What is Cricket?

Cricket (pronounced CRIK-i-tay) is a time-honoured, almost universal, pastime that goes back more than 3000 years. It's easy to understand why it's remained such a popular activity for so long, considering it's relatively easy to start, very sociable, and the rules are fairly easy to learn. It's also very entertaining to watch, whether it's a charity match, a county match, or a Test match.

It has a simple, unifying vocabulary that enables it to be played in every country in the world, regardless of language or cultural barriers. The whole world has a language that is cricket-compliant. There are around 25,000 national and regional cricket associations and an estimated 150 million players worldwide.

The Laws of Cricket

The basic rules of the game are not all that hard to understand. You need to know the following: The pitch - what you can and cannot touch, when you can bowl and when you can't, the number of runs you can score per innings, and whether it's a man or a woman's team. The Wicket - the "wicket" or "rump" of the cricket bat, which is used to hit the ball when it's in flight, or to put it back in play after it's been knocked into the outfield. The Field - the areas of the ground on which the bat or the ball are in play.

The Rules - the Laws of Cricket, which define the basics of the game. You will see these on many umpires' shirts or on their uniforms. The Pitch - where the cricket is played. The Bat - the "bat" used to hit the ball. The Wicket - the area where the bat hits the ball.

The Field - the entire area where the ball can be in play. The Scorers - who keep track of what's going on. The Statisticians - who keep track of all the scores, and publish statistics on it. No rule or law of the game is more basic than the number three. It's often described as the "most useless" position in cricket, as you're generally into bat at the start of the second innings (if you have made a contribution to the previous innings), and usually the ninth or tentatively at the start of the 10th.

The reason for having the number three is because, traditionally, this was the time when most teams were in trouble, and would be happy to make sure they weren't found out. Thus, they would select a batsman who could bat at three or four, and then let him take over the leadership of the team. This means that at certain stages in a game, the number three position is virtually redundant, as there is no one fit to stand there at any particular time.

The same is true of opening and bowling positions. At most stages of a game, the most important bowler or batsman is the bowler or batsman who can be promoted up the order, or move up the order himself, without having to move up the order. You might also notice that the Lawes - the supposed surnames of the captains of the English and Australian teams, rather than the surnames of their real names.

This is because of the traditional English and Australian rules, that allows the captain of each team to pick an additional player for the game, regardless of their current XI. This is why the number of possible elevens on the field is 12 (eight outfielders) and nine (a bowler and a batsman).

The following is a list of the Laws of Cricket, as originally published by The Cricket Co. in 1862. Cricketer's Oath - Life, liberty, and the pursuit of the law. "Do not spoilsport for the sake of theory, and maintain cricket, whenever it is good for the health and promotion of the community." Statement of the Laws of Cricket A batsman may only be dismissed bowled, even if it is clearly not in the batsman's best interests.

A batsman may only be dismissed bowled, even if it is clearly not in the batsman's best interests. A bowler may be bowled while facing the bowling crease. The bowler must have his front foot beyond the popping crease, in front of the wicket.

A bowler may be bowled while facing the bowling crease. The bowler must have his front foot beyond the popping crease, in front of the wicket. The fielding side may appeal for batsman's dismissals.

However, a batsman may not call for a no-ball by blowing on his fingers, or by raising his bat or helmet over his shoulder. However, a batsman may not call for a no-ball by blowing on his fingers, or by raising his bat or helmet over his shoulder. In the case of a tied match, the number of runs in an innings shall decide who is declared the winner.