The Unlikely Mum presents A cricket guide for parents Introduction

At first thought, sitting on the sidelines for three hours while your child plays a game you may know only a little about and might find dauntingly difficult to learn, doesn’t sound very appealing.

I totally get it. As an American born and raised mother who is now happily an Australian citizen and wife, raising three kids in the suburbs of , I’m probably not the first person you Open up a world think of when you think ‘cricket fan’. of opportunities to But really, the only surprising thing spend more little about one of my children falling in love with cricket, given they grew up in this moments that matter cricket-loving nation, is that it was my daughter who did so. with your kids.

While women have been a part of the It’s not designed to teach you everything evolution of the game of cricket since its you need to know, but I hope you’ll take humble beginnings (in fact, it was a away some things that will spark your woman who came up with the over arm interest in the game, and then your young style of bowling all cricketers still employ cricketer can take over as teacher. today), the game is still perceived as mostly for men. Conversation starters are good, but if you can share a little bit more information, I’m not saying women are not involved at it’s a great way to keep your kids talking. all, or that their contributions aren’t Why not take advantage of the trip home valuable, they are. And while female from cricket games or practice to chat? involvement in the sport is undoubtedly growing, the resources for women to learn I want these resources to open a whole about the game are still often lacking. world of opportunities to spend more little moments that matter with your kids, and I’m hoping to change that with a touch of give you some tools to start, and continue humour and a little help from my friends at cricket conversations with your family. Bupa and Cricket Australia, sharing the lessons that I’ve learned along Also, fair warning, I use cricket terms right my journey into understanding this sport. off the bat (no pun intended) in this guide, so if you need to really start at the I hope that The Unlikely Cricket Mum beginning, you might want to start with guide will help more parents enjoy the A-Z guide first! being involved in this fantastic game of strategy and skill. Contents

For quick and easy navigation of this guide, refer to the page locations here (click to jump to the page you’re after):

A very short history of the game 4 Cricket formats - the long and short of it 5 The 6 Breaking down the game - the gear, the rules 7 How the game works 9 Moments you don’t want to miss 10 How to be actively involved 11 A-Z of cricket terms 13 Word search 15 positions 16 Get to know the cricket field 17 A very short history of the game

I’m not going to write an in-depth or a thesis on the game, but I do think it is important to get a little bit of the back story if you are going to be discussing it with your little cricket fan 16C (aka your child). Earliest form played in Cricket is recorded as having been played in its earliest forms in England England all the way back during the 16th century, though the earlier origins are still debatable. In fact, the name of the game could have come from Old English, Dutch or French words for wooden sticks 1700 and staffs like the original cricket bats, no one is absolutely certain. Law of cricket Oldest set of The oldest surviving set of rules for the game were from the mid- rules 1700s, and most notably set the Law of Cricket that the pitch must be 22 yards (or just over 20m) long. These first Laws were issued in London and are now displayed in the cricket museum at Lord’s. 1800 Women cricket While the first ‘test’ match of cricket (so named because the length games of the game was deemed the ultimate test of cricket skills) was in documented 1877, it was Australia’s win of the test match in England in 1882 that christened The Ashes series that is still played today.

The loss for England was seen to be such a 1877 Watch more First Test Match blow to their cricket ego that they published the following sentence in the papers about the death of English cricket; “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. The rivalry between the two countries in this sport is long standing and intense. 1882 The Ashes born after England Women have been documented playing cricket since the early lose to Australia 1800’s, with the first county match played in London. Not exactly the ‘gentlemen’s game’ after all!

The first match between Australia’s and England’s national women’s 1934 teams was played way back in 1934. Since then, 22 series have been First women’s played in total, with Australia wrapping up the most recent series test AU v ENG played in October-November. In 1998, this series took on a new life, crowned the “Women’s Ashes” for the very first time.

These days, the Women’s Ashes, consisting of one test match, three 1998 ODIs and three T20s, is played roughly every two years – just like the Womens Ashes five test men’s Ashes. And yes, the women’s teams also compete for is born an awesome trophy containing ashes…the ashes of a .

4 Cricket is played in a few different formats

It’s a common misconception, and one that I had before my daughter started playing, that all games go on for days. They actually don’t! Te st ODI

This is the type that most people - A shortened think about when they hear version of the test match, so one “cricket” without even knowing it… inning per team and limited number The gameplay extends over five of overs per inning. Each team bats days and the players wear all white for 50 overs unless all dismissed on both sides. prior.

Did you know? Don Bradman nearly had a perfect test average… 99.94

T20 Junior

This is what you are most often (from learning to play right up to watching your kids play! The game the T20 stage two rules game) - is 20 overs for each inning, and at The kids start to learn with plastic an international and domestic level bats and balls, but quickly grow to the players wear colours, and play play T20 cricket with real hard balls with a white ball. Local club teams and the need for pads and helmets! may still wear whites, and use the traditional red ball. It is often fast paced and big hitting. It is also over the quickest.

5 Did you know? The Laws can change, so you have to stay on The Laws of Cricket top of them!

The Laws of Cricket are what set the rules and code of the game worldwide. They cover everything from the timing of breaks, to the weight of cricket balls. There are 42 Laws and 5 appendices, but don’t feel like you need to learn them all! There are some laws, you as a cricket parent, will need to be more familiar with, than others. The first new Laws since 2000 were introduced in October 2017 - I’m happy to report that one of the changes is that they’re now written in language applying to all persons, regardless of gender!

Objective

At a simple level, the aim of the game is to score at least one more than the other team.

Fielding

The goal of the team fielding is to “dismiss” the other team’s batters, so they can’t score more runs. Once the batter is out, they are out for the rest of the game (except for the very first stages of little kids’ cricket where they are learning the game.)

Dismissal Watch more

The ways of (all the ways the batter can get out) are part of the Laws of Cricket. Some are more common than the others, and the ones you will experience most often are:

Caught: A fielder catches the ball hit by the batter before it hits the ground.

Run Out: The ball gets back to the stumps before the batter finishes their run.

Bowled: The ball misses the bat/batter and hits the stumps behind them.

Stumped: The keeper hits the stumps with the ball when the batter is outside their crease.

LBW: The ball hits the pads of the batter instead of the bat in line with the stumps… meaning if it had not been stopped by their pads, it would have hit the stumps. You can’t just try to block the ball with your body, you actually have to hit it with the bat!

There used to be 10 ways of dismissal in Cricket and that has been reduced to nine, with the ‘Handled The Ball Law’ deleted, and merged into ‘’.

6 Let’s break down the game

There’s lots of elements that make up the game of cricket. Here I’ve tried to give you a run-down of some of the more common ones that you may need to know to support your little cricketer, along with a few rules to start a conversation. Gear Field

Fielders wear no gear except The cricket field of play is an oval a sun hat. shape, with a rectangular 22-yard (or just over 20m) long pitch in the The exception to that is the wicket middle. keeper, who wears leg pads, keeping gloves and a helmet. For junior cricket, the pitch is Sometimes the fielder in silly usually synthetic and doesn’t need position will also wear a helmet as the same maintenance as a they’re so close to the batter. professional level pitch does. There are two sets of stumps, one Wicket keeping pads and gloves at each end of the pitch. are different from the batting ones, but the helmet the wicket-keeper wears is the same.

Batters wear helmets, pads, and gloves. Your young cricketer will Ball also benefit from cricket shoes with rubber spikes (not metal ones...they Most junior cricket will be played can damage the synthetic pitch), with either a red, white or pink ball. but they are not a necessity. No matter the colour, that ball they are playing with at this stage is the Batters also need a bat. Since the same as the one the adult teams choice of bat is so personal, your are using and that means it is hard. cricketer is probably going to want Really hard. to own their own bat, that they can master the feel of and use at every game.

Both boys and girls can wear a protective box for their private parts. I have heard from those who know, you will never forget to wear one after getting hit there once.

7 Stumps Positions

Unless your young cricketer is In the WBBL/BBL there are two playing for one of the WBBL/BBL teams of usually 11 players, but in big bash league teams, they will junior cricket less players take to be using plain wooden stumps and the field to maximize participation. bails. One team is either fielding or bat- ting at a time. But if you want to make your as exciting as the Fielding, Wicket Keeping and Big Bash, you can buy the fancy Bowling bails that light up when the wicket The aim of the fielding team is to is hit! prevent runs and dismiss batters.

Batting (On Strike and Non-striker) The aim of the batting team is to protect the wicket and score runs. Did you know? Before the 1800’s bowlers would toss the Note: Junior cricket teams will often ball with an underhand have extra players on their side to delivery! allow for those times when someone can’t make it.

Rules

The rules of the game are all outlined in the Cricket Laws, and they can be pretty complex.

Rather than list them all here, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to ask some members of the Australian Cricket Team to describe a few of their favourite or less common rules for us.

Watch more

8 How the game unfolds Coin toss There’s lots of little moments that make up a game of cricket. Look out for these things: The captains of each team decide with a coin toss who bats or bowls first and determine the Runs batting order - who bats first and the Both batters (also known as the batting pair) must run for the team to order in which the score. A single run is recorded when each batter runs to the opposite rest of the team will end of the pitch. They can run back and forth as long as they feel it is follow. safe to do so, scoring an additional run each time. The captains must If the ball clears the boundary (the edge of the field), it is either an also stay on top of automatic four runs (if it bounced first) or six runs (if it cleared the fielding positions. boundary with no bounce). If a four or a six is hit, the batters can While the number of return to their positions without having to actually do those runs. players on the field never changes, the Only one of the batting pair can be dismissed at a time. When one places they stand batter is dismissed, the next batter on their team comes in to take can vary with each their place on the pitch. over.

Dismissals Overs & The goal of cricket is to score at least one more run than the other team by the end of the game.

To make those runs, a batter tries to hit the ball as far as possible (for Over fours and sixes) or rack up single runs. The set number of balls or The bowler and rest of the fielding team is there to dismiss the batter faced. There are six and prevent them from scoring runs. There’s balls per over. nine recognised ways to dismiss a batter. Watch more inning If they are not dismissed during their over, the Each team’s turn to batter can “retire” and that means they are bat. Depending on and able to bat again if their the format of the teammates all get dismissed or before game, there are set the inning is complete. number of overs. Usually junior cricket teams play a game of 20 overs each, with 6 balls per over, and one inning each. This means a team will bowl 120 balls before switching over to be the batting team.

9 Moments not to be missed!

When you really want to pay attention. There are times when you can have a chat with fellow parents, and then there are times that you really don’t want to miss the action. These are the important parts of the game that you and your cricketer can discuss later, so you will want to have your eyes on the field.

1 When your cricketer is up to bat

An exciting time, and often the most nerve-wracking as well. Your little cricketer might face 20 balls before they retire, or they could go out on the first ball (also known as a duck).

2 When your team hits a four or six or sneaks a run

They will appreciate your enthusiastic response to these great plays.

3 When any batter has finished their over or is dismissed

This is the time to clap for their efforts, even if it is the other team. This is part of the spirit of the game.

4 When your cricketer is bowling

They may only bowl a couple of overs, so pay attention.

5 When your team gets a wicket

The kids all run to congratulate the player that got the dismissal, so if your bowler, wicket keeper or fielder gets a batter out, it is time to celebrate.

10 How to be actively involved

Talking to your kids about their favourite sport and watching their favourite team play are great ways to connect, but what about creating even more opportunities to bond? There are many easy ways to become involved with your young cricketer’s club and it will not just be your kids who benefit from the extra support you bring!

Watch more Umpire

An international match has four umpires (two on-field and two-off field), but you certainly need two. One umpire stands behind the crease on the non-striker’s end and is the first one to signal any of the calls. The other stands at ‘square leg’, and Team keeps an eye on stumpings/run outs. There are hand signals to learn so that other umpires and those at the Manager scoring table can record the calls Put your hand up as manager to help from further away. a junior team. These duties can range from organising the practice times, to making sure there are enough umpires Out: One arm raised straight and people to score the game. overhead with the index finger pointing up. The team will also need someone on the day of the game to ensure the Wide: Both arms stretched kids know their batting order, and are out to the side, parallel to the padded up ahead of time. You don’t ground. want to make cricket even longer by holding up play, while small kids fum- No Ball: One arm stretched ble with gear. In fact, they made a out to the side, parallel to the Cricket Law for that very thing - Law ground. 40: - and a batter can be out if the player takes longer than Leg bye : One hand tapping three minutes to get on the field of a raised knee play when it’s their turn.

Four: One arm bent at the You can also be the water runner, or elbow sweeping in and out simply ensure they all have applied (from chest to straight arm). their zinc in the hot sun. There are lots of little moments to show you are Six: Both arms raised overhead. there for the team, and your own little cricketers.

11 Did you know? Specialty scoring record books and shorthand is used Score for this role. Te a

When I say the game of cricket is one Cricketers need to eat during long of skill, I’m not just referring to those games, and with a team of 12 (elev- who play it. The level of record en and an extra) you can always help keeping, and attention to detail, for by offering to provide healthy snacks those taking on the role of scorer is that are quick and easy to eat. incredible. If you raise your hand for this position, I am calling you a There’s a break between innings, and cricket hero: there is so much to the batting team always has players keep track of in a game of cricket on the sidelines when just two are on beyond just runs and dismissals. the field of play at once.

Here’s few basic explainers to get You’ll need to make things that are you started: quick, easy to eat as well as nutritious. There is really no easy way to eat spa- ghetti during tea time at the cricket! They keep a complete tally of the runs, but they’re also Ideas for Cricket Tea Time: broken down by what has been achieved by each batter. Crisp (washed and Watch more cut - ready to eat) A batting average is calculated veggies and a by the number of runs each variety of dips batter scores, per inning. Cheesy scrolls, pita Dismissing a batter is a primary chips and hummus goal for the bowler, but they’re savory muffins, or mini sandwiches not the only players on the field who can get the batters out, so Cut up fruit - quartered oranges and they need to keep track of that. slices of watermelon are perfect sum- mer cricket snacks! Dismissals are recorded as a lump sum for the team, but also And of course, the occasional broken down by who got which Lamington because it is Australia! batter out.

They will also record when that dismissal happened during the game. For example, bowled and LBW is recorded for the bowler, Take it home while fielders get the catches and run outs. Being involved in your child’s cricket passion, doesn’t have to mean hours A bowling average is calculated spent at your local Cricket club. by the runs scored for each Heaidng to the backyard or the park wicket taken. to throw a ball around, is a great way to spend time together, and improve their cricket skills at the same time.

12 A-Z of cricket terms

Ducks and other Silly terms: a general (and certainly not complete) guide to get you started speaking Cricket. The vocabulary of cricket is a whole new world. You will literally need to learn to speak their language if you want to bond with your young cricketer, so I have prepared an A-Z guide for your reference. There are so many crazy terms that I have yet to master, so please feel free to add on as you learn. I know I will!

All-rounder: A cricket player who excels in Bowled: When the bowler delivers a ball that both batting and bowling. goes between bat and batter to hit the stumps behind them. It is an exciting way for a bowler : When the umpire is asked to make to get a batter out. a decision on whether the batter is out Bye: This when a ball passes by the batter and Baggy Green: This is the cap worn by the wicket keeper. The batters can run on a bye, Australian team for and it is but the runs they get go to the total team tally literally a baggy green cap. It is also the and are not recorded for the individual batter. ultimate goal to wear one if you are a young A ‘bye’ in the competition can also mean that a cricketer dreaming big! team doesn’t play that round, usually because Bails: The small wooden pieces that sit on top there are an odd amount of teams in the of the stumps. These can be fancy LED ones in division Big Bash League games. Catch: A ball that is in the field beforeit Ball: A can be white, red or hot hits the ground gets that batter out. pink and come in different sizes. They are Century: One hundred runs by one batter in solid and hard covered in leather with raised one game. stitching running in one direction around the middle. The ball deteriorates with use and the Crease: The lines at each end of the pitch condition of them is critical for how they move defining the area where a batsman must reach through the air in delivery, so there is a new and remain to be considered safe. The bowler ball used for each match. They are quite pricey also must not step over the front line during too, so see if you can’t get some used balls for their delivery or it will be called a ‘no-ball’ and your backyard and local nets practice sessions. they must deliver it again (whilst the batting team get a run) Batter: Also known as a batsman, but with the rise of women in the sport, I am calling them Delivery: The bowling of the ball. batters throughout the guide. The batters go Dismissal: This is what getting the batter out in out to the field to run in pairs. One batter faces cricket is called. the bowler and is referred to as the striker. The non-striker is the batter at the bowler’s end. Duck: When a batter gets out before scoring When the ball is hit, the striker will call whether any runs. they should run or not. The calls are Yes, No Extras: Runs that are given to the team tally, and Wait. “Go” is never used as it can too easily but not recorded for an individual batter. These be misheard (“no!”) resulting in a . can be byes, leg bye, no-balls and wides. Boundary: The boundary line for the field of Pace bowling: A style of bowling where the play. This is often reduced for junior cricket as ball is delivered very fast. it takes great strength to get the balls over the boundary. Fielder: The players who are in the field. Bowler: The fielding team rotates bowlers Four: A shot that bounces on the field, but every over. They are the ones who deliver the then continues to clear the boundary. It counts ball to the batter in different styles. for an automatic four runs.

13 Gap: The term for the space on the field Striker (non-striker): The striker is the batter between players. This is where a batter will try facing the bowler ready to receive the ball. to send the ball so that they have a chance for The non-striker is the batter at the bowler’s more runs. end who will not hit the ball, but will run on the shot. Howzat: Slang for “How’s That” which the fans yell at the cricket games. : A form of dismissal when the wicketkeeper knocks the bails off the stump Innings: The team’s turn at batting or bowling. when the batter is out of the crease. LBW: This stands for and Stumps - The set of three vertical poles at is a form of dismissal where the ball hits the each end of the pitch. batter’s leg pads instead of the bat and would Swing: A bowling delivery where the ball have hit the wicket had the leg not stopped it. moves with a swing through the air because Basically this is so the batter can’t protect their of one side being polished and the other side wicket with their body after missing a shot. of the ball is rough. This is one reason why you Maiden: When a bowler bowls an entire over will see a bowler shining the ball on their shirt with the other team getting no runs. or pants before bowling. No-ball: When a bowler steps over the crease Test: The type of cricket game that takes place during delivery. This counts as an extra run over a series of five days with at least 90 overs added to the batter’s team tally. and six hours of playing each day. Over: A series of six balls delivered by one Umpire: An offical who watches a game bowler. closely to enforce the rules of cricket. Pads: The protective padding batters (and the Wicket: Things can get confusing here. wicketkeeper) wear. Wicket can be another term for the actual pitch on which the game is played. It can refer Pitch: The 22 yard long rectangle where to the set of stumps and bails at each end of batters run between stumps. The curators (if a the pitch or it can be the term for the dismissal turf wicket) or umpires will measure this before of the batter by the bowler. each game. Wicket-keeper: Also known as just the ‘keeper, Run-Out: When the batter does not make it to this is a fielding position directly behind the the stumps before the ball breaks the stumps stumps of the striking batter. Their main job by being thrown or in the hands of the is to catch the balls that the batter misses, or wicket-keeper. The batter must have the tip of try to stump the batter if they are out of their their bat over the line of the crease to be crease considered safe in a run-out situation. Wide: A delivery where the ball is too far for Seam: The stitching on the cricket ball. the batter to reach and will count as a run for Shot: What it is called when the batter hits the the batting team’s total tally.It must be ball. re-balled Silly: I had to put this one in here because, well Yorker: A type of delivery that lands just under because, this is exactly why some people look or behind the bat – and very close to the at any reporting about cricket as a sport and batters toes! give up. Silly is a description of a fielder who is in position very close to the batter. And when you think about it, the word does make sense Add more terms: as it is pretty silly to stand so close to the batsman with no padding! Single: One run. Six: A six is an automatic six runs recorded when the batter hits the ball over the boundary line without it bouncing on the field. Spin: A type of bowling delivery where the ball moves off the straight line with action from the wrist.

14 Word search

Appeal S Q Q T L G K P H F V P T D R S G I H R J U F P X G H U Q G Bails F U L Z Z Z U U A D I Q B Q Q U K O N B R J G V G C A Q O A Ball B N Q R W Q D T K Y N S E O F U K O O H L T O T T J U R V S Batter Boundary E E R V P R C S E W V U O Z W E S K B N U Z S A Y H B D U T Bowled U S Q C N I T P Q H X Y S N P L V T A C T H M J E N R C W Z Bowler M Q X L D P B V E C U O H A V S E V L E E T J U Y Q C Z V U Bye U A H R U T L F E L N B T V L Z D R L H S K S I T N D H L Y Catch U S O U T K Q K Q M E D I C H W I C K E T K E E P E R X P I Century Crease J M H E H O C J N Z Y D A B T T L Y T M R R S D P G Y U O N Cut K R K E C G H I A W B Z I A G X B X Q Y E M P F F D N I S C Delivery R L F Y K J W S R F X K W T J U D G K K V S J C A U I X Q R Dismissal Z U H B O C V C C P H S S T U M P S R O O E B W N R L P Z W Drive R O T H X A C P I Y G E O E X P W O P Q A F S D X P F L P Z Duck Extra I N T F P J I L B P N H V R T I Y B I F T X B A L L P I I V Fast B X D P P L Q H M D Q A H P N K T L M M L Q T S W P N I P S Fielder J F E U S H G K I T G Y G G A Z E V P A D S W W C W H C B D Four L A L K G G X O Z S U J E M M G K G U A R S O G Y K T X V B Full L B W W B O K K E U M V D Z G I C T L S C I P S R C C L E K Googly Hook F V O L R L O A S W P I U G J F I E L D E R Y L L I S N R H Innings Y N B N B E M G B J I G F V L E W U E P B G C W K U B Z V O LBW F P O A D G S L L R R X H S I N G L E U T F M N S S I X M D Legside V Q K U A S Z L K Y E O M P I Z I G I F E E W I D E O U S I Maiden O F V M E I Y Z I F D D C H G V K F C Y C S U F A H U R T S Noball Offside Z H C D Q D C B I P R F R D E X C N A V F A O N C D E L D M Over B Z N H L E I A S L I A B R A Q E E G S I E J T W K Z Q R I Pads O L K V N U Q S U T V W Y R A D N U O B T R A Q I E Y R K S Pitch S E X T R A N W F N E D F Z I A K C U D Y C E R V C X Y J S Pull F O U R M V E P B F E X A A A T I B O Y G A T U W C D M X A Seam Shot N R S B T Z M P O F O A M Y O I J M O L X S G N I N N I R L Silly Y W V X P H C T I P Y I I E I F W F Y S W Q N J H M E C H K Single Six Slip Spin Striker Stumps Swing Testmatch Umpire Wicket Wicketkeeper Wide Yorker 15 Fielding positions

I really think the most confusing part of cricket for a spectator is when you listen to commentary and need to decipher the language... For example, imagine trying to comprehend what a silly mid off is when you don’t speak “cricket.”

It comes down to the simple fact that the field of play is divided into imaginary sections which are described with these unusual modifiers. Let’s take a moment to breakdown the fielding positions in the easiest way possible. And for someone like me, a visual representation is required! Know how Bowler First the field is split into two From spin to pace, there are many imaginary halves down the different types of delivery styles that all middle of the pitch through the require strength and precision. two sets of stumps. Off side and On or Leg side. Batter More likely referred to as batsmen, but it’s Then the field of play is split 2017 and girls play cricket too. Any batter again into segments describing must have strong arms and fast feet. how close to the batter the fielder is positions: Keeper Wicketkeepers must have strong legs, Silly: Really close to the batter. quick reflexes and great hand-eye coordination. Short: Close to the batter Deep: Further away from the Infield batter. Infielders need to stay focused and be ready for the ball. They should also have Then there are actual positions the ability to catch fast balls. titled Slips, Mid-Wicket and Cover. Outfield Outfielders have an accurate and strong So when your cricketer says that throw. Stamina to run distance helps she saw a gap where there was as well since they tend to cover more no silly mid-off, you will learn to ground out at the boundary. translate that there was no one standing close to her offside in Umpire the mid-wicket position. This is where you can play a big part in your young cricketer’s team. Get out there, have fun and make those moments count. Don’t forget your hat!

16 Get to know the cricket field

Off-side On (Leg side) 7 3 8 U 2a 6 4 11 5

1 2b U

10 B 9 12

1. Bowler Slips 2a. Striker (right hand batter*) Cover 2b. Non-Striker Mid (off) 3. Wicketkeeper 4. Silly - really close to batter Mid wicket 5. Short - close to batter 6. Square - 90 degree angle to batter Outfield 7. Backward - behind batter’s wicket Infield 8. Fine - backward between square and straight 9. Wide - forward and futher from straight 10. Deep - further from batter U Umpire 11. Forward - in front of batter’s wicket Boundary 12. Straight - close to imaginary middle line of pitch B

17