Cricket Rules For Dummies

If you are unsure about how cricket is played but still want to learn, you should know cricket rules for dummies. Essentially, cricket is a simple sport. The basic idea behind it is that each team gets a turn to bat (which makes them score runs) and bowl (which gives them a chance to get the opposing batsmen out). At the end, the team with the most runs wins (unless of course, it is a draw). Like any other sport, cricket also has it's own rules, which are fairly easy to understand.

1. Batting: One of the primary features of cricket is batting, and it comes with it's own sets of rules. Batsmen always bat in pairs, and a batsman is supposed to hit the ball and score runs by either hitting 'fours', 'sixes' or running towards the other wicket on the far end of the pitch (at which point he is replaced by the batsman who stands at the wicket on the other side of the pitch). A batsman is "run out" if he misses the ball and it hits the wicket behind him, if he hits the ball into the air and it is caught by a fielder of the opposing team, or if he is running towards the wicket on the other end of the pitch and a member of the opposing team throws the ball at the wicket before he reaches it. There are ten potential batsman in a team, and when one is run "out", he is replaced by another member of the team.
2. Bowling: Another significant feature of cricket, bowling rules are significantly simpler than those of batting. A bowler has to bowl straight and try to get the ball to hit the wicket behind the batsman. The bowler has a line beyond which he cannot throw the ball after his pre-throw run, and if he oversteps this line, the umpire will call "no-ball", which will cost his team one run. If the bowler throws a wall that is significantly curved, the umpire will call a "wide", which also costs their team a run. A bowler has to bowl seven times for an 'over', after which another bowler from the team takes over.
3. Fielding: When one team is batting, the other team is bowling and fielding. There are nine fielders (excluding the bowler and wicketkeeper) who are standing around the field who are there to make sure that the batsman doesn't make too many runs. The fielders help in getting the batsman "out" by catching the ball before it makes a bounce, or by throwing the ball at any wicket while the batsman is running towards it, before he reaches.