
can score runs just by making a deft stroke with a turn of the
wrists or by simply "blocking" the ball but directing it away from
fielders so that he has time to take a run.
There is a wide variety of shots played in cricket. The batsman's
repertoire includes strokes named according to the style of swing
and the direction aimed: e.g., "
cut", "drive", "hook",
"pull".
Note that a batsman does not have to play a shot and can "leave"
the ball to go through to the wicketkeeper, providing he thinks it
will not hit his wicket. Equally, he does not have to attempt a run
when he hits the ball with his bat. He can deliberately use his leg
to block the ball and thereby "pad it away" but this is risky
because of the
leg before wicket
rule.
In the event of an injured batsman being fit to bat but not to run,
the umpires and the fielding captain may allow another member of
the batting side to be a
runner. If
possible, the runner must already have batted. The runner's only
task is to run between the wickets instead of the injured batsman.
The runner is required to wear and carry exactly the same equipment
as the incapacitated batsman. It is possible for both batsmen to
have runners.
Runs
The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker")
is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score
runs by hitting the ball with his bat
so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the
pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To
register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the
crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry
their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the
score.
More than one run can be scored from a single hit but, while hits
worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such
that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for
this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically
awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground
en route
to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the
full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses
the boundary.
Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of
"overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of
runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends
and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the
striker can score individual runs but all runs are added to the
team's total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who
has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is
communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often
heard.
Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket
with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e.,
he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground
behind the popping crease), the batsman is
run
out.
A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored
and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if
five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are
said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly
shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia,
"five for 224" and 5/224).
Extras
Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as
extras (called "sundries" in Australia) due
to errors made by the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways:
- No ball – a penalty of one extra that is
conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by
(a) using an inappropriate arm
action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot
outside the return crease. In addition, the bowler has to re-bowl
the ball. In limited overs matches, a no ball is called if the
bowling team's field setting fails to comply with the restrictions.
In shorter formats of the game (20–20, ODI) the free hit rule has
been introduced. The ball following a front foot no-ball will be a
free-hit for the batsman, whereby he is safe from losing his wicket
except for being run-out.
- Wide – a penalty of one extra that is conceded
by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman's
reach; as with a no ball, a wide must be re-bowled
- Bye – extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses
the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time
to run in the conventional way (note that the mark of a good
wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a
minimum)
- Leg bye – extra(s) awarded if the ball hits
the batsman's body, but not his bat, and it goes away from the
fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional
way.
When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an
additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be
bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to
score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run
(i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes
and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to
the striker's individual total for which runs must be scored off
the bat.
Dismissals
There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and some are
so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole
history of the game. The most common forms of dismissal are
"bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", "stumped"
and "hit wicket". The unusual methods are "hit the ball twice",
"obstructed the field", "handled the ball" and "timed out".
Before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to
be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must
"appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term
"Howzat?" which means, simply enough, "How is that?" If the umpire
agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say "Out!".
Otherwise he will shake his head and say "Not out". Appeals are
particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal
are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs
and stumpings.
- Bowled: the bowler has
hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has "broken" with at
least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the
wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out).
- Caught: the
batsman has hit the ball with his bat or with his hand and the ball
has been caught before it has touched the ground by a member of the
fielding side.
- Leg before wicket
(lbw): first and foremost, the ball must, in the opinion
of the on-field umpire, be going on to hit the stumps if the ball
had not hit the pad of the batsman first. If the batsman plays an
attempted shot to the delivery, then the ball must hit the
batsman's pad in line with the stumps and be going on to hit the
stumps for the batsman to be given out. If the batsman does not
attempt to play a shot, then the ball does not have to hit the pad
in line with the stumps but it still must be going on to hit the
stumps. If the ball pitches outside the leg stump, then the batsman
cannot be given out under any circumstances.
- Run out: a member of
the fielding side has broken or "put down" the wicket with the ball
while a batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means
of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting
a run.
- Stumped
is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the
batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his
ground, and is not attempting a run.
- Hit wicket: a
batsman is out hit wicket, if he dislodges one or both bails with
his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of hitting the
ball, or when setting off for a run.
- Hit the ball
twice is very unusual and was introduced as a safety
measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The
batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the
ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it.
- Obstructed the
field: another unusual dismissal which tends to
involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a
fielder.
- Handled the
ball: a batsman must not deliberately use his
hand to protect his wicket (note that the bowled ball often hits
the batsman's hand but this is not intentional by the batsman and
so is not out; though he can of course be caught off his
hand).
- Timed out usually
means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within
three minutes of the previous one being dismissed.
In the vast majority of cases, it is the striker who is out when a
dismissal occurs. If the non-striker is dismissed it is usually by
being run out, but he could also be dismissed for obstructing the
field, handling the ball or being timed out.
A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured
or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by
the next batsman. This is recorded as
retired hurt or
retired ill. The retiring batsman
is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman
may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed
retired out; no player is credited with
the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out
bowled,
caught,
leg before wicket,
stumped or
hit wicket off a
no ball. They cannot be out
bowled,
caught,
leg before wicket, or
hit the ball twice off a
wide. Some of these
modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery.
The batsman who is not on strike may be
run out by the
bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a
batsman can be out
obstructing the field or
retired
out at any time.
Timed out is, by its nature, a
dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal,
only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled.
Innings closed
An innings is closed when:
- Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in
this case, the team is said to be "all out"
- The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of
the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or
absence; again, the team is said to be "all out"
- The team batting last reaches the score required to win the
match
- The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day
match only, most commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
- A captain declares
his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not
out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)
Results
If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than
their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by
n runs"
(where
n is the difference between the number of runs
scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs
to win, it is said to have "won by
n wickets", where
n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a
team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets
would have won "by four wickets".
In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second
innings total may be less than the other side's first innings
total. The team with the greater score is then said to have
won
by an innings and n
runs, and does not need to bat
again:
n is the difference between the two teams'
aggregate scores.
If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the
same number of runs, then the match is a
tie; this result is quite rare in
matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game,
if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can
win, then the game is declared a
draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum
number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a
match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side
scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so
that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily
interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula,
known as the
Duckworth-Lewis
method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new
target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if
fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by
either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play
impossible; for example, wet weather.
Weather
Cricket is a sport played predominantly in the drier periods of the
year. But, even so, the weather is a major factor in all cricket
matches.
A scheduled game of cricket cannot be played in wet weather.
Dampness affects the bounce of the ball on the wicket and is a risk
to all players involved in the game. Many grounds have facilities
to cover the cricket pitch (or the wicket). Covers can be in the
form of sheets being laid over the wicket to elevated covers on
wheels (using the same concept as an umbrella) to even hover covers
which form an airtight seal around the wicket. However, most
grounds do not have the facilities to cover the outfield. This
means that in the event of heavy bouts of bad weather, games may be
cancelled, abandoned or suspended due to an unsafe outfield.
Another factor in cricket is the amount of light available. At
grounds without floodlights (or in game formats which disallow the
use of floodlights), umpires can stop play in the event of bad
light as it becomes too difficult for the batsmen to be able to see
the ball coming at them, (and in extreme cases, members of the
fielding team).
On the other hand, in instances of good light, batsmen can utilize
sight-screens which enable batsmen to have a white background
against which they can pick out the red ball with greater
ease.
The umpires always have the final decision on weather related
issues.
Types of matches
Cricket is a multi-faceted sport which, in very broad terms, can be
divided into
major cricket and minor
cricket based on playing standards. A more pertinent division,
particularly in terms of major cricket, is between matches in which
the teams have two innings apiece and those in which they have a
single innings each. The former, known as
first-class cricket, has a duration of
three to five days (there have been examples of "timeless" matches
too); the latter, known as
limited
overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50
overs, has a planned duration of one day only (a match can be
extended if necessary due to bad weather, etc.).
Typically, two-innings matches have at least six hours of
playing time each day. Limited overs
matches often last six hours or more. There are usually formal
intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks
for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings.
Historically, a form of cricket known as
single wicket has been extremely successful
and many of these contests in the 18th and 19th centuries qualify
as major cricket matches. In this form, although each team may have
from one to six players, there is only one batsman at a time and he
must face every delivery bowled while his innings lasts. Single
wicket has rarely been played since limited overs cricket
began.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the highest standard of
first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture
between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of
the ICC.
Although the term "Test match" was not coined until much later,
Test cricket is deemed to have begun with two matches between
Australia and
England in the
1876–77 Australian
season. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved
Test status:
South
Africa (1889),
West
Indies (1928),
New
Zealand (1929),
India (1932),
Pakistan (1952),
Sri Lanka (1982),
Zimbabwe (1992) and
Bangladesh (2000). Zimbabwe
subsequently suspended its Test status in 2006 due to its inability
to compete against other Test teams and has yet to resume playing
Test cricket.
Welsh players are eligible to play for England, which is in effect
an England and Wales team. The West Indies team comprises players
from numerous states in the Caribbean, most notably Barbados,
Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the
Windward Islands.
Test matches between two teams are usually played in a group of
matches called a "series". Matches last up to five days and a
series normally consists of three to five matches. Test matches
that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn.
Since 1882, most Test series between England and Australia have
been played for a trophy known as
The
Ashes. Some other series have individual trophies too: for
example, the
Wisden Trophy is
contested by England and West Indies; the
Frank Worrell Trophy by Australia and
West Indies.
Limited overs
Standard
limited overs cricket
was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a
knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs. In 1969, a
national league competition was established. The concept was
gradually introduced to the other major cricket countries and the
first limited overs international was played in 1971. In 1975, the
first
Cricket World Cup took place
in England. Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations
including the use of multi-coloured kit and floodlit matches using
a white ball.
A "one day match", named so because each match is scheduled for
completion in a single day, is the most common form of limited
overs cricket played on an international level. In practice,
matches sometimes continue on a second day if they have been
interrupted or postponed by bad weather. The main objective of a
limited overs match is to produce a definite result and so a
conventional draw is not possible, but matches can be undecided if
the scores are tied or if bad weather prevents a result. Each team
plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs, usually
a maximum of 50. The
Cricket World
Cup is held in one day format and the
last World Cup in 2007 was won by
Australia. The
next World Cup
will hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2011.
Twenty20 is a new variant of limited overs
itself with the purpose being to complete the match within about
three hours, usually in an evening session. The original idea, when
the concept was introduced in England in 2003, was to provide
workers with an evening entertainment. It has been commercially
successful and has been adopted internationally. The
inaugural Twenty20 World Championship was
held in 2007 and won by India.
2009's
Twenty20 World Championship was staged in England and won by
Pakistan. The next Twenty20 World Championship will be held in the
West Indies. After the inaugural
ICC
World Twenty20 many domestic Twenty20 leagues were born. First
of them was
Indian Cricket
League which is considered as rebel league since it is
unauthorized by
BCCI and led to form
an official league called the
Indian Premier League. Both these
leagues are cash rich and attracted players and audience around the
globe. Recently
Twenty20
Champions League was formed as a tournament for domestic clubs
of various countries.
National championships
First-class cricket includes
Test cricket but the term is generally used to refer to the highest
level of domestic cricket in those countries with full ICC
membership, although there are exceptions to this. First-class
cricket in England is played for the most part by the 18 county
clubs which contest the
County
Championship. The concept of a
champion county has existed since the 18th
century but the official competition was not established until
1890. The most successful club has been
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
with 30 official titles.
Australia established its national first-class championship in
1892–93 when the
Sheffield Shield
was introduced. In Australia, the first-class teams represent the
various states.
New South
Wales has won the most titles with 45 to 2008.
National championship trophies to be established elsewhere included
the
Ranji Trophy (India),
Plunket Shield (New Zealand),
Currie Cup (South Africa) and
Shell Shield (West Indies). Some of these
competitions have been updated and renamed in recent years.
Domestic limited overs competitions began with England's
Gillette Cup knockout in 1963. Countries
usually stage seasonal limited overs competitions in both knockout
and league format. In recent years, national Twenty20 competitions
have been introduced, usually in knockout form though some
incorporate mini-leagues.
Other types of cricket
There are numerous informal variations of the sport played
throughout the world that include indoor cricket, French cricket,
beach cricket, Kwik cricket and all sorts of card games and board
games that have been inspired by cricket. In these variants, the
rules are often changed to make the game playable with limited
resources or to render it more convenient and enjoyable for the
participants.
Indoor cricket is played in a netted,
indoor arena, and is quite formal but most of the outdoor variants
are very informal.
Children playing cricket on a
makeshift pitch in a park.
It is common in many countries for people to play cricket on
such pitches and makeshift grounds.
Families and teenagers play
backyard
cricket in suburban yards or driveways, and the cities of India
and Pakistan play host to countless games of "Gully Cricket" or
"tapeball" in their long narrow streets. Sometimes the rules are
improvised: e.g. it may be agreed that fielders can catch the ball
with one hand after one bounce and claim a wicket; or if only a few
people are available then everyone may field while the players take
it in turns to bat and bowl. Tennis balls and homemade bats are
often used, and a variety of objects may serve as wickets: for
example, the batter's legs as in
French
cricket, which did not in fact originate in France, and is
usually played by small children.
In
Kwik cricket, the bowler does not
have to wait for the batsman to be ready before a delivery, leading
to a faster, more exhausting game designed to appeal to children,
which is often used PE lessons at English schools. Another
modification to increase the pace of the game is the "Tip and Run",
"Tipity" Run, "Tipsy Run" or "Tippy-Go" rule, in which the batter
must run when the ball touches the bat, even if it the contact is
unintentional or minor. This rule, seen only in impromptu games,
speeds the match up by removing the batsman's right to block the
ball.
In Samoa a form of cricket called
Kilikiti
is played in which
hockey stick-shaped
bats are used. In original English cricket, the hockey stick shape
was replaced by the modern straight bat in the 1760s after bowlers
began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it.
In
Estonia
, teams gather over the winter for the annual
Ice Cricket tournament. The game
juxtaposes the normal summer pursuit with harsh, wintry conditions.
Rules are otherwise similar to those for the six-a-side game.
History
Early cricket was at some time or another described as "a club
striking a ball (like) the ancient games of club-ball, stool-ball,
trap-ball, stob-ball". Cricket can definitely be traced back to
Tudor times in early 16th-century England. Written evidence exists
of a game known as
creag being played by
Prince Edward, the son of
Edward I , at Newenden, Kent in 1301 and
there has been speculation, but no evidence, that this was a form
of cricket.
A number of other words have been suggested as sources for the term
"cricket". In the earliest definite reference to the sport in 1598,
it is called
creckett. Given the strong medieval trade
connections between south-east England and the
County of Flanders when the latter
belonged to the
Duchy of Burgundy,
the name may have been derived from the
Middle Dutch krick(
-e),
meaning a stick (crook); or the
Old
English cricc or
cryce meaning a crutch or
staff. In
Old French, the word
criquet seems to have meant a kind of club or stick. In
Samuel Johnson's
Dictionary,
he derived cricket from "
cryce, Saxon, a stick". Another
possible source is the Middle Dutch word
krickstoel,
meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in
church and which resembled the long low
wicket with two
stumps used in early cricket.
According to Heiner
Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University
, "cricket" derives from the Middle Dutch phrase for
hockey, met de (krik ket)sen (i.e.,
"with the stick chase"). Dr Gillmeister believes that not
only the name but the sport itself is of Flemish origin.
In 1598, a
court case referred to a sport called creckett being
played by boys at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford
around 1550. This is the sport's earliest
definite mention. It is believed that it was originally a
children's game but references around 1610 indicate that adults had
started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or
village cricket occurs soon
afterwards. In 1624, a player called
Jasper Vinall was killed when he was struck on
the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex.
the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of
cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it
had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and
it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years
following the
Restoration in
1660. A newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" with
eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in
1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of
such importance.
The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became
the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that
development with rich patrons forming their own "select XIs".
Cricket
was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked
to matches on the Artillery Ground
in Finsbury. The
single wicket form of the sport attracted huge
crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when
bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it
towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design
because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to
introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey
stick" shape.
The Hambledon
Club was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until
the formation of MCC and the
opening of Lord's Old
Ground
in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest
club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's
premier club and the custodian of the
Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the
latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and
leg before wicket (lbw).
The 19th century saw
underarm
bowling replaced by first
roundarm and then
overarm bowling. Both developments were
controversial. Organisation of the game at county level led to the
creation of the county clubs, starting with
Sussex CCC in 1839, which ultimately formed the
official
County Championship in
1890. Meanwhile, the British Empire had been instrumental in
spreading the game overseas and by the middle of the 19th century
it had become well established in India, North America, the
Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 1844, the
first ever international cricket match took place between the
United States
and
Canada (although
neither has ever been ranked as a Test-playing nation).
In 1859, a team of
England
players went on the first overseas tour (to North America) and in
1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia.
In
1876–77, an England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground
against Australia.
W G Grace started his long career in 1865;
his career is often said to have revolutionised the sport. The
rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to
The Ashes in 1882 and this has remained Test
cricket's most famous contest. Test cricket began to expand in
1888–89 when
South
Africa played England. The last two decades before the
First World War have been called the "
Golden Age of cricket". It is a
nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting
from the war, but the period did produce some great players and
memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county
and Test level developed.
The inter-war years were dominated by one player: Australia's
Don Bradman, statistically the greatest
batsman of all time. It was the determination of the England team
to overcome his skill that brought about the infamous
Bodyline series in 1932–33, particularly from the
accurate short-pitched bowling of
Harold
Larwood. Test cricket continued to expand during the 20th
century with the addition of the
West Indies,
India, and
New Zealand before the
Second World War and then
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, and
Bangladesh in the post-war
period. However, South Africa was banned from international cricket
from 1970 to 1992 because of its government's
apartheid policy.
Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced
the
limited overs variant. As
it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was
lucrative and the number of matches increased. The first
Limited Overs International was
played in 1971. The governing
International Cricket Council
(ICC) saw its potential and staged the first limited overs
Cricket World Cup in 1975. In the 21st
century, a new limited overs form,
Twenty20, has made an immediate impact.
International structure
The International Cricket Council (ICC), which has its headquarters
in Dubai, is the international governing body of cricket. It was
founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by
representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed
the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its
current name in 1989.
The ICC has
104 members:
10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate
Members, and 60 Affiliate Members. The ICC is responsible for the
organisation and governance of cricket's major international
tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints
the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test
matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. Each
nation has a national cricket board which regulates cricket matches
played in its country. The cricket board also selects the national
squad and organises home and away tours for the national team. In
the West Indies these matters are addressed by the
West Indies Cricket Board which
consists of members appointed by four national boards and two
multi-national boards.
Full Members
Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or
associated countries. Full Members may also represent a
geographical area. All Full Members have a right to send one
representative team to play official Test matches. Also, all Full
Member nations are automatically qualified to play
ODIs and
Twenty20 Internationals. West Indies
cricket team does not represent one country instead an amalgamation
of over 20 countries from the Caribbean. The English Cricket team
represents both England and Wales.
AResigned May 1961, readmitted 10 July 1991.
Top Associate/Affiliate Members
All the associate and affiliate members are not qualified to play
Test Cricket, however
ICC grants
One Day International status to its
associate and affiliate members based on their success in the
World Cricket League. The top
six teams will be awarded
One day
international and
Twenty20
International status, which will allow the associate and
affiliate teams to be eligible to play the full members and play
official ODI cricket.
The associate and affiliate teams who currently hold
ODI and
T20I status:
See also
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