What is Cricket_Eng_Web 22/8/06 11:27 am Page 1

What is ? What is Cricket_Eng_Web 22/8/06 11:27 am Page 2

Aim of Cricket This is Cricket Team Batter Cricket is a game played by two teams with 11 players on each team. It is played on a large Running between The batter scores runs by oval with a rectangular pitch in the middle with at each end. The game is split into the wickets hitting the ball and running A is when both batters between the wickets, or by two halves where one team ‘bats’ and the other team ‘fields’. One of the two batsmen run to the at the hitting the ball to the faces the bowler whilst the batsman at the other end gets ready to run. The team which is opposite end of the pitch so boundaries of the . there is a batter at each batting initially sends out two batters, one to stand in front of each wicket. The team that end of the pitch. is positions its players around the ground to limit the batters’ runs or to get the batter out. One of the fielders is the wicketkeeper and one fielder is the bowler, each fielder can take a turn at .

Bowler a The bowler ‘bowls’ the ball arm towards the Scoring a boundary is batter, with the aim to get when the ball crosses the batter out. The ways to the boundary line of the get a batter out are ground before the described on the back page. fielders stop the ball. Each fielder has the chance to be the bowler.

Fielders Six runs The aim of the fielders If the ball crosses the is to limit the batter’s runs boundary without 6 and to get the batter out touching the ground this by catching the ball after counts as six runs. it has been hit with the bat, or by hitting the wickets with the ball if the batters are running between the wickets.

When a batter is out, the next batter gets the opportunity to bat and this continues Wicketkeeper until there are no more batters left. At this Four runs The fielder who stands point the team is now said to be ‘all out’. If the ball crosses the behind the wicket and boundary but has first 4 stops the ball if the batter The teams, after a break, now swap and the touched the ground misses it, or catches the before doing so this ball without it bouncing batters become the fielders and the fielders counts as four runs. after it has been hit by the batter with the bat. now become the batters. In order to win the match, the new batters need to get more runs than the opposition. What is Cricket_Eng_Web 22/8/06 11:27 am Page 3

Bowling Team There are five main ways that the fielding team can get the batter ‘OUT’

Bowled (LBW) The bowler bowls the ball and it The batter hits the ball and The ball, without first hitting the bat, hits the wicket. a fielder catches it without hits the batter’s leg directly in front it bouncing. of the wicket and then would have hit the wickets.

Run-out Stumped The batter attempts a run but a fielder The batter moves forward away from the wicket to hit manages to hit the wicket with the ball before the batter the ball, misses and the wicketkeeper knocks the bails can get back to the batting . off the wicket with the ball before the batter gets back to the batting crease.

Glossary Pitch Wicket Crease The strip (usually grass, concrete The three poles / stumps at each end The line going across the pitch in front or synthetic) It is approximately of the pitch which the batter defends. of each wicket where the batters stand. 20 meters in length and the The stumps are approximately 70 cm If the batter is not behind the crease wickets are placed at each end. high and have two bails on top. he/she can be stumped or .

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Illustrations by kind permission of the England and Wales Cricket Board