Cricket

Cricket is a sport that became popular in England hundreds of years ago, and is still played there today. It
is also quite popular throughout the world, thanks to the colonization efforts of the British Empire. Today,
there is an International Cricket Council, established to govern the playing of this unique sport involving
a ball, batting, bowling and fielding.
History
The first documented cricket game can be traced back to 1598 in England, but it is believed that the game
was played long before this incident. The documentation exists in a court case involving boys at a British
grammar school and a game called "creckett." Cricket is believed to have originated as a game for
children, but there is evidence of adults playing in competitions between churches and counties in
England as early as the 17th century. The game evolved as the British Empire spread it to India, Canada,
the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and improvements were made to the game,
such as the addition of bowling in the 18th century. By the mid-19th century, games were being played
between different nations, and players were touring the world with their teams.
Players and Field
According to the Laws of Cricket, you need 22 players and two umpires to play an official game. Games
are played between two teams of 11 players on a field, the center of which is called the pitch. The pitch is
a flat, grassy area that is 22 yards long and 10 feet wide.
Equipment
At either end of the pitch is a wicket, made of a line of three wood stumps covered by wood pieces called
bails. The wickets are 28.5 inches high and 9 inches wide. There are three creases, used for bowling,
popping and returns: the bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches long and the middle stump is at its midpoint;
the popping crease is parallel to and in front of the bowling crease and the return creases are 8 feet long
and perpendicular to the other two creases. These creases are used as boundaries for the the bowlers and
batsmen.
Cricket is played using a hard leather ball that is 9 inches in circumference. It is hit with a wooden bat
with a blade that is no wider than 4.25 inches and a handle no longer than 38 inches. The players wear

protective equipment, such as a helmet, gloves, knee pads and shin guards, since the ball is hard and is hit
to speeds in excess of 90 mph.
Basic Play
At the beginning of a game of cricket, a coin toss determines which teams bats first and which team fields
first. The fielding team puts all 11 players onto the field. One of the players is the bowler and one of the
players is the wicketkeeper; the rest are fielders. The fielding team tries to limit the number of runs the
other team scores. It does this by using the wickets as targets and trying to dismiss the batsmen until they
are out. Batsmen can be dismissed in several ways, the most common of which are by being bowled,
caught or run out, or by what is called leg before wicket. In leg before wicket, if the batsman's leg is hit
with a ball that was on its way to hitting a wicket, he is out.
When no batsmen remain and the overs--the set of six consecutively bowled balls--are used up, the teams
switch roles to finish out the innings. The batting team tries to score as many runs as possible and defend
the wickets. They can score when a batsman hits the ball and runs the whole pitch. When all the batsmen
are done, the innings is finished, and the team with the most runs is the winner.
Cricket Today
Cricket continues to grow in popularity today, and it's often called the most-played game in the world
after football (American soccer). Lord's, which is home of the Marylebone Cricket Club, is an
establishment that has been around for so long--since 1787--that it has taken over the responsibility of
regulating the official rules, called laws in cricket terminology, and has a copyright on them. The
International Cricket Council (ICC) was formed in 1909 to help regulate the sport. It has a membership of
104 countries around the world, and is in charge of major tournaments. The major member countries
include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West
Indies and Zimbabwe.