Full Guide On How To Play Cricket

How to play cricket? Why is cricket one of the most loved sports? The answer to these questions can not be simply explained. Some might say that cricket is not a sport; it is entertaining sports. But anyway it does not matter. I think this is because of the reach of the game. Anyone can play this game and you do not need to be rich or specially-abled to play this game.

There are around one billion fans of the cricket around the globe (Source). One can play cricket at any level, from your house’s backyard to the 22-yard pitch of a big ground. But only this would not be the reason for the popularity of cricket. Then what is the exact reason behind the popularity of this game? There might be several aspects of this as the history of cricket, how do you play cricket, and what are the cricket segments? These answers are briefly explained in the article. 

I have been playing cricket since childhood. And thought it would be helpful for you if I briefly explain cricket. Cricket can be explained in many ways, but in this, we will start at the beginner’s level. We will also talk a little bit about the history of cricket and modern cricket forms and rules. 

Things You Need to Play cricket 

Cricket is one of the best outdoor games. Although in the previous paragraph I told you guys that you do not need any special types of equipment to play, you need some of the essential equipment like a cricket ball, cricket bat, stumps, ground, and a pitch. One can also play cricket in the backyard of the house or on the street. Let me tell you an interesting fact that there are a maximum number of cricket players in India, and the most popular form is gully(street) cricket. 

Cricket Bat 

If you live on earth, you must have seen the bat, but let me explain to them for those who do not know what the bat is. The bat is a stick that is used to hit the cricket ball and score runs. According to the international cricket council rule and regulations, the bat should not be wi8der than 4.5 inches and 28 inches long. The weight may vary from one kilogram to 2.5 kilograms. My expert tip for you is that you should use a lighter bat in the very starting. As you get used to it, you can use the heavier bat. Data from the international cricket council says that most of the professional cricket players use a bat that weighs around one to 1.8 kg. Many players from the African region used heavier bats as they had the power to lift the bat and hit the ball hard. 

Cricket ball 

The cricket ball is round in shape, and they might be in different colors like white, red, and pink. The cricket ball is made up of selected leather. Each color denotes a different form of cricket play. The white ball is used in the shorter time period matches like one day and T 20 formats. And pink and red balls are for long time matches like test matches. The pink balls are recently introduced as the international cricket association thought of the night test matches. The red ball can be merely seen in the night, so the ICC decided to play with the pink ball. 

If you are a beginner, then I would recommend you not to use a leather ball as it might not suit you. Start with a softball like tennis balls and stumper balls. 

Stumps 

Stumps are wooden sticks that are the basic wickets for the game. These are beaten in the ground, and these form a wicket with two bails. The pitch has two ends, and these ends are determined by these wickets. According to the international cricket council rules and regulations, wickets should not be longer than 28 inches, and the width should be 9 inches. But one who can not afford to buy the stumps, he/she can use any type of sticks if you are starting out. 

Ground and Pitch 

Usually, the ground of the cricket game of spherical in shape, and where the batsman plays is called pitch. The pitch is usually of 22 yards, which means 20 meters in length and 3 meters in width. The soil and the quality of the pitch are very important and part. The soil of the pitch can change the whole scenario of the game. Some pitches might be favorable for the batting, and some might be for the bowling. Wickets or the stumps are placed on both sides. Each cricket ground might have different shapes, but they try to keep it close to spherical shape. Usually, the ground is covered with grass. And if you are a beginner, then you may choose to play on any flat surface. 

How To Play Cricket – Important Aspects

Playing cricket is a very easy task; as a beginner, you just need to choose a place to play it. And then divide teams and play cricket. A bowler bowls from the bowling end, and a batsman hits the ball from another end. If the bowler hits the ball out of the boundary line, then it’s a six, and the bowl hits the boundary line by bouncing, then it is a four-run, and rest one can run between the wickets for one, two, or three runs. But if you want to learn more about the professional cricket game, then you need to understand the below-mentioned important aspects. 

Teams 

Cricket is famous for its team spirit, and each team has an equal number of players. The team consists of 15 players. At one time, the ongoing game has 15 people. Eleven fielders, two batsmen, and two field umpires. At the starting of the game, which team will play is decided by the coin flip, which is known as toss. Which team wins the toss has a chance to choose who plays first. Although there are 15 players in the cricket team, only 11 players play at a time. 

Batting

Batting is the very basic ball hitting. The batsman hits the ball by the bat and scores the run. The batting team wants to hit the maximum runs. And the total is the target for the opposing team. Openers are those who come first to play, and at one time, two batters are there to play. When one gets out, another batsman comes to play the game. When everyone from the batting team gets out then, it is known as all out, and the next team comes to play. 

The basic of batting is that you need to hit the ball harder and score the maximum marks. But hitting every ball is not an easy task. The bowlers try not to let the batsman score the runs and tries to take maximum wickets. 

Bowling 

The opponent team that is not batting at the time bowls. Bowling is not an easy task one has to stop the batting team at a minimal score. Each team plays for specific overs, depending on the format of the game. A test cricket game may run for 90 overs per day, and a one-day cricket game might run for 50 overs for each team. Nowadays, the cricket boards are focusing on the 20 over games and night games. Each over has six balls in it, and a single bowler can only bowl some certain number of overs depending on the game format. 

As a beginner, one should consider this thing that you do not need to play a game of 40-50 overs. It would be best if you tried playing 5-10 over matches, then after you get used to it, you can play some longer games. 

Fielding 

The bowling team is responsible for the fielding also. Only betting and bowling does not make you win the game. The fielding is the defending part of the game. If the fielding is not done correctly, it will be hard for the team to reach the score. Some of the most powerful team’s coaches say that they are at the top just because they could stop the other teams at low scores by their fielders. For example, the South African team is one of the greatest teams in the history of cricket, as the team has the best fielding unit.

Ways A Batsman Can Get Out

There are many other types of wickets like obstructing the field, hitting the ball twice, hit wicket, and handled the ball. 

Final Words 

Understanding the Cricket segments and playing cricket is a very easy task, and anyone can play with a very minimal budget. I live ina country where you will see every park full of children playing cricket. Cricket is very famous in India and England. And it is also the national game of England. Cricket is the modern form of the very famous game croquet. 

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