How To Play Cricket

Learning how to play cricket can be a lot of fun. It is one of the world’s most popular games for a reason. Cricket is a game that just about anyone can play, but the most skillful players will always have a competitive advantage. While on the surface for the uninitiated, the rules of cricket may appear complicated, cricket is a relatively easy game to learn and play.

1. Set up the field. You will need to have a large area to play cricket. The overall field is oval in shape with a diameter of around 350 yards. In the center of the field is an area known as the pitch. The pitch is 22 feet in length with three standing sticks (also known as wickets) at each end.
2. Set up the batsmen. When you play cricket, standard rules call for eleven players on both teams. Of course, you can always play a pick up game with less players. The game will begin with two batsmen both standing on opposite ends of the pitch. One of the batsmen is the striker, the other is the non-striker.
3. Set up the bowler and wicket keeper. Located at the end of the pitch opposite the striker is the bowler; he is the one who pitches or bowls the ball to the striker. At the other end of the pitch behind the striker is the wicket keeper. When you play cricket, the wicket keeper will be the only player with a glove and he will attempt to catch balls as they are thrown or bowled past the striker.
4. Begin play. Play will begin in cricket when the bowler runs up to the pitch and bowls the ball to the striker. The ball can be delivered overhand or underhand and it is generally thrown on once bounce. The goal of the batter is to strike the ball, putting it in place past the fielders. If the ball is caught in the air, play is over.
5. Score runs. When you play cricket, runs are scored when the striker puts the ball in play. The striker and the non-striker then begin to run to the opposite sides of the pitch. Every time they reach the other side, a run is scored. You can score multiple runs on one batted ball.
6. Record overs. The team not at bat’s goal is to record ten overs. When ten overs are recorded, the teams switch sides and the other team takes a turn at bat. An over is recorded when a ball is caught in the air, the striker is called out on six consecutive strikes or a wicket is broken. A wicket can be broken by a pitched ball or by a fielder when the ball is in play.