Rules And Regulations Of Cricket

With a windup that reaches back to the 18th century, come the 10 Best Rules and Regulations of Cricket. A game that places strategy and attention to detail alongside action and then finished by adding matches that can go for five days gives the fan almost as much to learn as the player. With a total of 42 laws in effect that regulate the game, certain ones will be fascinating including these:

1. "Eleven Players" The amount you're going to need for each team.  There is a twelfth man who is a substitute but he can only field and not bat.  Of these eleven teammates, one will be the captain so there isn't an outside manager running things on the scene.
2. "Wooden Bats" The cricket bat must be made of wood much like in Major League Baseball.  Specific dimensions are regulated, as the length cannot exceed 38 inches while the width needs to be at or less then 4.25 inches wide.  The interesting thing about the defined length is that it includes the hand holding the bat so you cannot over extend your grip.
3. "Coin Toss" Fate, luck or strong winds decide who bats or bowls first as a coin toss starts the game.  One captain tosses while the other calls and thus the match begins. Rules even govern who tosses and who calls depending on whether the match is between countries or a test match.
4. "Bowling" It's called bowling rather than pitching and it has a grand rule referring to the bowler's elbow.  You see in cricket the elbow cannot extend or hyperextend more than fifteen degrees total. The overall goal of bowling stands as getting the batsman out, either by knocking down the wicket, causing the batsman to block the wicket with his leg or by causing a hit that leads to an out.
5. "Scoring" To score in cricket the striker and the non-striker must exchange places after a hit as many times as the striker is able. The ball reaching the boundary line or crossing over the line without touching the ground also scores runs. The striker's control of what occurs during his time at bat is what adds to the facets of cricket.
6. "Swing and Many Misses" One of the rules of cricket that amazes is that a batter can't go out for missing the ball.  The rule bolsters not only the kids who were last picked for kickball but allows the batsman additional strategy in how he chooses to play the ball.  Of course there are risks in missing the ball but in the big picture what a great advantage.
7. "The Follow On" If the team batting first can maintain a certain amount of runs greater than the other team once they both have batted then the first team can force the second team to have their at bat again.  This is a fascinating rule in cricket that can speed up a match as well as provide some serious drama. The added psychological damage of a power trip in cricket using the follow on is an eyebrow raiser.
8. "Out" Cricket has ten ways to get a batsman out but the best of these is through obstruction.  Using either his body or his mouth to somehow interfere with the opposing team can cause a player to be called out.  One wonders how many "your mama" jokes have led to obstruction through tears.
9. "Batsmen" In cricket are two batsmen on the pitch at one time.  The one batting is called the "striker" while the one to the side of the bowler is the "non-striker".  Once a hit is made and the striker determines it is safe to run, the two run to each other's positions each time scoring one run. 
10. "The Appeals Process" Where else can you yell at the Umpire and it's expected as well as allowed?  In cricket, the fielders will shout "How's that?" if they are of the mind that the batter is out.  The umpire then agrees or disagrees and the game goes on.