How to stay in play

Cricket is a game that can last a single afternoon or up to several days. In order to stay in play you must learn the basics of the game as well as the different ways to get “dismissed” (out) Teams bat in innings, usually up to 10 in a game. Batsmen attempt to score as many runs around the field as possible, while the opposing team attempts to bring an end to the batting team’s innings by taking out their wicket. After each team has batted an equal number of innings, the team with the most runs wins. There is no fixed size or shape for the field but it generally 100-160 yards across. A coin toss determines which team starts at bat, and the caption of the team of the winning toss may choose who they wish to bat or field first. If a team is fielding, their entire team must be on the field. When a team is at bat, only two players of that team are at play. Cricket offers several ways to get a batsman out and some are more common than others. A batsman can get caught; this meaning, if a fielder catches the ball without letting it touch the grass a bats the batsman is dismissed. If the fielder catches the ball during the catch or right after the batsman touches over the boundary then the batsman can score up to six runs and is exempted from getting out.

A batsman can get himself out by mistakenly breaking the wicket with his own bat by being, this is known as Bowled. When a batsman misses the ball and his leg or any part of his body interrupts the ball before hitting the wicket this is known as Leg before Wicket. Stumped and Run out are terms used when the batsman finds himself out of bounds or gets out during his run. It is possible for the non-striker to be run out if the striker hits the ball straight down the pitch towards the non-striker’s wicket. The Bowler can then interrupt the ball before it hits the wicket while the non-striker is out of his designated area of play. A Hit Wicket, Handle The Ball, Obstructing the Field, Hit The Ball Twice, or Timed out are among the uncommon ways of dismissing a player. This involves breaking the wicket by a players bat, helmet or hand; the batsman touching the ball without proper permission, interfering with a fielder, hitting the ball twice, or taking longer than 2 minutes to appear on the field after hitting the ball.