Cricket

The Game Of Love And Unity

What is Cricket


Cricket is a game;

Played between two competing teams of eleven players on each side, on a large expanse of (usually grassy) ground called a pitch.

The teams are comprised of players with a mixture of abilities,

Some are specialize at batting,

Some are bowling,

Some are Fielding,

Occasionally some are excel in all capacities, ( All-rounders)

Wicket-keeper.

In the centre of the pitch is a length of grass, (usually 22 yards long), called 'the wicket'.

At each end of the wicket are placed three sticks adjacent to each other in an upright position: these are the 'stumps'.

They are separated by a gap not greater than the diameter of a cricket ball.

On top of each set of stumps are placed two smaller sticks, or 'bails'.

A chalk outline is drawn in front of each set of stumps called a 'crease'.

The game is refereed by two 'umpires'.

History

Cricket appears to have an eventful and colorful history, although the exact origins of the game are unknown.

As far back as the 1300's, a mention of the game "creag" is found.

The name "cricket" may have come from the word "cric". The word cric stood for the hooked staffs carried by Shepards.

In 1598 there was a written record of a game called "creckett" or "crickett". This may be the first recorded mention of the game that is played today.

By 1611 cricket had become an adult game.

Around the year 1784 a London magistrate deemed cricket to be "respectable" even though there were still problems with wagering

Finally in the year 1788 the "Laws of Cricket" were born. The Laws were written by the Marylebone Cricket Club. Except for some minor revisions, these laws are still adhered to in present day cricket.

One notable change was in 1864 when over arm bowling was first used legally. Cricket is the only sport today that has laws instead of rules.

Gaining even more respectability in the late 1700s, cricket became the game of "gentlemen".

The Laws of Cricket were used for play in England and the Eastern United States. These laws covered the length of the pitch, the distance from the pitching crease to the bowling crease, wicket size, and ball weight.

The cricket fields were leveled and manicured in the 1800's. Up until this time the fields were rough and bumpy. South Africa and Australia began to play cricket seriously during this time.

In the year 1844 the first international game of cricket was played in the state of New York in the United States. This match was played between the United States and Canada.

Later, in 1877, England traveled to Australia for the first international test match. The match was played in Melbourne Australia. The Australians won the match by 45 runs.

In the year 1900 cricket made its first and only appearance in the Olympics. Today there is a renewed interest in cricket becoming an Olympic game.

The ICC was formed in 1909. The Imperial Cricket Conference was formed to govern the laws of cricket. The ICC is known today as the International Cricket Conference. The founding countries of the ICC were England, South Africa, and Australia.

The years 1932 and 1933 saw the laws of cricket being tightened. English players were throwing short-pitched balls at the Australian batters in an attempt at intimidation. England won this series, but ill feelings still exist between Australian and English players because of this series.

In the 1960's some English teams began playing a shortened version of cricket that allowed a match to be completed in only one day. The first one-day international match was played in Melbourne, Australia in 1971. This match prompted the ICC to organize the "Cricket World Cup" to be played every four years. These matches are strictly one-day matches.

In 1981 the ICC banned underarm bowling as a result of a match between New Zealand and Australia. Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to use the underarm bowling technique to stop New Zealand from winning a match. Greg's actions angered many in the cricketing community prompting the change.

Today cricket remains a well-loved sport. Some young men in Australia and England grow up hoping to one day "play for the ashes". It is a sport steeped in tradition and its fans are loyal. Although the history of cricket was rocky at times, it's a solid sport that will be around for years to come.

Cricket Equipment and Cricket Gear








How To Play Cricket

Toss a coin to see who gets to choose which team is on the field. The winner of the toss may choose to take the field or bat first. Cricket captains are the ones that make this and most of the decisions for the teams.

Bowler


Bowler bowls the ball to the striker, with usually one bounce before it reaches the striker. The bowler is trying to hit the wicket behind the striker to get him over.

Batsman


Hit the ball and both the batsmen run to try to reach the opposite popping crease. When both successfully touch, by body or bat, the ground behind the opposite crease, a run is scored. Depending on where the ball is they may try to score another run by running back to the starting popping crease. This must be done before the other team's fielders knocks the bails off the stumps with the cricket ball. Score six runs by hitting the ball over the boundary with out touching the ground. If the ball reaches the boundary and touches the ground in doing so, the batting team is granted four runs. These runs are automatic unless the runners have scored more.

Fielder


Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.

Wicket-keeper


The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket being guarded by the batsman currently on strike. It is essentially a specialist role although a keeper is occasionally called upon to bowl, in which case another member of the fielding side temporarily keeps wicket.

Match Referee, Umpires and Third Umpire

In cricket, the match referee is an off-field official who makes judgments concerning the reputable conduct of the game and hands out penalties for breaches of the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct. On-field decisions relevant to the play and outcome of the game itself are handled by two on-field umpires, although an off-field third umpire may help with certain decisions.

Cricket Pitch And Stumps


A cricket pitch is the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets. The pitch is 1 chain or 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the pitch.



A wicket consists of three stumps that are placed into the ground, and topped with two bails.

Positioning The Fielders

Different Kind Of Formation Of International Cricket






Current Test Cricket Playing Teams





Australia




Bangladesh




England




India




New Zealand




Pakistan




South Africa




Sri Lanka




West Indies




Zimbabwe




Famous Cricketers and Cricket Legends





What We Can Learn From Cricket

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