Cricket is a ball game that was first played in the southern part of England way back in the 16th century. It then became very popular throughout the rest of England and by the later part of the 18th century the game had developed into England’s National sport. Cricket further gained popularity worldwide with the expansion and spreading out of the empire of Britain overseas. By the middle of the 19th century there were already international cricket matches that were being played.
Cricket is played with two sides or teams. Each team has 11 players and they play on a field with a special area at the center called the pitch. The ground of the field is specially prepared by staff called grounds men. They are in charge of keeping the field in good shape. This includes keeping the playing surface level, fertilizing the grassy ground, and mowing the grass. The playing field itself can be of varying sizes because the rules do not specify a size or even a shape. Usually though, cricket playing fields are oval in shape and their size (diameter) ranges from 130 to 150 meters. The perimeter or the boundary of the playing field is usually marked off by paint or by rope.
The pitch is the most important part of the field. This is where the action of the game really takes place. It is a rectangular area that stretches to 20 meters in length and 3 meters in width. It is flat and covered with short grass. Understandably, the grass usually wears away as players run through during the course of a game. The wickets are located at either end of the pitch. They are used as a target for the fielding team. The batting team on the other hand tries to protect the wickets as they try to accumulate runs. The batting team can score a run by hitting the ball with the bat then running to touch the crease at the end of the pitch without being dismissed by the fielding team.
The creases are four lines painted around the areas where the wickets are placed. They are used to define the “safe” territory of the batsman and also to establish the area where the fielders can approach. These creases have their own names. One is the batting or the popping crease, another is the bowling or fielding crease, and the last two are known as the return creases.
The main objective of both teams in cricket is two fold. First, they need to score more than the other, i.e. they must be able to make more runs. Second, they need to totally dismiss their opponent. However, in the “limited overs” type of cricket, these rules are loosened up a bit. A team can win in limited overs cricket by just scoring more runs than the opposing team. They do not have to totally dismiss them. On the other hand, these rules are made even harder in test cricket. Here, a team needs to score more runs than their opponent and dismiss the whole team twice before they can earn the victory. If neither team is able to accomplish this, the match will be called a draw.
