Cricket is a sport that can be played socially or competitively, by people of all ages. It is a great way to get fit and build strong muscles, and it’s a good exercise for hand-eye coordination and ball handling skills.
The game is played between two teams of eleven players each, with a 22 yard pitch at the centre. The wickets, or bowling squares, are set at each end of the pitch, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting team (also called the “batter”) attempts to score runs by striking the ball that is bowled at one of the wickets with a bat, then running between the wickets and exchanging ends with other players from their team. The fielding team tries to prevent the batters from scoring runs, and they also try to prevent the ball from leaving the pitch and getting to either of the wickets.
In order to play cricket, a player must wear protective gear. When batting, batsmen must wear body padding including gloves and leg pads as well as a box for males, and when fielding, they must wear a helmet with faceguard. They should also use the right clothing to avoid any injuries while batting or fielding, such as a cricket shirt and shorts with a neck protector.
There are many types of batsmen and each can have different strengths. Traditionally, batsmen are divided into a batting order. This is determined by the team captain and may be changed during a match for strategic reasons. The batsmen come in descending order of their batting skill, with the best batsmen first and the least experienced coming last.
To score runs, a batsman must hit the ball with a wooden cricket bat and run between the wickets at each end of the pitch. They can do this several times, and if they do so they are said to have scored a run. If they have scored more than one run, this is called a century and is worth more than the lowest score.
During a game of cricket, the field is governed by a series of rules that govern the playing of each round. These rules are called the Laws of Cricket.
The Laws of Cricket apply to all rounds during a match, and are set out in the Official Rules of the Game. The rules are usually interpreted by the umpire, who is the person whose job it is to decide whether a ball has been hit properly or not.
Some of the most important laws are: LBW – Leg before wicket, or LWB – Leg before stumps, which means that if a batsman uses their body to block the ball from hitting their own wicket when it is about to hit it, they are out and the team loses the game.
ODI and T20 matches are also very popular. These are shorter matches that are played between two nations and last for around 6 hours.
