Cricket is one of the most popular games in Asia (and therefore in the subcontinent), the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, and many other countries. It is a sport that originated in England and is currently widespread in Asia, Australia. For those of you who are not experts, it may seem a bit complicated, but once you understand it is even simpler than football or basketball.
Preparation for playing Cricket:
Get the equipment:
Cricket requires a few pieces of specialized equipment to play properly. At least six required stumps (Stumps), four crosspieces (Bails), 2 and cricket bats a ball. Most cricket teams also have uniforms and safety accessories for the goalkeeper (wicket-keeper).
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Stumps and crossbars are pieces of wood that are assembled to create the gate (wicket), one of the most important objects in cricket. You can learn more details about the preparation of wickets (wickets) at the end of this section.
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The cricket bat is a large bat made of willow wood that is flat on one side and bulky on the other to give it strength. To give the ball greater distance when hitting it, the flat part must be used.
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The cricket ball is similar to a baseball in terms of size and composition but is sewn in a straight line instead of following the pattern of a tennis ball, which creates two equal hemispheres separated by said seam. Normally, cricket balls are red with white stitching; nowadays, white balls are sometimes used in important games for better visibility.
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Cricket uniforms consist of long pants, a shirt (either long or short sleeves) and shoes. Most cricket players use tacos (shoes with a nail base) to have a better grip on the field, although it is not necessary. In games where a red ball is used, uniforms must always be white or almost white. In the case of games with white balls, it is possible to wear colored uniforms.
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The wicketkeeper (the one who catches the ball) can wear protective equipment similar to that of a baseball catcher: webbed gloves, shin guards and a face mask. No other player is allowed to use protective equipment.
Meet the Cricket field:
Cricket is played in a large and oval field. This field has a rectangular ground in the center known as pitch (or court). A dividing line must be clearly marked on the entire outer edge of the field.
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The court is the place where the pitcher throws the ball to the attacker (the batter) of the other team. In a regulatory game, the court is 20m (22 yards) long by 3m (10 feet) wide.
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A cricket field does not strictly need to be oval according to the rules, but generally, it is.
Set the wickets:
A gate is a structure composed of three stakes called stumps that are nailed to the ground, with two crossbars placed on grooves located between each pair of them (from left to center and from the center to right). In most cases, a batter whose gate loses a crossbar because of a blow with the ball is out (out), so that defending those gates is an important part of an offensive game.
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The gates should be set at 72 cm (28.5 inches) high, with a total width of 23 cm (9 inches) along the three stumps
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The gates are placed so that the central stump is in the center of the throwing line, with the other two equidistant on each side of it along the line. A gate is fixed on each side of the throwing line to get a total of two inside the court. During the game, batters stand in front of their gates.
Concepts and Rules:
Learn the objective of the game:
As in most field games, the goal of cricket is to score points against the opposing team when running from one point to another before the play ends or the defenders leave you out (the team covers the field). The team that is at bat is called the “hitting team.”
Learn the basics of the game:
In cricket, each team is made up of 11 players (a twelfth alternate player can be kept in reserve in case an injury occurs, otherwise, he is not involved in the game at all). At any given time, the defending team has all of its 11 players in play while the team at bat has only two, called hitters. The batters try to hit the ball after the defending team has thrown it and then change positions without being left out in order to score points.
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All positions on the court have official names. The person who throws the ball is called the pitcher and the one who bats in front of him is called an attacker. The other player at bat, the one near the pitcher at the opposite end of the court away from the attacker, is known as the “non-hitter.” Finally, the member of the defending team that stands behind the gates at the end of the field where the attacker is is known as a goalkeeper (wicket-keeper).
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The other positions in the field have colloquial names, but none are official.
How to play Cricket:
The score in the game of cricket is counted in races; the goal of each team is to make more races than the opponent in his batting turn. Once the batter hits the ball thrown by the pitcher, he must run to the other side of the field to score a run. The batter is eliminated if the ball is caught by one of the opposing team’s field players or if the pitcher knocks down the wicket, or goal, which is behind the batter. It is completely forbidden to use the foot, leg or any other part of the body to hit the ball by the batter. You can only do it with the bat.
This is in general terms how cricket is played. I hope this post helps you start playing with your friends, you will see how much fun it is.
Read More: Before playing Cricket all you need to know
