Rules For Cricket

To the casual observer the sport may look a little like baseball, but the rules of Cricket illustrate that the game is truly unique. Originated in the United Kingdom, cricket is played in numerous nations ranging from Australia to Zimbabwe. A primer on the rules of Cricket:

Structure and objective. Cricket is a sport played by two teams of 11 players each. Their objective is to score more runs than the other team. Games can last anywhere from a couple of hours and several days.

Roles and function. Like baseball, one team is at bat; the other is in the field. The batting team tries to score more runs before their innings are brought to an end and they are "sent off."

Starting play. One squad of 11 takes the field, with one player assigned to serve as the bowler -- similar to a pitcher in baseball. Two opponents go up to bat. One serves as the striker; the other as the non-striker.

Bowling. The bowler puts a "ball"in play by delivering the ball to the striker, usually by bouncing it. The striker can either swing or not swing. If he chooses not to swing, the ball is completed. If the striker hits the ball, the ball is in play until one of several circumstances occurs (such as an out, which is considered an "over." A single bowler gets to deliver six balls before giving way to another member of the fielding team.

Outs. In the course of a ball a batter can make an out. There are 10 different ways of making an out, such has having the ball be caught. After 10 outs the teams change sides.

Scoring runs. If the batter hits the ball, his team has the chance to score runs. The batsmen score by running between the popping creases, passing each other in the process. If they both successfully reach the opposite creases, a run is scored. The players can continue run between the creases. Meanwhile, the fielding team tries to stop this by running out the batsmen. A fielder can run out a batsman by fielding the ball and knocking it loose without the batsman being behind it. Important point: batsmen do not have to run!

Other run-scoring methods. If the batsman clobbers the ball all the way to the boundary fence, his team collects four runs automatically. In addition, if the fielders should overthrow the ball in attempting run out a batsman, and the ball reaches the boundary fence, the batting team also records four runs.

The winner, of course, is the team with the most runs!