Introduction: The game of cricket is mostly common in the continents of Asia and Europe. However many other nations in Africa are also fond of this game. Cricket is a team sport for two teams of eleven players each. A formal game of cricket can last anything from an afternoon to several days.
Although the game play and rules are very different, the basic concept of cricket is similar to that of baseball. Teams bat in successive innings and attempt to score runs, while the opposing team fields and attempts to bring an end to the batting team's innings. After each team has batted an equal number of innings (either one or two, depending on conditions chosen before the game), the team with the most runs wins.
(Note: In cricket-speak, the word ``innings'' is used for both the plural
and the singular. ``Inning'' is a term used only in baseball.)
Some hints about the game:
Cricket is a bat and ball sport played between two teams, usually of eleven players each. The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began in 1877.
Pitch: A cricket match is played on a grass field (which is usually roughly oval), in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set of three parallel wooden stakes (known as stumps) driven into the ground, with two small crosspieces (known as bails) laid on top of them. This wooden structure is called a wicket.
Bowler: A player from the fielding team bowls a hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball from one wicket towards the other.
Batsman: The ball usually bounces once before reaching a player from the opposing team, who defends the wicket from the ball with a wooden cricket bat. The batsman, if he or she does not get out, may then run between the wickets, exchanging ends with the other batsman (the "non-striker"), who has been standing in an inactive role near the bowler's wicket, to score runs.
Fielders: The other members of the bowler's team stand in various positions around the field as fielders.
Result: The match is won by the team that scores more runs.
