How to Understand the Basic Rules of Cricket

Cricket is a very technical game which is played all over the world for about 250 years. The game of cricket has been structured with many forms that can last anywhere from several hours to several days. Though the concept of cricket is similar to that of Basketball, the rules of playing the game of cricket are completely different from it. Over the years, there have been many innovations in the game which have enforced some changes to the rules30-yardbut it never had an impact on the basic rules of cricket. If you love watching the sport of cricket and willing to play it you must first understand the basic rules of the game. Here is a guide on How to Understand the Basic Rules of Cricket!

Contents

Part 1: Understanding the Equipment
Part 2: Understanding the Field
Part 3: Understanding the Players
Part 4: Understand the Gameplay

Part 1: Understanding the Equipment

Step 1: Memorize the Basic Equipments

The first basic thing that you should always remember is to understand what the basic equipments of playing the game is. The basic equipments are:

The Bat
The Wickets
The Stumps
The Crease
The Bails

If you are playing cricket for the first time, it will take time for you to understand and also to remember everything. This you should take your time in order to understand them. When you are about to go through the details of the equipments in the pieces then these terms are very common. Thus to easily understand them you need to these terms very well which might always help you to understand everything.

Step 2: Know how they look like

One of the most important things that you must always remember is to how the equipment looks like. The ball is very hard, and it is covered in leather. Generally, the game of cricket is played with two different balls. The test matches are played with the red ball, and the limited over matches are played with the white ball. The bat is made up of wood and is flat on one side and also humped on the other. The bat quality differs with the type of wood that has been used to manufacture the bat. There are two different types of willows used – the Kashmir Willow, and the other one is The English Willow.

The stumps are generally made up of wood, and they look like posts which are almost 32 inches high. The bails are generally the grooves which connect the stumps with each other. There are two bails implemented to connect three stumps. There are generally six stumps on a pitch with three stumps on each side of the crease. The official cricket match is played with 22 players on the pitch divided into two teams of eleven players each. The umpiring is done by two on field umpires where there is also another third umpire who inspects the match. The match is generally conducted by the match referee who is present outside the field.

However, in order to understand the game better, all that you need to do is to follow a few steps:

Look for the pictures of the different equipments to play the game of cricket online, this will help you to recognize the equipment used.
Open your television and watch cricket on the sports channels in order to know how professionals are using these equipment.
Try to recognize the equipments that are used on the field and what is the purpose of them. You can easily see that the bats are in the hands of the batsmen while the ball is in the hands of the bowler!

Step 3: Understand the Crease

The pitch is that particular area of the field where the ball is bowled and the batsman plays a shot. Generally, the pitch has a length of 22 yards and has marked with a crease on either side. The measurement of the 22 yards is done from the stump to the stump. Ahead of the stump, the crease is marked which is 3 yards shorter. The distance between the two creases on either side is just 16 yards. The crease is implemented as a mark of control for both the batsman and also the bowler. The batsman uses the batting end crease to take his stunts properly while the crease at the bowler’s end is used to mark the line of limit for stepping just as a ball is bowled.

Step 4: Test out the Equipment

The easiest way to get familiar with the sport of cricket is to get familiar with the equipments which are used. You can easily go out to a local sports shop and then ask for the equipments which are used to play cricket. Have a look at the bails, the bats, the stumps, the wickets as well as the ball and try to touch them by your own hand. See what you like the most in between the bat and also the ball. If you try to handle them after seeing how professionals use this equipment, you will automatically feel comfortable with them before playing the game professionally. It is never necessary for you to buy everything, but having an idea is definitely important.

Part 2: Understanding the Field

Step 1: Memorize the different parts

The first basic thing that you really need to know is the different parts of the game which is present on the field. The cricket field is generally oval in shape which becomes shorter in the straight while a little square on the sides. The game of cricket is generally played in the center of the ground from where the batsman and the bowler are present.

On the both sides of the wickets is the pitch. The pitch is outlined with different white lines which mark out the different parts of the pitches including the crease, the wide line and also the standing mark behind the stumps. The pitch is completely rectangular, and the distance between the two stumps is 22 yards or 66 meters. However, there are a few things which you need to remember as well.

The wickets are generally present within the pitch, and the batsman who is on strike stands infront of the wicket to guard the stumps.
The two stumps are facing each other in the game of cricket. The batsmen run in between these when he completes a shot while batting.
The boundaries are present almost at the edges of the field following an oval outline as well.

Step 2: Look at a Diagram

A general look at the outline of the pitch can always be confusing for anyone. You can take the help of a labeled diagram of the field in order to understand the concept well. You can even try out to copy the diagram by looking at one in order to get familiar with it. If you really know the parts of the field where the game of cricket is played is indeed very essential in order to understand the basic rules of the field. With the help of the diagram, you can understand the basic fielding positions of the game. In a game of cricket, there are almost 33 fielding positions present excluding the wicketkeeper as well as the different things which you look out for.

Step 3: Watch out a game

If a cricket field is played near to you, you can easily attend the field to watch how the game is played. However, the better advice is just to open up the television and watch a live cricket match that is being played. Try to hear the commentary of the match and then recognize the fielding positions which are being said. If you do not find the different live matches which are being played on the field of cricket, you can easily look out for online videos of the game which will help you to recognize the game of cricket easily. Try to name a few things of the game such as the wickets, the crease or even the fielding positions. You can see the marks on the diagrams and then compare them with the screen.

Part 3: Understanding the Players

Step 1: Know about the Batsman

The team that is batting sends out two players on the field to have a bat at a time, and they are generally known to be as the batsmen. The batsmen wear out protective gears in order to save themselves from external injuries. They wear helmets, pads, thigh pads, arm guards and even abdomen guards which are present on the bike. Each of the batsmen tries to score as many runs to beat the opponent. There are two different ways to score runs in cricket- one is to complete a short run by touching the crease in the opposite end, and the other is to hit boundaries. A batsman can run as many short runs possible without getting himself run out.

The boundaries come in two different formats:

One type of the boundary is awarded four runs. This happens when the batsman hits the ball towards the boundary, and then the ball drops on the field and crosses the boundary line.
The other type of the boundary is hitting the six. In a game of cricket, the maximum runs that a batsman can score in a single delivery are the six. It generally happens when the batsman hits the ball from the crease, and it drops directly outside the boundary without bouncing even once within the field.

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Step 2: Know the Fielding Team

On the field, eleven players are fielding out of them one player is the wicketkeeper while the other is the bowler. The wicketkeeper stands behind the wicket to guard the ball or to catch the ball. The bowlers stay away from the pitch and run into it to deliver the ball. Apart from the bowler and the wicket keeper, the other nine members of the fielding team stand in different positions of the field obeying the field restrictions. The main aim of the field setting is to stop the batsman from scoring runs in different directions of the field. While the batsman is running, the fielders aim to throw the ball towards the stumps so that they can get him run out.

Step 3: Understanding the Innings

One of those important things which might just be on your mind is the Innings of playing the game. The Innings sets to define the players of what they are actually doing. Just after the innings is over, the players switch their roles. At the start of the match the batting team sets a total for the fielding team to chase down. They also try to defend their total with the help of the bowling. However, teams which are fielding first try to restrict their opponents to a total they would be able to chase. Each team is awarded one innings in the limited over matches while the test matches are conducted with two innings for every team.

Part 4: Understand the Gameplay

Step 1: Know the Basic Concept

The first thing that you must know is the basic concept of the game. The game of cricket is played between two teams of 11 members in each of the team. The game is played between the teams as they bat in successive innings and try to score runs. The opposite team in the field tries to end the innings of the batting team. In a limited over game, the batting team has ten wickets in hand to score the runs which would be enough. The limited over games are played under different formats all over the world with 20 over or even 50 over. When both the teams have completed their innings, the team which has the most number of runs wins the match.

Step 2: Get Familiar with the situations

The Toss
At the start of the match, the captains from both the teams are invited to the pitch by the umpires where the toss takes to play. The toss generally has two flips which are named as the Heads and the other half is named as the Tails. The winning team of the toss makes the decision either to bat first or even to field first.

The Batsmen
The batting team sends out two batsmen at the center of the pitch. The aim of the batsmen is just to stroke the ball and score as many runs as possible including the short runs as well as the boundaries.

The Bowler
The aim of the bowler is to deliver good balls which will not allow the batsmen to score runs. The bowler is also credited for taking wickets of the batsman to end the innings in a shorter total.

The Runs
The batsman can score the runs either by running towards the opponent ends and touching the crease with the bat or by hitting the boundaries. However, if the fielder is successful with hitting the stumps with the ball before the batsman reaches the crease, it is declared to a run out.

The Outs
In the game of cricket there might be different ways using which a batsman might be out:

If a batsman misses a ball while playing and the ball hits the wicket leading to dislodge the bails from the stumps, the batsman is bowled out.
If the batsman hits a ball and it goes in the air, and a fielder is successful in catching the ball just before the ball drops to the ground, he is considered to be caught out.
If the ball strikes the pads of the batsman while he is playing a shot and missing his bats, the umpire inspects if the ball was going to hit the stumps. The umpire decides according to prediction if the batsman is out or not!
If a batsman has been given out, another batsman comes to the pitch o replace him. However, this continues until the batting team has lost ten wickets and put an end to their innings.

Step 3: Know the Basic thing to do

If a player is batting, he/she should try to run between the wickets until the fielder has collected the ball and is aiming to throw the ball. If the ball crosses the inner 30 yard circle, the batsman tries to score multiple runs in the ball. The fielders on the cricket field are always attentive on the batsman as well as the runner in order to catch the ball or then make a run out. When a fielder is successful to catch a ball, he must throw it back to the umpire in order to complete the proceeding.

Step 4: Against the rules

Just like every other sport, there are a few things which are against the rules of cricket:

Bowling Action:
One of the major things which every player needs to keep in mind is the bowling action while bowling to a batsman. The release of the ball should not be lower than the shoulder height of the bowler. Otherwise, the bowler might be suspended.

Field Restrictions:
The field restrictions are one of the major things which you must always consider while you are batting. There are several field restrictions which a fielding team might follow. A few of the basic rules and regulations are:

There can only be a limit of 9 fielders excluding the bowler and the wicket-keeper.
There can only be a maximum of six fielders on the leg side.
There might only be a number of two players behind the square leg fielding position.
There can be a maximum of two fielders behind the crease on either side.

Obstructing the Field:
One of the major things which are against the batsman is obstructing the field. The batsman cannot stop or touch the ball while completing a run intentionally. This leads to obstructing the field which is against the favor of the batsman, and he is declared to be out.

No balls:
There are four different types of no balls called against the fielding team for not following the rules.

If the bowler oversteps the crease just at the moment of releasing the ball from the hand.
If the bowler touches the side trump line with the back leg, the ball is considered to be no-ball.
If the bowler delivers a high- full toss ball which is higher than the height of the waist while the batsman was standing, the ball is considered to be a no-ball.
If the fielding team fails to keep the fielding restrictions, the ball is called as no.

Step 5: Power Play

The Power Play is one of the most interesting aspects of the game. There are three different Power Plays allotted in every innings- The mandatory Power Play (First ten over), the fielding Power Play and the Batting Power Play each of five over for a fifty over game. The batting and the fielding Power Play has to be taken within the complete of 40 over of the innings. However, rules for the 20 over game Power Play are different. The mandatory Power Play is for first four over which is followed by one over of bowling Power Play and also one over of batting Power Play. In the mandatory Power Play, the fielding team is allowed to have two fielders outside of the inner 30-yard circle while in the rest of the two Power Plays, only three fielders are allowed. The fielding team must keep two fielders closer to the pitch for catching in the mandatory power play.

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Conclusion:
Though the game of cricket is being played for over than 250 years now, it is finding interest in almost all countries of the world. The guide on How to Understand the Basic Rules of Cricket will easily make you understand the game of cricket in much better ways. All that you need to do is to watch more videos online to get acquainted with it.