A cricket field consists of a large circular or oval-shaped grassy ground on which the game of cricket is played. There are no fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually varies between 450 feet (137 m) to 500 feet (150 m). Given the variable ovular length/width dimensions of a Cricket field (see below), Cricket is the only major sport which does not define a fixed shape ground for professional games. The ground can vary from being almost a perfect circle, to being an extremely elongated oval. On most grounds, a rope demarcates the perimeter of the field and is known as the boundary.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
ExtrasMain article: Extra (cricket)
Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as extras (called "sundries" in Australia) due to errors made by the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways:
No ball: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by (a) using an inappropriate arm action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot outside the return crease. In addition, the bowler has to re-bowl the ball. In limited overs matches, a no ball is called if the bowling team's field setting fails to comply with the restrictions. In shorter formats of the game (20–20, ODI) the free hit rule has been introduced. The ball following a front foot no-ball will be a free-hit for the batsman, whereby he is safe from losing his wicket except for being run-out.
Wide: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman's reach; as with a no ball, a wide must be re-bowled.
Bye: extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way (note that one mark of a good wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a minimum).
Leg bye: extra(s) awarded if the ball hits the batsman's body, but not his bat, while attempting a legitimate shot, and it goes away from the fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way.
When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run (i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to the striker's individual total for which runs must be scored off the bat.
Dismissals (outs)
Main article: Dismissal (cricket)
Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India successfully stumps a South African batsman out during a match played in Chennai in 2008.
There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and some are so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole history of the game. The common forms of dismissal are "bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", and "stumped". The unusual methods are "hit wicket", "hit the ball twice", "obstructed the field", "handled the ball" and "timed out".
Before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must "appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term "Howzat?" which means, simply enough, "How is that?" If the umpire agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say "Out!". Otherwise he will shake his head and say "Not out". Appeals are particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs and stumpings.
Bowled: the bowler has hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has "broken" with at least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out).[30]
Caught: the batsman has hit the ball with his bat, or with his hand which was holding the bat, and the ball has been caught before it has touched the ground by a member of the fielding side.[31]
Leg before wicket (lbw): first and foremost, the ball must, in the opinion of the on-field umpire, be going on to hit the stumps if the ball had not hit the pad of the batsman first. If the batsman plays an attempted shot to the delivery, then the ball must hit the batsman's pad in line with the stumps and be going on to hit the stumps for the batsman to be given out. If the batsman does not attempt to play a shot, then the ball does not have to hit the pad in line with the stumps but it still must be going on to hit the stumps. If the ball pitches outside the leg stump, then the batsman cannot be given out under any circumstances.[32]
Run out: a member of the fielding side has broken or "put down" the wicket with the ball while a batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting a run.[33]
Stumped is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his ground, and is not attempting a run.[34]
Hit wicket: a batsman is out hit wicket, if he dislodges one or both bails with his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of receiving a ball, or in setting off for a run having just received a ball.[35]
Hit the ball twice is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it.[36]
Obstructed the field: another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a fielder.[37]
Handled the ball: a batsman must not deliberately touch the ball with his hand, for example to protect his wicket (note that the bowled ball often hits the batsman's hand while it is holding the bat but this is not out; though he can of course be caught off his hand).[38]
Timed out usually means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within three minutes of the previous one being dismissed.[39]
In the vast majority of cases, it is the striker who is out when a dismissal occurs. If the non-striker is dismissed it is usually by being run out, but he could also be dismissed for obstructing the field, handling the ball or being timed out.
A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by the next batsman. This is recorded as retired hurt or retired ill. The retiring batsman is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited with the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, or hit the ball twice off a wide. Some of these modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery. The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can be out obstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled.
Main article: Dismissal (cricket)
Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India successfully stumps a South African batsman out during a match played in Chennai in 2008.
There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and some are so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole history of the game. The common forms of dismissal are "bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", and "stumped". The unusual methods are "hit wicket", "hit the ball twice", "obstructed the field", "handled the ball" and "timed out".
Before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must "appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term "Howzat?" which means, simply enough, "How is that?" If the umpire agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say "Out!". Otherwise he will shake his head and say "Not out". Appeals are particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs and stumpings.
Bowled: the bowler has hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has "broken" with at least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out).[30]
Caught: the batsman has hit the ball with his bat, or with his hand which was holding the bat, and the ball has been caught before it has touched the ground by a member of the fielding side.[31]
Leg before wicket (lbw): first and foremost, the ball must, in the opinion of the on-field umpire, be going on to hit the stumps if the ball had not hit the pad of the batsman first. If the batsman plays an attempted shot to the delivery, then the ball must hit the batsman's pad in line with the stumps and be going on to hit the stumps for the batsman to be given out. If the batsman does not attempt to play a shot, then the ball does not have to hit the pad in line with the stumps but it still must be going on to hit the stumps. If the ball pitches outside the leg stump, then the batsman cannot be given out under any circumstances.[32]
Run out: a member of the fielding side has broken or "put down" the wicket with the ball while a batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting a run.[33]
Stumped is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his ground, and is not attempting a run.[34]
Hit wicket: a batsman is out hit wicket, if he dislodges one or both bails with his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of receiving a ball, or in setting off for a run having just received a ball.[35]
Hit the ball twice is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it.[36]
Obstructed the field: another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a fielder.[37]
Handled the ball: a batsman must not deliberately touch the ball with his hand, for example to protect his wicket (note that the bowled ball often hits the batsman's hand while it is holding the bat but this is not out; though he can of course be caught off his hand).[38]
Timed out usually means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within three minutes of the previous one being dismissed.[39]
In the vast majority of cases, it is the striker who is out when a dismissal occurs. If the non-striker is dismissed it is usually by being run out, but he could also be dismissed for obstructing the field, handling the ball or being timed out.
A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by the next batsman. This is recorded as retired hurt or retired ill. The retiring batsman is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited with the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, or hit the ball twice off a wide. Some of these modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery. The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can be out obstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled.
Innings closed
Main article: End of an innings (cricket)
An innings is closed when:
Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be "all out"
The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be "all out"
The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match
The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
A captain declares his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)
Results
Main article: Result (cricket)
If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by n runs" (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets would have won "by four wickets".
In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores.
If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.
Main article: End of an innings (cricket)
An innings is closed when:
Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be "all out"
The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be "all out"
The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match
The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
A captain declares his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)
Results
Main article: Result (cricket)
If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by n runs" (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets would have won "by four wickets".
In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores.
If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Runs
The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen (plus any extras) constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 (a 'half century') or 100 runs (a 'century' or 'ton'), or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement. By extension, a partnership of two batsmen moving the team score on by a multiple of 50 runs, or the team score passing a multiple of 50 runs, is also cause for celebration.
==Rules==
The rules concerning the scoring of runs are mostly contained in Law 18 of the [[Laws of cricket]]. The simplest way for a batsman to score a run is by the striker hitting the ball such that both batsman can run from one end of the pitch to the other without either batsman getting out: the batsmen effectively exchanging positions, so the striking batsman becomes the non-striker, and vice versa. The batsmen may be able to run up and down the pitch more than once, crossing each time, to score two, three or more runs. A batsman can also score four or six runs by hitting the ball to or over the [[Boundary (cricket)|boundary]], and may be awarded five penalty runs in certain situations.
Thus, according to Law 18, a run is scored when:
*the batsmen, or their [[runner (cricket)|runner]], at any time while the ball is in play, have crossed and made good their ground from end to end;
*when a [[Boundary (cricket)|boundary]] is scored;
*when [[extra (cricket)#Penalty runs|penalty run]]s are awarded;
*when "[[lost ball]]" is called.
Runs are added to the team score, but not the score of an individual batsman, for extras ([[no ball]]s, [[wide]]s, [[bye (cricket)|bye]]s and [[leg bye]]s).
==Short runs==
To score a run, each batsman must run from the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]] at one end to the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]] at the other end. A run is "short" if one of the running batsmen fails to make good his ground on turning for a further run (that is, the batsman fails to complete the run by putting some part of his body or his bat on the ground behind the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]]) – in this event, the number of runs achieved is decreased by the number of "short" runs. Although a short run also shortens the next run, since the second run starts somewhat closer to the destination than it should, the second run is not regarded as "short" if it is completed. A batsman taking up his batting stance in front of his crease may also run from that point without penalty.
If either [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]] considers that either or both batsmen deliberately run short, the umpire can give a warning to the batsman that this is unfair and disallow any earned runs from that delivery. If an umpire considers that any batsmen deliberately runs short again in that [[innings]], a 5 run penalty is conceded to the bowling side. In practice, this rule is rarely invoked.
More than one run can be scored from a single hit but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en route to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary.
Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of "overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs but all runs are added to the team's total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman, who has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often heard.
Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e., he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground behind the popping crease), the batsman is run out.
A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia, "five for 224" and 5/224).
Dismissals
Types of Dismissals
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out (also known as the fielding side taking a wicket and/or the batting side losing a wicket). At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings.
==Role==
Once dismissed, a batsman cannot score any more [[run (cricket)|runs]] in that innings. Thus dismissal is the best way to control the runs scored in an innings, and prevent the batting side from either achieving their target score or posting a large total for the fielding side to follow in the next innings.
Additionally, in [[Test cricket]] it is necessary for a side fielding last to have dismissed ten players of the opposing team in their final innings to achieve victory.
==Adjudication==
By convention, dismissal decisions are handled primarily by the players - thus if the dismissal is obvious the batsman will voluntarily leave the field without the umpire needing to dismiss them. If the batsman and fielding side disagree about a dismissal then the fielding side must [[appeal (cricket)|appeal]] to the umpire who will then decide whether the batsman is out. In competitive cricket, many difficult catching and LBW decisions will be left to the umpire; if a batsman acknowledges that he is out in such cases and departs without waiting for the umpire's decision it is known as 'walking', and regarded as an honourable but controversial act.{{cite news | last = Derriman | first = Philip | title = To walk, or not to walk, that is the question | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | date = 2004-10-06 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/15/1097784055646.html | accessdate = 2008-12-19}}
If the umpire believes he has incorrectly dismissed a batsman, he may recall him to the crease if he has not already left the field of play. A recent example of this was in the 2007 [[Lord's]] [[test cricket|test match]] between [[England cricket team|England]] and [[India cricket team|India]] when [[Kevin Pietersen]] was initially given out caught behind, but was recalled when [[Instant_replay#Cricket|television replays]] showed that the ball had bounced before being taken by [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]].[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/6907896.stm England fight back after collapse], ''[[BBC Sport]]'', 20 July 2007
==Ways of getting out==
A batsman can be dismissed in a number of ways, the most common being bowled, caught, [[leg before wicket]] (LBW), stumped and run out. Much rarer are hit wicket, hit the ball twice, handled the ball, obstructing the field and timed out.
The [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] is credited in the statistics with having taken a wicket if the batsman is out bowled, LBW, caught, stumped, or hit wicket. If the ball is a [[no ball]] then the batsman cannot be out in any of these ways. The bowler is not credited with having taken a wicket if the batsman is run out, handles the ball, hits the ball twice, obstructs the field, or is timed out; these dismissals may occur if the delivery is a [[no ball]]. The fieldsman is credited in the statistics with a dismissal if he takes a catch or a stumping (for a stumping this will necessarily be the [[wicket-keeper]]), and may be credited on scorecards for a run-out (although a run-out will not be credited to a player's statistics).
===Law 2.9(b) : [[Retired out|Retired]]===
If any batsman leaves the field of play without the Umpire's consent for any reason other than injury or incapacity, he may resume the innings only with the consent of the opposing captain. If he fails to resume his innings, he is recorded as being ''Retired - out''. For the purposes of calculating a [[batting average]], retired out is considered a dismissal.
Only two players in Test history have ever been given out in this manner, [[Marvan Atapattu]] (for 201) and [[Mahela Jayawardene]] (for 150), both in the same innings of the same match playing for [[Sri Lanka cricket team|Sri Lanka]] against [[Bangladesh cricket team|Bangladesh]] in September 2001.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63947.html Cricinfo - 2nd Match: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo (SSC), Sep 6-8, 2001] Apparently, this was done in order to give the other players batting practice; the unsportsmanlike behavior drew criticism.[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010909/sports.htm#5] In May 1983 [[Gordon Greenidge]] of [[West Indies cricket team|the West Indies]] retired out on 154 to visit his daughter, who was ill and who died two days later; he was subsequently judged to have retired not out, the only such decision in Test history.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63339.html Cricinfo - 5th Test: West Indies v India at St John's, Apr 28-May 3, 1983]
There are numerous other recorded instances of batsmen retiring out in first-class cricket. In 1993 [[Graham Gooch]], immediately after completing his hundredth first-class century with a six, retired on 105.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/347907.html Cricinfo - Join the club]
===Law 30 : [[Bowled]]===
If a bowler's delivery hits the [[stump (cricket)|stumps]] and a [[bail (cricket)|bail]] is completely removed from the top of the stumps, the ''striker'' (the batsman facing the bowler) is out. The ball can either have struck the stumps directly, or have been deflected off the bat or body of the batsman. However, the batsman is not bowled out if the ball is touched by a [[fielder]] or the umpire before hitting the stumps.
===Law 31 : [[Timed out]]===
If a new player takes more than three minutes to be ready to face or be ready for his partner the next delivery after the previous batsman was ruled out, then the new player is out. (It was previously required that a batsman was on the field of play within two minutes) In the case of extremely long delays, the umpires may forfeit the match to either team. This method of taking a wicket has never been employed in the history of Test cricket. However how long a delay is allowed before calling the game a forfeit, is still not known. Darryl Hair's controversial decision to award the 4th test in 2006 to England when Pakistan refused to take the field resulted in his sacking from international cricket, despite his being within the laws of the game. In 2008 Darryl Hair was allowed to resume his career as a Test Match Umpire.
There have been only four occasions in all forms of First-Class cricket where a batsman has been given out Timed Out.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2007/content/story/124532.html Cricinfo - Out of time] These are:
*A. Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987-88 (Jordaan, not out overnight, was prevented from reaching the ground by flooded roads the following day)
*H. Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997-98 (Yadav, in conversation with his team manager on the boundary, did not attempt to reach the crease)
*[[Vasbert Drakes|V.C. Drakes]] - Border v Free State at East London in 2002 (Drakes was still on his way to the match by aeroplane from his native West Indies when he was due to bat)
*A.J. Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003 (Harris, suffering from a groin strain, took too long to walk to the crease and was given out on appeal).
===Law 32 : [[Caught (cricket)|Caught]]===
If the batsman hit the ball with the bat (or with the glove when the glove is in contact with the bat) and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground, then the batsman is out. The batsman can not be given out caught if the ball strikes a helmet (or other external protective equipment excluding a keeper wearing gloves or pads) worn by a member of the fielding side prior to being caught, regardless of whether it touches the ground or not.
"Caught behind" (an unofficial term) indicates that a player was caught by the wicket-keeper, or less commonly by the slips. "Caught and bowled" (another unofficial term) indicates the player who bowled the ball also took the catch.
===Law 33 : [[Handled the ball]]===
If the batsman touches the ball with his hand for any purpose other than, with the approval of the fielders, to return the ball to the bowler, he is out on appeal. It is considered etiquette for the fielding team not to appeal if the handling of the ball does not effect the play of the game, although there are occasions when this etiquette has been ignored.
Only seven batsman have been out ''handled the ball'' in the history of Test cricket: [[Russell Endean]], [[Andrew Hilditch]], [[Mohsin Khan]], [[Desmond Haynes]], [[Graham Gooch]], [[Steve Waugh]] and [[Michael Vaughan]].[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/275285.html Cricinfo - Records - Test matches - Unusual dismissals] Two batsmen have been given out in this fashion in one-day internationals: [[Mohinder Amarnath]] and [[Darryl Cullinan]].[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283167.html Cricinfo - Records - One-Day Internationals - Unusual dismissals]
===Law 34 : [[Hit the ball twice]]===
If the batsman "hits" the ball twice, he is out. The first hit is considered to be if the ball has struck the batsman or his bat, whilst the second "hit" has to be an intentional and separate contact with the ball - not necessarily using the bat. The batsman may hit the ball a second time with his bat or body (not a hand not in contact with the bat) if it is performed to stop the ball from hitting the stumps. So it is possible to be out hitting the ball twice, whilst not actually hitting the ball with the bat at all.
No batsman has been out ''hit the ball twice'' in [[Test cricket]].
===Law 35 : [[Hit wicket]]===
If the batsman dislodges his own stumps with his body or bat, while in the process of taking a shot or beginning his first run, then he is out. This law does not apply if he was avoiding a ball thrown back to the wicket by a fielder, or broke the wicket in avoiding a run out.
This law also applies if part of the batsman's equipment is dislodged and hits the stumps: [[Dwayne Bravo]] hit [[Kevin Pietersen]] in the head with a bouncer and his helmet hit the stumps during the 2007 England vs West Indies test match at Old Trafford; a topspinner from [[Richie Benaud]] once knocked off [[Joe Solomon]]'s cap, and the cap landed on Solomon's stumps.
Being out hit-wicket is often seen as a comic method of dismissal. In 1991 [[Jonathan Agnew]] and [[Brian Johnston]], commentators on [[BBC Radio]]'s ''[[Test Match Special]]'', got themselves into difficulty while commentating on [[Ian Botham]]'s dismissal (Botham dislodged his leg bail whilst trying to step over the stumps, having lost his balance in missing a [[hook shot]] against [[Curtly Ambrose]]), Agnew commenting that he "couldn't quite get his leg over".[http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/bestcommentary "Leg over"] ''[[BBC Radio Five Live]]''
The most crucial hit-wicket dismissal in Test history was arguably that of [[Graeme Smith]] at Trent Bridge in 2003: Smith had made 277 (South Africa's highest ever Test innings) and 85 from 70 balls at Edgbaston, and 259 at Lord's, as South Africa dominated the first two Tests of the series. In the third, Smith was on 35 when he played back to [[Andrew Flintoff]] and trod on his stumps. His form shattered, he did not reach 20 again in the series as England fought back for a morale-boosting 2-2 series draw, a result which marked the start of a resurgence which would ultimately lead to the [[2005 Ashes]] victory.
A more recent example of a comic hit-wicket dismissal was when the Pakistan captain [[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] was given out hit wicket when he missed a sweep against [[Monty Panesar]], was hit in the midriff by the ball, lost his balance and collapsed on to his stumps (and into wicket-keeper [[Chris Read]]) during the [[Headingley cricket ground|Headingley]] test match in the [[Pakistani cricket team in England in 2006|2006 test series]] between [[England cricket team|England]] and [[Pakistani cricket team|Pakistan]].[http://content-www.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/255913.html Cricinfo - Comedy of errors]
===Law 36 : [[Leg before wicket]] (LBW)===
If the ball strikes any part of the batsman's person (not necessarily the leg), and, in the [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]]'s judgement, the ball would have hit the batsman's stumps but for this interception, then the batsman is out. The point of impact must be within line with the batsman's stumps and the bowler's stumps if the batsman is playing a stroke. The batsman can be given out if the ball strikes him outside the off stump, if the ball would have hit the stumps and if the batsman is playing no stroke. The ball must not pitch outside the line of leg stump. Also, the ball cannot have made contact with the bat or glove before hitting the batsman.
===Law 37 : [[Obstructing the field]]===
If the batsman, by action or by words, obstructs a fielder, then he is out. However, a batsman is allowed to obstruct the view of a fielder by standing in front of him. He may also stand in between the fielder and the stumps. The rule intends to prevent batsman from interfering with a fielder by, for instance, pushing him. Also, a player may be given out if they deliberately hit a ball being thrown back to the keeper whilst being out of their crease, as happened to [[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] (see below).
Only one individual has ever been out ''obstructing the field'' in a Test match: England's [[Len Hutton]], playing against South Africa at [[The Oval]] in London in 1951, knocked a ball away from his stumps, but in doing so prevented the South African wicket-keeper [[Russell Endean]] from completing a catch.[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/226675.html Cricinfo - Ten controversial dismissals] By coincidence, Endean was one of the few people to be given out ''handled the ball'' in a Test match (see above).
In one-day international cricket, three batsmen have been given out obstructing the field:
*[[Rameez Raja]] - for Pakistan v Australia in November 1987 (seeking a second run to complete his century off the final ball of the match and found short of the crease, Rameez blocked a fielder's return with his bat, being given out for 99)
*[[Mohinder Amarnath]] - for India v Sri Lanka in October 1989 (Amarnath pushed a ball away from his stumps)
*[[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] - for Pakistan v India in February 2006 (Inzamam blocked a fielder's return throw with his bat while short of the crease).
===Law 38 : [[Run out]]===
If a fielder uses the ball to remove the bails from either set of stumps whilst the batsmen are running between the [[wicket]]s (or otherwise away from the crease during the course of play), then the batsman (striker or non-striker) is out. The batsman nearest the set of stumps from which the bails were removed, but not actually in safe territory, is given out. If the batsman has any part of his body or his bat (if he's holding it) on the ground behind the line of the crease, then he cannot be run out (except if both batsmen are on the same side of a crease); frequently it is a close call whether or not a batsman ''gained his ground'' in this way before the bails were removed. (The difference between ''stumped'' and ''run out'' is that the wicketkeeper may stump a batsman who goes too far forward to play the ball, while any fielder, including the keeper, may run out a batsman who goes too far for any other purpose, including for taking a run.) If the bails have already been removed, a fielder can remove a remaining stump by pulling it out with the ball in their hands. A fielder can also "remake" the stumps and remove a stump/bail to effect a runout.
A special form of run-out is when the batsman at the [[non-striker]]'s end attempts to gain an advantage by leaving the crease before the next ball has been bowled (a common practice known as "backing up", but against the laws of cricket if the non-striker leaves his crease before the bowler has released the ball). The bowler may then dislodge the bails at his/her end without completing the [[run-up]] and dismiss the batsman. This form of run-out is called the Mankad (the dismissed batsman is said to have been "Mankaded"), in reference to [[Vinoo Mankad]], the first bowler to dismiss a batsman in this manner in a Test match, running out [[Bill Brown (cricketer)|Bill Brown]] in 1947. With the changes in the Laws of Cricket relatively recently a bowler cannot Mankad a batsman once he enters his delivery stride. It is considered etiquette to warn a batsman that he is leaving his crease early, before attempting a Mankad run out on a subsequent ball.
A run out cannot occur if no fielder has touched the ball. As such, if a straight drive breaks the non-striker's stumps while he is backing up, he his not out; however, if a fielder (usually the bowler, in this case) touches the ball at all before it breaks the stumps, then it is a run out, even if the fielder never has any control of the ball.
===Law 39 : Stumped===
If the striker steps in front of the [[crease (cricket)|crease]] to play the ball, leaving no part of his anatomy or the bat on the ground behind the crease, and the [[wicket-keeper]] is able to remove the bails from the wicket with the ball, then the striker is out. A stumping is most likely to be effected off slow bowling, or (less frequently) medium-paced bowling when the wicketkeeping is standing directly behind the stumps. As wicket-keepers stand several yards back from the stumps to fast bowlers, and as batsmen are less likely to play fast bowlers by moving out of the crease, stumpings are hardly ever effected off fast bowlers. But a keeper may throw down the stumps and the batsman is still out stumped if he out of his ground, but not attempting a run. Similarly, the ball can bounce off a keeper (but not external non-usual wicketkeeping protective equipment, like a helmet) and break the stumps and still be considered a stumping.
''See [[Stump (cricket)|stump]] for more information.''
The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen (plus any extras) constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 (a 'half century') or 100 runs (a 'century' or 'ton'), or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement. By extension, a partnership of two batsmen moving the team score on by a multiple of 50 runs, or the team score passing a multiple of 50 runs, is also cause for celebration.
==Rules==
The rules concerning the scoring of runs are mostly contained in Law 18 of the [[Laws of cricket]]. The simplest way for a batsman to score a run is by the striker hitting the ball such that both batsman can run from one end of the pitch to the other without either batsman getting out: the batsmen effectively exchanging positions, so the striking batsman becomes the non-striker, and vice versa. The batsmen may be able to run up and down the pitch more than once, crossing each time, to score two, three or more runs. A batsman can also score four or six runs by hitting the ball to or over the [[Boundary (cricket)|boundary]], and may be awarded five penalty runs in certain situations.
Thus, according to Law 18, a run is scored when:
*the batsmen, or their [[runner (cricket)|runner]], at any time while the ball is in play, have crossed and made good their ground from end to end;
*when a [[Boundary (cricket)|boundary]] is scored;
*when [[extra (cricket)#Penalty runs|penalty run]]s are awarded;
*when "[[lost ball]]" is called.
Runs are added to the team score, but not the score of an individual batsman, for extras ([[no ball]]s, [[wide]]s, [[bye (cricket)|bye]]s and [[leg bye]]s).
==Short runs==
To score a run, each batsman must run from the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]] at one end to the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]] at the other end. A run is "short" if one of the running batsmen fails to make good his ground on turning for a further run (that is, the batsman fails to complete the run by putting some part of his body or his bat on the ground behind the [[Crease (cricket)|popping crease]]) – in this event, the number of runs achieved is decreased by the number of "short" runs. Although a short run also shortens the next run, since the second run starts somewhat closer to the destination than it should, the second run is not regarded as "short" if it is completed. A batsman taking up his batting stance in front of his crease may also run from that point without penalty.
If either [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]] considers that either or both batsmen deliberately run short, the umpire can give a warning to the batsman that this is unfair and disallow any earned runs from that delivery. If an umpire considers that any batsmen deliberately runs short again in that [[innings]], a 5 run penalty is conceded to the bowling side. In practice, this rule is rarely invoked.
More than one run can be scored from a single hit but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en route to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary.
Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of "overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs but all runs are added to the team's total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman, who has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often heard.
Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e., he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground behind the popping crease), the batsman is run out.
A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia, "five for 224" and 5/224).
Dismissals
Types of Dismissals
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out (also known as the fielding side taking a wicket and/or the batting side losing a wicket). At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings.
==Role==
Once dismissed, a batsman cannot score any more [[run (cricket)|runs]] in that innings. Thus dismissal is the best way to control the runs scored in an innings, and prevent the batting side from either achieving their target score or posting a large total for the fielding side to follow in the next innings.
Additionally, in [[Test cricket]] it is necessary for a side fielding last to have dismissed ten players of the opposing team in their final innings to achieve victory.
==Adjudication==
By convention, dismissal decisions are handled primarily by the players - thus if the dismissal is obvious the batsman will voluntarily leave the field without the umpire needing to dismiss them. If the batsman and fielding side disagree about a dismissal then the fielding side must [[appeal (cricket)|appeal]] to the umpire who will then decide whether the batsman is out. In competitive cricket, many difficult catching and LBW decisions will be left to the umpire; if a batsman acknowledges that he is out in such cases and departs without waiting for the umpire's decision it is known as 'walking', and regarded as an honourable but controversial act.{{cite news | last = Derriman | first = Philip | title = To walk, or not to walk, that is the question | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | date = 2004-10-06 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/15/1097784055646.html | accessdate = 2008-12-19}}
If the umpire believes he has incorrectly dismissed a batsman, he may recall him to the crease if he has not already left the field of play. A recent example of this was in the 2007 [[Lord's]] [[test cricket|test match]] between [[England cricket team|England]] and [[India cricket team|India]] when [[Kevin Pietersen]] was initially given out caught behind, but was recalled when [[Instant_replay#Cricket|television replays]] showed that the ball had bounced before being taken by [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]].[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/6907896.stm England fight back after collapse], ''[[BBC Sport]]'', 20 July 2007
==Ways of getting out==
A batsman can be dismissed in a number of ways, the most common being bowled, caught, [[leg before wicket]] (LBW), stumped and run out. Much rarer are hit wicket, hit the ball twice, handled the ball, obstructing the field and timed out.
The [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] is credited in the statistics with having taken a wicket if the batsman is out bowled, LBW, caught, stumped, or hit wicket. If the ball is a [[no ball]] then the batsman cannot be out in any of these ways. The bowler is not credited with having taken a wicket if the batsman is run out, handles the ball, hits the ball twice, obstructs the field, or is timed out; these dismissals may occur if the delivery is a [[no ball]]. The fieldsman is credited in the statistics with a dismissal if he takes a catch or a stumping (for a stumping this will necessarily be the [[wicket-keeper]]), and may be credited on scorecards for a run-out (although a run-out will not be credited to a player's statistics).
===Law 2.9(b) : [[Retired out|Retired]]===
If any batsman leaves the field of play without the Umpire's consent for any reason other than injury or incapacity, he may resume the innings only with the consent of the opposing captain. If he fails to resume his innings, he is recorded as being ''Retired - out''. For the purposes of calculating a [[batting average]], retired out is considered a dismissal.
Only two players in Test history have ever been given out in this manner, [[Marvan Atapattu]] (for 201) and [[Mahela Jayawardene]] (for 150), both in the same innings of the same match playing for [[Sri Lanka cricket team|Sri Lanka]] against [[Bangladesh cricket team|Bangladesh]] in September 2001.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63947.html Cricinfo - 2nd Match: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo (SSC), Sep 6-8, 2001] Apparently, this was done in order to give the other players batting practice; the unsportsmanlike behavior drew criticism.[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010909/sports.htm#5] In May 1983 [[Gordon Greenidge]] of [[West Indies cricket team|the West Indies]] retired out on 154 to visit his daughter, who was ill and who died two days later; he was subsequently judged to have retired not out, the only such decision in Test history.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63339.html Cricinfo - 5th Test: West Indies v India at St John's, Apr 28-May 3, 1983]
There are numerous other recorded instances of batsmen retiring out in first-class cricket. In 1993 [[Graham Gooch]], immediately after completing his hundredth first-class century with a six, retired on 105.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/347907.html Cricinfo - Join the club]
===Law 30 : [[Bowled]]===
If a bowler's delivery hits the [[stump (cricket)|stumps]] and a [[bail (cricket)|bail]] is completely removed from the top of the stumps, the ''striker'' (the batsman facing the bowler) is out. The ball can either have struck the stumps directly, or have been deflected off the bat or body of the batsman. However, the batsman is not bowled out if the ball is touched by a [[fielder]] or the umpire before hitting the stumps.
===Law 31 : [[Timed out]]===
If a new player takes more than three minutes to be ready to face or be ready for his partner the next delivery after the previous batsman was ruled out, then the new player is out. (It was previously required that a batsman was on the field of play within two minutes) In the case of extremely long delays, the umpires may forfeit the match to either team. This method of taking a wicket has never been employed in the history of Test cricket. However how long a delay is allowed before calling the game a forfeit, is still not known. Darryl Hair's controversial decision to award the 4th test in 2006 to England when Pakistan refused to take the field resulted in his sacking from international cricket, despite his being within the laws of the game. In 2008 Darryl Hair was allowed to resume his career as a Test Match Umpire.
There have been only four occasions in all forms of First-Class cricket where a batsman has been given out Timed Out.[http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2007/content/story/124532.html Cricinfo - Out of time] These are:
*A. Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987-88 (Jordaan, not out overnight, was prevented from reaching the ground by flooded roads the following day)
*H. Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997-98 (Yadav, in conversation with his team manager on the boundary, did not attempt to reach the crease)
*[[Vasbert Drakes|V.C. Drakes]] - Border v Free State at East London in 2002 (Drakes was still on his way to the match by aeroplane from his native West Indies when he was due to bat)
*A.J. Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003 (Harris, suffering from a groin strain, took too long to walk to the crease and was given out on appeal).
===Law 32 : [[Caught (cricket)|Caught]]===
If the batsman hit the ball with the bat (or with the glove when the glove is in contact with the bat) and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground, then the batsman is out. The batsman can not be given out caught if the ball strikes a helmet (or other external protective equipment excluding a keeper wearing gloves or pads) worn by a member of the fielding side prior to being caught, regardless of whether it touches the ground or not.
"Caught behind" (an unofficial term) indicates that a player was caught by the wicket-keeper, or less commonly by the slips. "Caught and bowled" (another unofficial term) indicates the player who bowled the ball also took the catch.
===Law 33 : [[Handled the ball]]===
If the batsman touches the ball with his hand for any purpose other than, with the approval of the fielders, to return the ball to the bowler, he is out on appeal. It is considered etiquette for the fielding team not to appeal if the handling of the ball does not effect the play of the game, although there are occasions when this etiquette has been ignored.
Only seven batsman have been out ''handled the ball'' in the history of Test cricket: [[Russell Endean]], [[Andrew Hilditch]], [[Mohsin Khan]], [[Desmond Haynes]], [[Graham Gooch]], [[Steve Waugh]] and [[Michael Vaughan]].[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/275285.html Cricinfo - Records - Test matches - Unusual dismissals] Two batsmen have been given out in this fashion in one-day internationals: [[Mohinder Amarnath]] and [[Darryl Cullinan]].[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283167.html Cricinfo - Records - One-Day Internationals - Unusual dismissals]
===Law 34 : [[Hit the ball twice]]===
If the batsman "hits" the ball twice, he is out. The first hit is considered to be if the ball has struck the batsman or his bat, whilst the second "hit" has to be an intentional and separate contact with the ball - not necessarily using the bat. The batsman may hit the ball a second time with his bat or body (not a hand not in contact with the bat) if it is performed to stop the ball from hitting the stumps. So it is possible to be out hitting the ball twice, whilst not actually hitting the ball with the bat at all.
No batsman has been out ''hit the ball twice'' in [[Test cricket]].
===Law 35 : [[Hit wicket]]===
If the batsman dislodges his own stumps with his body or bat, while in the process of taking a shot or beginning his first run, then he is out. This law does not apply if he was avoiding a ball thrown back to the wicket by a fielder, or broke the wicket in avoiding a run out.
This law also applies if part of the batsman's equipment is dislodged and hits the stumps: [[Dwayne Bravo]] hit [[Kevin Pietersen]] in the head with a bouncer and his helmet hit the stumps during the 2007 England vs West Indies test match at Old Trafford; a topspinner from [[Richie Benaud]] once knocked off [[Joe Solomon]]'s cap, and the cap landed on Solomon's stumps.
Being out hit-wicket is often seen as a comic method of dismissal. In 1991 [[Jonathan Agnew]] and [[Brian Johnston]], commentators on [[BBC Radio]]'s ''[[Test Match Special]]'', got themselves into difficulty while commentating on [[Ian Botham]]'s dismissal (Botham dislodged his leg bail whilst trying to step over the stumps, having lost his balance in missing a [[hook shot]] against [[Curtly Ambrose]]), Agnew commenting that he "couldn't quite get his leg over".[http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/bestcommentary "Leg over"] ''[[BBC Radio Five Live]]''
The most crucial hit-wicket dismissal in Test history was arguably that of [[Graeme Smith]] at Trent Bridge in 2003: Smith had made 277 (South Africa's highest ever Test innings) and 85 from 70 balls at Edgbaston, and 259 at Lord's, as South Africa dominated the first two Tests of the series. In the third, Smith was on 35 when he played back to [[Andrew Flintoff]] and trod on his stumps. His form shattered, he did not reach 20 again in the series as England fought back for a morale-boosting 2-2 series draw, a result which marked the start of a resurgence which would ultimately lead to the [[2005 Ashes]] victory.
A more recent example of a comic hit-wicket dismissal was when the Pakistan captain [[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] was given out hit wicket when he missed a sweep against [[Monty Panesar]], was hit in the midriff by the ball, lost his balance and collapsed on to his stumps (and into wicket-keeper [[Chris Read]]) during the [[Headingley cricket ground|Headingley]] test match in the [[Pakistani cricket team in England in 2006|2006 test series]] between [[England cricket team|England]] and [[Pakistani cricket team|Pakistan]].[http://content-www.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/255913.html Cricinfo - Comedy of errors]
===Law 36 : [[Leg before wicket]] (LBW)===
If the ball strikes any part of the batsman's person (not necessarily the leg), and, in the [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]]'s judgement, the ball would have hit the batsman's stumps but for this interception, then the batsman is out. The point of impact must be within line with the batsman's stumps and the bowler's stumps if the batsman is playing a stroke. The batsman can be given out if the ball strikes him outside the off stump, if the ball would have hit the stumps and if the batsman is playing no stroke. The ball must not pitch outside the line of leg stump. Also, the ball cannot have made contact with the bat or glove before hitting the batsman.
===Law 37 : [[Obstructing the field]]===
If the batsman, by action or by words, obstructs a fielder, then he is out. However, a batsman is allowed to obstruct the view of a fielder by standing in front of him. He may also stand in between the fielder and the stumps. The rule intends to prevent batsman from interfering with a fielder by, for instance, pushing him. Also, a player may be given out if they deliberately hit a ball being thrown back to the keeper whilst being out of their crease, as happened to [[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] (see below).
Only one individual has ever been out ''obstructing the field'' in a Test match: England's [[Len Hutton]], playing against South Africa at [[The Oval]] in London in 1951, knocked a ball away from his stumps, but in doing so prevented the South African wicket-keeper [[Russell Endean]] from completing a catch.[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/226675.html Cricinfo - Ten controversial dismissals] By coincidence, Endean was one of the few people to be given out ''handled the ball'' in a Test match (see above).
In one-day international cricket, three batsmen have been given out obstructing the field:
*[[Rameez Raja]] - for Pakistan v Australia in November 1987 (seeking a second run to complete his century off the final ball of the match and found short of the crease, Rameez blocked a fielder's return with his bat, being given out for 99)
*[[Mohinder Amarnath]] - for India v Sri Lanka in October 1989 (Amarnath pushed a ball away from his stumps)
*[[Inzamam-ul-Haq]] - for Pakistan v India in February 2006 (Inzamam blocked a fielder's return throw with his bat while short of the crease).
===Law 38 : [[Run out]]===
If a fielder uses the ball to remove the bails from either set of stumps whilst the batsmen are running between the [[wicket]]s (or otherwise away from the crease during the course of play), then the batsman (striker or non-striker) is out. The batsman nearest the set of stumps from which the bails were removed, but not actually in safe territory, is given out. If the batsman has any part of his body or his bat (if he's holding it) on the ground behind the line of the crease, then he cannot be run out (except if both batsmen are on the same side of a crease); frequently it is a close call whether or not a batsman ''gained his ground'' in this way before the bails were removed. (The difference between ''stumped'' and ''run out'' is that the wicketkeeper may stump a batsman who goes too far forward to play the ball, while any fielder, including the keeper, may run out a batsman who goes too far for any other purpose, including for taking a run.) If the bails have already been removed, a fielder can remove a remaining stump by pulling it out with the ball in their hands. A fielder can also "remake" the stumps and remove a stump/bail to effect a runout.
A special form of run-out is when the batsman at the [[non-striker]]'s end attempts to gain an advantage by leaving the crease before the next ball has been bowled (a common practice known as "backing up", but against the laws of cricket if the non-striker leaves his crease before the bowler has released the ball). The bowler may then dislodge the bails at his/her end without completing the [[run-up]] and dismiss the batsman. This form of run-out is called the Mankad (the dismissed batsman is said to have been "Mankaded"), in reference to [[Vinoo Mankad]], the first bowler to dismiss a batsman in this manner in a Test match, running out [[Bill Brown (cricketer)|Bill Brown]] in 1947. With the changes in the Laws of Cricket relatively recently a bowler cannot Mankad a batsman once he enters his delivery stride. It is considered etiquette to warn a batsman that he is leaving his crease early, before attempting a Mankad run out on a subsequent ball.
A run out cannot occur if no fielder has touched the ball. As such, if a straight drive breaks the non-striker's stumps while he is backing up, he his not out; however, if a fielder (usually the bowler, in this case) touches the ball at all before it breaks the stumps, then it is a run out, even if the fielder never has any control of the ball.
===Law 39 : Stumped===
If the striker steps in front of the [[crease (cricket)|crease]] to play the ball, leaving no part of his anatomy or the bat on the ground behind the crease, and the [[wicket-keeper]] is able to remove the bails from the wicket with the ball, then the striker is out. A stumping is most likely to be effected off slow bowling, or (less frequently) medium-paced bowling when the wicketkeeping is standing directly behind the stumps. As wicket-keepers stand several yards back from the stumps to fast bowlers, and as batsmen are less likely to play fast bowlers by moving out of the crease, stumpings are hardly ever effected off fast bowlers. But a keeper may throw down the stumps and the batsman is still out stumped if he out of his ground, but not attempting a run. Similarly, the ball can bounce off a keeper (but not external non-usual wicketkeeping protective equipment, like a helmet) and break the stumps and still be considered a stumping.
''See [[Stump (cricket)|stump]] for more information.''
Monday, February 9, 2009
Innings
The innings (always used in the plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.[12] In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an "innings" can end before they all do so (see below).
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine innings" etc).
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out" and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed (i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen "in". This batsman is termed "not out".
If an innings should end before ten batsmen have been dismissed, there are two "not out" batsmen. An innings can end early for three reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare" the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of time. In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still "in" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled.
Overs
The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls") and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end and the fielding side changes ends. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker's end and vice-versa.
Team structure
A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.
A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.
Batsman
A batsman in the sport of cricket is, depending on context:
Any player in the act of batting.
A player whose speciality in the game is batting.
==The batting role==
During the play of a cricket match, two members of the batting team are on the field, while their team-mates wait off the field. Those two players are the current batsmen. Each batsman stands near one of the two [[wicket]]s at either end of the [[pitch (cricket)|cricket pitch]] near the centre of the ground.
The two batsmen have different roles:
* The '''striker''' stands in front of the wicket nearest him and attempts to defend it from [[delivery (cricket)|balls]] bowled by the opposing [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] from the other wicket.
* The '''non-striker''' stands inactive near the bowler's wicket.
While defending his wicket, the striker may also hit the ball into the field and attempt to run to the opposite wicket, exchanging places with the non-striker. This scores a [[run (cricket)|run]]. The two batsmen may continue to exchange places, scoring additional runs, until members of the fielding team collect and return the ball to either wicket. See [[run (cricket)]] for further details.
While the striker's position is dictated by the necessity to defend the bowled ball from hitting his wicket, the non-striker typically takes a few steps away from his wicket as the bowler delivers the ball, in preparation to run.
Bowler (cricket)
A bowler in the sport of cricket is usually a player whose speciality is bowling, analogous to a pitcher in baseball. A bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder.
There are several types of bowlers and most teams will have a variety available in the team to take advantage of pitch or weather conditions or known weaknesses of the opposition.
A fast bowler is usually the mainstay of a team's attack. They will take a long run up before bowling each ball to build momentum and rhythm and can deliver the cricket ball at speeds up to 160 km/h (100 mph) with Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan being the first to reach this goal, though his pace along with colleague Mohammed Asif's was both questioned, after it was discovered they had both taken the banned substance Nandralone, a steroid which enhances performance. It is widely considered that the pace either can bowl at was not genuine.
A medium pace bowler bowls somewhat more slowly and will often have some other weapon in their bowling arsenal rather than relying on speed. This might take the form of being able to swing the ball in the air or disguise the speed or length of his or her delivery to fool the batsman. Some medium pacers are simply accurate; they can repeatedly deliver the ball to a place which forces the batsman to defend rather than scoring runs. Others grip the ball so that it pitches on its upraised seam, which then causes the following trajectory to be awkward or uncertain.
A spin bowler usually bowls quite slowly and puts tremendous spin on the ball causing it to bounce at an angle off the pitch, forcing the batsman to treat each ball carefully. Generally spin bowlers give up the most runs but they all have "tricks" that they use to fool the batsman and get him or her out (such as the arm ball, googly, flipper, topspinner or doosra). Spin bowling is very much about deceit rather than speed. A fast Off Spin is the normal off spin action but with more pace. Off spin is when the cricket ball spins towards a right handed batsmen's bat. With more pace, there usually is less turn (amount of spin). The grip for spin is the three middle fingers on you hand wrapped around the ball's side (end fingers just touching seam). Off-spin is also referred to as Off-Break or Finger Spin.
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper (also spelt wicketkeeper and often shortened to keeper) in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket being guarded by the batsman currently on strike. It is essentially a specialist role although a keeper is occasionally called upon to bowl, in which case another member of the fielding side temporarily keeps wicket. The role of the keeper is governed by Law 40 of the Laws of Cricket and is similar to that of the catcher in baseball.
==Purposes==
The keeper's major function is to stop deliveries that pass the batsman (in order to prevent [[run (cricket)|runs]] being scored), but he can also attempt to [[dismissal (cricket)|dismiss]] the batsman in various ways:
* The most common dismissal effected by the keeper is for him to ''[[catch (cricket)|catch]]'' a ball that has nicked the batsman's bat, called an ''edge'', before it bounces. Sometimes the keeper is also in the best position to catch a ball which has been hit high in the air. More catches are taken by wicket-keepers than by any other fielding position.
* The keeper can ''[[stump (cricket)#Manner of dismissing a batsman|stump]]'' the batsman by using the ball to remove the [[bail (cricket)|bails]] from the [[stump (cricket)|stumps]], if the batsman has come out of his [[crease (cricket)|crease]] during a delivery.
* When the ball is hit into the outfield, the keeper moves close to the stumps to catch the return throw from a fielder and, if possible, to ''[[run out]]'' a batsman.
A keeper's position depends on the bowler: for [[fast bowling]] he will crouch some distance from the stumps, in order to have time to react to edges from the batsman, while for slower bowling, he will come much nearer to the stumps (known as "standing up"), to pressure the batsman into remaining within the crease or risk being stumped. The more skilled the keeper, the faster the bowling to which he is able to "stand up", for instance [[Godfrey Evans]] often stood up to [[Alec Bedser]]. [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12543.html]
Wicket-keeping is a specialist discipline and it requires training consistent with the level expected of a specialist batsman or [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]]. However, the modern-day keeper is also expected to possess reasonable batting skill, suiting him for the middle order at least. Wicket-keepers who are also capable of batting at the top of the order are known informally as ''keeper/batsmen''.
Since there is only room for one keeper in a cricket side, selectors (especially at the international level) are often faced with a difficult choice between two or more skilled keepers. Often, one of the two keepers is an exceptional keeper, but only an average batsman, whereas the other is a keeper/batsman who is clearly better at batting, but not quite as good a keeper as his rival. One such selection dilemma was that faced by [[English cricket team|England]] selectors in the 1990s between [[Jack Russell (Gloucestershire cricketer)|Jack Russell]] (the pure keeper) and [[Alec Stewart]] (the keeper/batsman). They were never able to consistently choose between the two until 1998, when Russell began to fade: prior to that, they had regularly swapped the role, often with Stewart maintaining his place when not wicket-keeping thanks to his batting skill. [[Adam Gilchrist]], [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]], [[Kumar Sangakkara]], [[Brendon McCullum]] and [[Mark Boucher]] are the top keeper/[[batsmen]] today in [[cricket]]. Ex [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] captain [[Rahul Dravid]] is a part time keeper, and played that role for India throughout the [[2003 Cricket World Cup| 2003 World cup]].
The keeper may also have a captaincy role. Uniquely, they are usually involved in every delivery of an innings, and may be in a position to see things that the captain misses. They can frequently be heard encouraging the bowler, and may also indulge in the practice (not meant to be overheard) of "[[sledging (cricket)|sledging]]" the batsman with well timed comments about their skill, appearance or personal habits.
The keeper is the only fielder allowed to touch the ball with protective equipment, typically large padded gloves with webbing between the index finger and thumb, but no other webbing. The protection offered by the gloves is not always adequate. The [[England]] keeper [[Alan Knott]] sometimes placed [[steak]]s inside his gloves for added cushioning. Wicket-keepers also tend to wear leg pads and a box to protect the groin area.
Wicket-keepers are allowed to take off their pads and bowl, and this is not uncommon when matches are drifting to draws or a bowling team is desperate for a wicket. Two keepers have removed their pads and taken [[hat-trick (cricket)|hat-tricks]] in first-class cricket: Probir Sen for Bengal v Orissa at Cuttack in 1954-55 and A.C. (Alan) Smith for Warwickshire v Essex at Clacton in 1965.
Fielding
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out. A fielder or fieldsman may field the ball with any part of his person. However, if while the ball is in play he wilfully fields it otherwise (e.g. by using his hat), the ball becomes dead and 5 penalty runs are awarded to the batting side unless the ball previously struck a batsman not attempting to hit or avoid the ball. Most of the rules covering fielders are in Law 41 of the Laws of cricket.
In the early days of Test cricket, fielding was not a priority and many players were sloppy when it came to fielding.[citation needed] With the advent of One Day International matches, fielding became more professional as saving runs became more important. A good fielding side can often save 30+ runs in the course of an ODI inning.
Fielding position names and locations
Since there are only 11 players on a team, one of whom is the bowler and another the wicket-keeper, at most nine other fielding positions can be used at any given time. Which positions are filled by players and which remain vacant is a tactical decision made by the captain of the fielding team. The captain (usually in consultation with the bowler and sometimes other members of the team) may move players between fielding positions at any time except when a bowler is in the act of bowling to a batsman.
There are a number of named basic fielding positions, some of which are employed very commonly and others that are used less often. However, fielding positions are not fixed, and fielders can be placed in positions that differ from the basic positions. Most of the positions are named roughly according to a system of polar coordinates - one word (leg, cover, mid-wicket) specifies the angle from the batsman, and is optionally preceded by an adjective describing the distance from the batsman (silly, short, deep or long). Words such as "backward", "forward", or "square" can further indicate the angle.
The image shows the location of most of the named fielding positions. This image assumes the batsman is right-handed. The area to the left of a right-handed batsman (from the batsman's point of view) is called the leg side or on side, while that to the right is the off side. If the batsman is left-handed, the leg and off sides are reversed and the fielding positions are a mirror image of those shown.
Catching positions
Some fielding positions are used offensively. That is, players are put there with the main aim being to catch out the batsman rather than to stop or slow down the scoring of runs. These positions include: Slip (often there are multiple slips next to each other, designated First slip, Second slip, Third slip, etc, numbered outwards from the wicket-keeper); Fly slip; Gully; Leg slip; Leg gully; the short and silly positions. Bat pad is a position specifically intended to catch balls that unintentionally strike the bat and leg pad, and thus end up only a metre or two to the leg side
Other positions
Other positions worth noting include:
1.Long stop, who stands behind the wicket-keeper towards the boundary (usually when a wicket-keeper is believed to be inept and almost never seen in professional cricket). This position is sometimes euphemistically referred to as very fine leg.[1]
2.Sweeper, an alternative name for deep cover, deep extra cover or deep midwicket (that is, near the boundary on the off side or the on side), usually defensive and intended to prevent a four being scored.
3.Cow corner, an informal jocular term for the position on the boundary between deep midwicket and long on.
Also the bowler, after delivering the ball, must avoid running on the pitch so usually ends up fielding near mid on or mid off, but somewhat closer to the pitch.
Modifiers
Deep, long
Farther away from the batsman.
Short
Closer to the batsman.
Silly
Very close to the batsman.
Square
Somewhere along an imaginary extension of the popping crease.
Fine
Closer to an extension of an imaginary line along the middle of the pitch bisecting the stumps.
Wide
Further from an extension of an imaginary line along the middle of the pitch bisecting the stumps.
Forward
In front of square; further towards the end occupied by the bowler and further away from the end occupied by the batsman on strike.
Backward
Behind square; further towards the end occupied by the batsman on strike and further away from the end occupied by the bowler.
Additionally, commentators or fans discussing the details of field placement will often use descriptive phrases such as "gully is a bit wider than normal" or "mid off is standing too deep, he should come in shorter".
==Restrictions on field placement==
Fielders may be placed anywhere on the field, subject to the following rules. At the time the ball is bowled:
*No fielder may be standing on or with any part of his body over the [[cricket pitch|pitch]] (the central strip of the playing area between the wickets). If his body casts a shadow over the pitch the shadow must not move until after the batsman has played (or had the opportunity to play) at the ball.
*There may be no more than two fielders, other than possibly the wicket-keeper, standing in the quadrant of the field behind square leg. See [[Bodyline]] for details on one reason this rule exists.
*In some [[one-day cricket|one-day matches]]:
**During designated [[over (cricket)|over]]s of an [[innings]] (see [[Powerplay (cricket)]]), there may be no more than two fielders standing outside an oval line marked on the field, being semicircles centred on the middle stump of each wicket of radius 30 yards, joined by straight lines parallel to the pitch. This is known as the [[fielding circle]]. In addition, during these overs there must be two fielders (other than the wicket-keeper) in designated "close catching" positions.
** For the remainder of the innings there may be no more than five fielders standing outside the fielding circle.
:The restriction for one-day cricket is designed to prevent the fielding team from setting extremely defensive fields and concentrating solely on preventing the batting team from scoring runs, which many consider leads to boring play.
If any of these rules is violated, an [[umpire (cricket)|umpire]] will call the delivery a [[no ball]]. Additionally a player may not make any significant movement after the ball comes into play and before the ball reaches the striker. If this happens, an umpire will call and signal 'dead ball'. For close fielders anything other than minor adjustments to stance or position in relation to the striker is significant. In the outfield, fielders may move in towards the striker or striker's wicket; indeed, they usually do. However, anything other than slight movement off line or away from the striker is to be considered significant.
==Tactics of field placement==
With only nine fielders (apart from the bowler and wicket-keeper), the captain of the fielding team must decide which fielding positions to cover, and which to leave vacant. The placement of fielders is one of the major tactical considerations for the fielding captain.
===Attacking and defending===
The main decision for a fielding captain is to strike a balance between setting an ''attacking'' field and a ''defensive'' field. An attacking field is one in which fielders are positioned in such a way that they are likely to take catches, and thus likely to get the batsman out. Such a field generally involves having many fielders close to the batsman, especially behind the batsman in either slip or short leg positions.
A defensive field is one in which most of the field is covered by a fielder; the batsman will therefore find it hard to score large numbers of runs. This generally involves having many fielders far from the batsman and in front of him, in the positions where he is most likely to hit the ball.
Many factors govern the decisions on field placements, including: the tactical situation in the match; which bowler is [[bowling (cricket)|bowling]]; how long the batsman has been in; the wear on the ball; the state of the wicket; the light; or even how close you are to an interval in play.
Some general principles:
Attack new batsmen''' : A batsman early in his innings is more likely to make a miscalculated or rash shot, so it pays to have catching fielders ready.
Attack with the new ball''' : [[Fast bowling|Fast bowlers]] get the most [[swing bowling|swing]] and bounce with a newer ball, factors that make it harder to bat without making an error.
Attack when returning from a break in play''' : Batsmen must settle into a batting rhythm again when resuming play after an overnight break, meal, drinks break, bad weather or a pause for treatment to an injury.
Attack with quality bowlers''' : A team's best bowlers take the most wickets, so get the most benefit from the support of an attacking field.
Attack when the pitch helps the bowler''' : A moist pitch helps fast bowlers get unpredictable seam-movement of the ball, while a dry, crumbling pitch helps spin bowlers get unpredictable spin and damp, overcast conditions help swing bowlers. All three situations can lead to catches flying to close attacking fielders.
Attack when the batting team is under pressure''' : If the batting team is doing poorly or has low morale, increase the pressure by attacking with the field.
Defend when batsmen are settled in''' : It is difficult to get batsmen out when they have been batting for a long time and are comfortable with the bowling. The best tactic is often to defend and force the run scoring rate to slow down, which can frustrate the batsman into playing a rash shot.
'Defend when the batting team needs to score runs quickly''' : In situations where the batting team must score quickly in order to win or press an advantage, slowing down the rate of scoring runs lessens their chance of doing so.
'Defend when the batting team is scoring quickly''' : If the batsmen are managing to score runs quickly, it is unlikely they are offering many chances to get them out, so reduce the run scoring rate.
'Defend when the ball and pitch offer no help to the bowlers''' : If there is no movement of the ball and the batsmen can hit it comfortably every time, there is little point in having lots of close catching fielders.
'Defend when using weak bowlers''' : If a relatively poor bowler must bowl for any reason, the best tactic is often to limit the potential damage by containing the free scoring of runs.
===Off and leg side fields===
Another consideration when setting a field is how many fielders to have on each side of the pitch. With nine fielders to place, the division must necessarily be unequal, but the degree of inequality varies.
When describing a field setting, the numbers of fielders on the off side and leg side are often abbreviated into a shortened form, with the off side number quoted first. For example, a ''5-4 field'' means 5 fielders on the off side and 4 on the leg side.
Usually, most fielders are placed on the off side. This is because most bowlers tend to concentrate the line of their deliveries on or outside the off [[stump (cricket)|stump]], so most shots are hit into the off side.
When attacking, there may be 3 or 4 slips and 1 or 2 gullies, potentially using up to six fielders in that region alone. This would typically be accompanied by a mid off, mid on, and fine leg, making it a 7-2 field. Although there are only two fielders on the leg side, they should get relatively little work as long as the bowlers maintain a line outside off stump.
As fields get progressively more defensive, fielders will move out of the slip and gully area to cover more of the field, leading to 6-3 and 5-4 fields.
If a bowler, usually a [[leg spin]] bowler, decides to attack the batsman's legs in an attempt to force a [[stumping]], bowl him behind his legs, or induce a catch on the leg side, the field may stack 4-5 towards the leg side. It is unusual to see more than 5 fielders on the leg side, because of the restriction that there must be no more than two fielders placed behind square leg.
Another attacking placement on the leg side is the ''leg side trap'', which involves placing fielders near the boundary at deep square and backward square leg and bowling [[bouncer (cricket)|bouncer]]s to try to induce the batsman to [[hook]] the ball into the air. For slower bowlers, the leg trap fieldsmen tend to be placed within 10–15 m from the bat behind square, to catch leg glances and sweeps.
The innings (always used in the plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.[12] In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an "innings" can end before they all do so (see below).
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine innings" etc).
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out" and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed (i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen "in". This batsman is termed "not out".
If an innings should end before ten batsmen have been dismissed, there are two "not out" batsmen. An innings can end early for three reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare" the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of time. In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still "in" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled.
Overs
The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls") and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end and the fielding side changes ends. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker's end and vice-versa.
Team structure
A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.
A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.
Batsman
A batsman in the sport of cricket is, depending on context:
Any player in the act of batting.
A player whose speciality in the game is batting.
==The batting role==
During the play of a cricket match, two members of the batting team are on the field, while their team-mates wait off the field. Those two players are the current batsmen. Each batsman stands near one of the two [[wicket]]s at either end of the [[pitch (cricket)|cricket pitch]] near the centre of the ground.
The two batsmen have different roles:
* The '''striker''' stands in front of the wicket nearest him and attempts to defend it from [[delivery (cricket)|balls]] bowled by the opposing [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] from the other wicket.
* The '''non-striker''' stands inactive near the bowler's wicket.
While defending his wicket, the striker may also hit the ball into the field and attempt to run to the opposite wicket, exchanging places with the non-striker. This scores a [[run (cricket)|run]]. The two batsmen may continue to exchange places, scoring additional runs, until members of the fielding team collect and return the ball to either wicket. See [[run (cricket)]] for further details.
While the striker's position is dictated by the necessity to defend the bowled ball from hitting his wicket, the non-striker typically takes a few steps away from his wicket as the bowler delivers the ball, in preparation to run.
Bowler (cricket)
A bowler in the sport of cricket is usually a player whose speciality is bowling, analogous to a pitcher in baseball. A bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder.
There are several types of bowlers and most teams will have a variety available in the team to take advantage of pitch or weather conditions or known weaknesses of the opposition.
A fast bowler is usually the mainstay of a team's attack. They will take a long run up before bowling each ball to build momentum and rhythm and can deliver the cricket ball at speeds up to 160 km/h (100 mph) with Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan being the first to reach this goal, though his pace along with colleague Mohammed Asif's was both questioned, after it was discovered they had both taken the banned substance Nandralone, a steroid which enhances performance. It is widely considered that the pace either can bowl at was not genuine.
A medium pace bowler bowls somewhat more slowly and will often have some other weapon in their bowling arsenal rather than relying on speed. This might take the form of being able to swing the ball in the air or disguise the speed or length of his or her delivery to fool the batsman. Some medium pacers are simply accurate; they can repeatedly deliver the ball to a place which forces the batsman to defend rather than scoring runs. Others grip the ball so that it pitches on its upraised seam, which then causes the following trajectory to be awkward or uncertain.
A spin bowler usually bowls quite slowly and puts tremendous spin on the ball causing it to bounce at an angle off the pitch, forcing the batsman to treat each ball carefully. Generally spin bowlers give up the most runs but they all have "tricks" that they use to fool the batsman and get him or her out (such as the arm ball, googly, flipper, topspinner or doosra). Spin bowling is very much about deceit rather than speed. A fast Off Spin is the normal off spin action but with more pace. Off spin is when the cricket ball spins towards a right handed batsmen's bat. With more pace, there usually is less turn (amount of spin). The grip for spin is the three middle fingers on you hand wrapped around the ball's side (end fingers just touching seam). Off-spin is also referred to as Off-Break or Finger Spin.
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper (also spelt wicketkeeper and often shortened to keeper) in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket being guarded by the batsman currently on strike. It is essentially a specialist role although a keeper is occasionally called upon to bowl, in which case another member of the fielding side temporarily keeps wicket. The role of the keeper is governed by Law 40 of the Laws of Cricket and is similar to that of the catcher in baseball.
==Purposes==
The keeper's major function is to stop deliveries that pass the batsman (in order to prevent [[run (cricket)|runs]] being scored), but he can also attempt to [[dismissal (cricket)|dismiss]] the batsman in various ways:
* The most common dismissal effected by the keeper is for him to ''[[catch (cricket)|catch]]'' a ball that has nicked the batsman's bat, called an ''edge'', before it bounces. Sometimes the keeper is also in the best position to catch a ball which has been hit high in the air. More catches are taken by wicket-keepers than by any other fielding position.
* The keeper can ''[[stump (cricket)#Manner of dismissing a batsman|stump]]'' the batsman by using the ball to remove the [[bail (cricket)|bails]] from the [[stump (cricket)|stumps]], if the batsman has come out of his [[crease (cricket)|crease]] during a delivery.
* When the ball is hit into the outfield, the keeper moves close to the stumps to catch the return throw from a fielder and, if possible, to ''[[run out]]'' a batsman.
A keeper's position depends on the bowler: for [[fast bowling]] he will crouch some distance from the stumps, in order to have time to react to edges from the batsman, while for slower bowling, he will come much nearer to the stumps (known as "standing up"), to pressure the batsman into remaining within the crease or risk being stumped. The more skilled the keeper, the faster the bowling to which he is able to "stand up", for instance [[Godfrey Evans]] often stood up to [[Alec Bedser]]. [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12543.html]
Wicket-keeping is a specialist discipline and it requires training consistent with the level expected of a specialist batsman or [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]]. However, the modern-day keeper is also expected to possess reasonable batting skill, suiting him for the middle order at least. Wicket-keepers who are also capable of batting at the top of the order are known informally as ''keeper/batsmen''.
Since there is only room for one keeper in a cricket side, selectors (especially at the international level) are often faced with a difficult choice between two or more skilled keepers. Often, one of the two keepers is an exceptional keeper, but only an average batsman, whereas the other is a keeper/batsman who is clearly better at batting, but not quite as good a keeper as his rival. One such selection dilemma was that faced by [[English cricket team|England]] selectors in the 1990s between [[Jack Russell (Gloucestershire cricketer)|Jack Russell]] (the pure keeper) and [[Alec Stewart]] (the keeper/batsman). They were never able to consistently choose between the two until 1998, when Russell began to fade: prior to that, they had regularly swapped the role, often with Stewart maintaining his place when not wicket-keeping thanks to his batting skill. [[Adam Gilchrist]], [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]], [[Kumar Sangakkara]], [[Brendon McCullum]] and [[Mark Boucher]] are the top keeper/[[batsmen]] today in [[cricket]]. Ex [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] captain [[Rahul Dravid]] is a part time keeper, and played that role for India throughout the [[2003 Cricket World Cup| 2003 World cup]].
The keeper may also have a captaincy role. Uniquely, they are usually involved in every delivery of an innings, and may be in a position to see things that the captain misses. They can frequently be heard encouraging the bowler, and may also indulge in the practice (not meant to be overheard) of "[[sledging (cricket)|sledging]]" the batsman with well timed comments about their skill, appearance or personal habits.
The keeper is the only fielder allowed to touch the ball with protective equipment, typically large padded gloves with webbing between the index finger and thumb, but no other webbing. The protection offered by the gloves is not always adequate. The [[England]] keeper [[Alan Knott]] sometimes placed [[steak]]s inside his gloves for added cushioning. Wicket-keepers also tend to wear leg pads and a box to protect the groin area.
Wicket-keepers are allowed to take off their pads and bowl, and this is not uncommon when matches are drifting to draws or a bowling team is desperate for a wicket. Two keepers have removed their pads and taken [[hat-trick (cricket)|hat-tricks]] in first-class cricket: Probir Sen for Bengal v Orissa at Cuttack in 1954-55 and A.C. (Alan) Smith for Warwickshire v Essex at Clacton in 1965.
Fielding
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out. A fielder or fieldsman may field the ball with any part of his person. However, if while the ball is in play he wilfully fields it otherwise (e.g. by using his hat), the ball becomes dead and 5 penalty runs are awarded to the batting side unless the ball previously struck a batsman not attempting to hit or avoid the ball. Most of the rules covering fielders are in Law 41 of the Laws of cricket.
In the early days of Test cricket, fielding was not a priority and many players were sloppy when it came to fielding.[citation needed] With the advent of One Day International matches, fielding became more professional as saving runs became more important. A good fielding side can often save 30+ runs in the course of an ODI inning.
Fielding position names and locations
Since there are only 11 players on a team, one of whom is the bowler and another the wicket-keeper, at most nine other fielding positions can be used at any given time. Which positions are filled by players and which remain vacant is a tactical decision made by the captain of the fielding team. The captain (usually in consultation with the bowler and sometimes other members of the team) may move players between fielding positions at any time except when a bowler is in the act of bowling to a batsman.
There are a number of named basic fielding positions, some of which are employed very commonly and others that are used less often. However, fielding positions are not fixed, and fielders can be placed in positions that differ from the basic positions. Most of the positions are named roughly according to a system of polar coordinates - one word (leg, cover, mid-wicket) specifies the angle from the batsman, and is optionally preceded by an adjective describing the distance from the batsman (silly, short, deep or long). Words such as "backward", "forward", or "square" can further indicate the angle.
The image shows the location of most of the named fielding positions. This image assumes the batsman is right-handed. The area to the left of a right-handed batsman (from the batsman's point of view) is called the leg side or on side, while that to the right is the off side. If the batsman is left-handed, the leg and off sides are reversed and the fielding positions are a mirror image of those shown.
Catching positions
Some fielding positions are used offensively. That is, players are put there with the main aim being to catch out the batsman rather than to stop or slow down the scoring of runs. These positions include: Slip (often there are multiple slips next to each other, designated First slip, Second slip, Third slip, etc, numbered outwards from the wicket-keeper); Fly slip; Gully; Leg slip; Leg gully; the short and silly positions. Bat pad is a position specifically intended to catch balls that unintentionally strike the bat and leg pad, and thus end up only a metre or two to the leg side
Other positions
Other positions worth noting include:
1.Long stop, who stands behind the wicket-keeper towards the boundary (usually when a wicket-keeper is believed to be inept and almost never seen in professional cricket). This position is sometimes euphemistically referred to as very fine leg.[1]
2.Sweeper, an alternative name for deep cover, deep extra cover or deep midwicket (that is, near the boundary on the off side or the on side), usually defensive and intended to prevent a four being scored.
3.Cow corner, an informal jocular term for the position on the boundary between deep midwicket and long on.
Also the bowler, after delivering the ball, must avoid running on the pitch so usually ends up fielding near mid on or mid off, but somewhat closer to the pitch.
Modifiers
Deep, long
Farther away from the batsman.
Short
Closer to the batsman.
Silly
Very close to the batsman.
Square
Somewhere along an imaginary extension of the popping crease.
Fine
Closer to an extension of an imaginary line along the middle of the pitch bisecting the stumps.
Wide
Further from an extension of an imaginary line along the middle of the pitch bisecting the stumps.
Forward
In front of square; further towards the end occupied by the bowler and further away from the end occupied by the batsman on strike.
Backward
Behind square; further towards the end occupied by the batsman on strike and further away from the end occupied by the bowler.
Additionally, commentators or fans discussing the details of field placement will often use descriptive phrases such as "gully is a bit wider than normal" or "mid off is standing too deep, he should come in shorter".
==Restrictions on field placement==
Fielders may be placed anywhere on the field, subject to the following rules. At the time the ball is bowled:
*No fielder may be standing on or with any part of his body over the [[cricket pitch|pitch]] (the central strip of the playing area between the wickets). If his body casts a shadow over the pitch the shadow must not move until after the batsman has played (or had the opportunity to play) at the ball.
*There may be no more than two fielders, other than possibly the wicket-keeper, standing in the quadrant of the field behind square leg. See [[Bodyline]] for details on one reason this rule exists.
*In some [[one-day cricket|one-day matches]]:
**During designated [[over (cricket)|over]]s of an [[innings]] (see [[Powerplay (cricket)]]), there may be no more than two fielders standing outside an oval line marked on the field, being semicircles centred on the middle stump of each wicket of radius 30 yards, joined by straight lines parallel to the pitch. This is known as the [[fielding circle]]. In addition, during these overs there must be two fielders (other than the wicket-keeper) in designated "close catching" positions.
** For the remainder of the innings there may be no more than five fielders standing outside the fielding circle.
:The restriction for one-day cricket is designed to prevent the fielding team from setting extremely defensive fields and concentrating solely on preventing the batting team from scoring runs, which many consider leads to boring play.
If any of these rules is violated, an [[umpire (cricket)|umpire]] will call the delivery a [[no ball]]. Additionally a player may not make any significant movement after the ball comes into play and before the ball reaches the striker. If this happens, an umpire will call and signal 'dead ball'. For close fielders anything other than minor adjustments to stance or position in relation to the striker is significant. In the outfield, fielders may move in towards the striker or striker's wicket; indeed, they usually do. However, anything other than slight movement off line or away from the striker is to be considered significant.
==Tactics of field placement==
With only nine fielders (apart from the bowler and wicket-keeper), the captain of the fielding team must decide which fielding positions to cover, and which to leave vacant. The placement of fielders is one of the major tactical considerations for the fielding captain.
===Attacking and defending===
The main decision for a fielding captain is to strike a balance between setting an ''attacking'' field and a ''defensive'' field. An attacking field is one in which fielders are positioned in such a way that they are likely to take catches, and thus likely to get the batsman out. Such a field generally involves having many fielders close to the batsman, especially behind the batsman in either slip or short leg positions.
A defensive field is one in which most of the field is covered by a fielder; the batsman will therefore find it hard to score large numbers of runs. This generally involves having many fielders far from the batsman and in front of him, in the positions where he is most likely to hit the ball.
Many factors govern the decisions on field placements, including: the tactical situation in the match; which bowler is [[bowling (cricket)|bowling]]; how long the batsman has been in; the wear on the ball; the state of the wicket; the light; or even how close you are to an interval in play.
Some general principles:
Attack new batsmen''' : A batsman early in his innings is more likely to make a miscalculated or rash shot, so it pays to have catching fielders ready.
Attack with the new ball''' : [[Fast bowling|Fast bowlers]] get the most [[swing bowling|swing]] and bounce with a newer ball, factors that make it harder to bat without making an error.
Attack when returning from a break in play''' : Batsmen must settle into a batting rhythm again when resuming play after an overnight break, meal, drinks break, bad weather or a pause for treatment to an injury.
Attack with quality bowlers''' : A team's best bowlers take the most wickets, so get the most benefit from the support of an attacking field.
Attack when the pitch helps the bowler''' : A moist pitch helps fast bowlers get unpredictable seam-movement of the ball, while a dry, crumbling pitch helps spin bowlers get unpredictable spin and damp, overcast conditions help swing bowlers. All three situations can lead to catches flying to close attacking fielders.
Attack when the batting team is under pressure''' : If the batting team is doing poorly or has low morale, increase the pressure by attacking with the field.
Defend when batsmen are settled in''' : It is difficult to get batsmen out when they have been batting for a long time and are comfortable with the bowling. The best tactic is often to defend and force the run scoring rate to slow down, which can frustrate the batsman into playing a rash shot.
'Defend when the batting team needs to score runs quickly''' : In situations where the batting team must score quickly in order to win or press an advantage, slowing down the rate of scoring runs lessens their chance of doing so.
'Defend when the batting team is scoring quickly''' : If the batsmen are managing to score runs quickly, it is unlikely they are offering many chances to get them out, so reduce the run scoring rate.
'Defend when the ball and pitch offer no help to the bowlers''' : If there is no movement of the ball and the batsmen can hit it comfortably every time, there is little point in having lots of close catching fielders.
'Defend when using weak bowlers''' : If a relatively poor bowler must bowl for any reason, the best tactic is often to limit the potential damage by containing the free scoring of runs.
===Off and leg side fields===
Another consideration when setting a field is how many fielders to have on each side of the pitch. With nine fielders to place, the division must necessarily be unequal, but the degree of inequality varies.
When describing a field setting, the numbers of fielders on the off side and leg side are often abbreviated into a shortened form, with the off side number quoted first. For example, a ''5-4 field'' means 5 fielders on the off side and 4 on the leg side.
Usually, most fielders are placed on the off side. This is because most bowlers tend to concentrate the line of their deliveries on or outside the off [[stump (cricket)|stump]], so most shots are hit into the off side.
When attacking, there may be 3 or 4 slips and 1 or 2 gullies, potentially using up to six fielders in that region alone. This would typically be accompanied by a mid off, mid on, and fine leg, making it a 7-2 field. Although there are only two fielders on the leg side, they should get relatively little work as long as the bowlers maintain a line outside off stump.
As fields get progressively more defensive, fielders will move out of the slip and gully area to cover more of the field, leading to 6-3 and 5-4 fields.
If a bowler, usually a [[leg spin]] bowler, decides to attack the batsman's legs in an attempt to force a [[stumping]], bowl him behind his legs, or induce a catch on the leg side, the field may stack 4-5 towards the leg side. It is unusual to see more than 5 fielders on the leg side, because of the restriction that there must be no more than two fielders placed behind square leg.
Another attacking placement on the leg side is the ''leg side trap'', which involves placing fielders near the boundary at deep square and backward square leg and bowling [[bouncer (cricket)|bouncer]]s to try to induce the batsman to [[hook]] the ball into the air. For slower bowlers, the leg trap fieldsmen tend to be placed within 10–15 m from the bat behind square, to catch leg glances and sweeps.
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is dismissed, through to specifications on how the pitch is to be prepared and maintained. Although the MCC is a private club based in London and no longer the game's governing body, the MCC retains copyright in the laws and only the MCC may change the laws, although nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the game's global governing body the International Cricket Council.
== History ==
Cricket started out as a game played by children, but expanded to become a betting game, and where rich aristocrats were involved, the wagers could be large. The earliest laws were drawn up in that context, to help regulate a game on which large sums of money were being staked. The earliest existing known Code of cricket was drawn up by certain "Noblemen and Gentlemen" who used the Artillery Ground in London in 1744. In 1755 there is further reference to the laws being revised by "Several Cricket Clubs, particularly the Star and Garter in Pall Mall", followed by a revision of the Laws by "a Committee of Noblemen and Gentlemen of [[Kent]], [[Hampshire]], [[Surrey]], [[Sussex]], [[Middlesex]] and London at the Star and Garter" in 1774. A printed form of the laws was published in 1775 and a further revision to the laws was undertaken by a similar body of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London in 1786.
However, these laws were not universally followed, with different games played under different guidance. On [[30 May]] [[1788]], the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]], which had been formed by the leading noblemen and gentlemen playing the game just one year before, produced its first Code of Laws. Whilst the MCC's version of the Laws were not accepted fully immediately, or applied consistently, it is the successor of these Laws that governs the game today. The next major change was in 1809 and saw the further standardisation of the weight of the ball from between 5 and 6 ounces (142 to 170 g) to between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (156 to 163 g), and the width of the [[cricket bat]] was standardised for the first time. The length of stumps was increased from 22 to 24 inches and bails from 6 to 7 inches to help the bowlers, and the importance of [[umpire (cricket)|umpires]] was further enhanced. Finally, a new method of dismissing a batsman was introduced. Previously, as cricket uses a hard ball and leg-pads were not used, players would naturally play with their legs away from the wicket. As batsmen started to wear pads, they became willing to cover their stumps with their legs to prevent the ball hitting the stumps and bowling them. Therefore a "[[leg before wicket]]" rule was introduced so that a batsman preventing the ball hitting his stumps with his legs would be out.
In 1829 the Length of stumps increased from 24 inches to 27 inches (559 to 686 mm) and the length of the bails was increased from 7 inches to 8 inches (178 to 203 mm), again to help the bowlers. For the first time, the thickness of stumps was mentioned. A new Code of Laws was approved by the MCC Committee on [[19 May]] [[1835]], and another on [[21 April]] [[1884]]. In the 1884 laws the number of players was formalised for the first time (at eleven-a-side), and the size of the ball was formalised for the first time too. The follow-on rule was introduced. This was in response to the problem that to win a game a side needed to dismiss their opposition twice. A side that batted first and was fully on top of a match and scoring lots of runs would have to wait until it was dismissed a second time before it could attempt to dismiss the opposition a second time. As cricket is a time-limited game, it meant that sides that dominated the opposition could be forced to draw rather than win games. The initial follow-on rule was faulty, though, as it required a side to follow-on when it was behind. A side could deliberately concede its last wickets in the first innings in return for being able to bowl last on a deteriorating pitch. Later the follow-on rule was changed so that a team sufficiently ahead of its opposition has the option on whether to enforce it or not.
In 1947 a new Code was approved by the MCC on [[7 May]]. In 1979 after a number of minor revisions of the 1947 Code, a new Code was approved at an MCC Special General Meeting on [[21 November]]. This is known as the 1980 code. Amongst other changes, imperial units are now followed by metric units in the specifications.
In 1992 a second edition of the 1980 Code was produced. In 2000 a new Code, which for the first time included a Preamble defining the Spirit of Cricket was approved on [[3 May]]. The code was rewritten into plain English and is more discursive than previous Codes. The length of an over was officially standardised at six balls for all matches, although in practice this had been the case for 20 or so years before that. In 2003 a second version of the 2000 Code was produced incorporating necessary amendments arising from the application of the 2000 Code.
Throwing was first regulated in laws produced in 1829. In 1864 overarm bowling was permitted for the first time.
In 1889, the length of an over increased from four balls to five balls. In 1900, the length of an over was increased to six balls. In 1922, variation was allowed in the length of the over (Australian overs to be eight balls). The 1947 Code stipulated that the length of an over was to be six or eight balls according to "prior agreement" between the captains.
== Today's laws ==
The [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] is the framer of the Laws of Cricket, the rules governing play of the game. The Laws are intended to apply to all two [[innings]] matches; the [[International Cricket Council]] has implemented "Standard Playing Conditions for [[Test cricket|Test Matches]]" and "Standard Playing Conditions for [[One-day cricket|One Day Internationals]]" to augment the Laws of Cricket. Similarly, each cricketing country has implemented Playing Conditions to govern domestic cricket. The Laws provide for One-day, or Limited overs cricket (including Twenty20) by stipulating that the number of innings per side may be one or two, and that each innings may be restricted to a maximum number of overs, or a maximum period of time.
The Laws retain the [[Imperial units]] as they were originally specified, but now also include metric conversions.
The Laws are organised into a Preface, a Preamble, forty-two Laws, and four appendices. The Preface relates to the Marylebone Cricket Club and the history of the Laws. The Preamble is a new addition and is related to "the Spirit of the Game;" it was introduced to discourage the increasing practices of ungentlemanly conduct. The Laws themselves deal with the following:
The first four laws cover the players, the umpires and the scorers.
* Law 1: [[Cricketer|The players]]. A cricket team consists of eleven players, including a captain. Outside of official competitions, teams can agree to play more than eleven-a-side, though no more than eleven players may field.
* Law 2: [[Substitute (cricket)|Substitutes]]. In cricket, a substitute may be brought on for an injured fielder. However, a substitute may not bat, bowl, keep wicket or act as captain. The original player may return if he has recovered. A batsman who becomes unable to run may have a runner, who completes the runs while the batsman continues batting. Alternatively, a batsman may retire hurt or ill, and may return later to resume his innings if he recovers.
* Law 3: [[Umpire (cricket)|The umpires]]. There are two umpires, who apply the Laws, make all necessary decisions, and relay the decisions to the scorers. While not required under the laws of cricket, in higher level cricket a third umpire (located off the ground and available to assist the on-field umpires) may be used under the specific playing conditions of a particular match or tournament. [[Third Umpire]]
* Law 4: [[Scorer|The scorers]]. There are two scorers who respond to the umpires' signals and keep the score.
=== Equipment and laying out the pitch ===
After dealing with the players, the laws move on to discuss equipment and pitch specifications, except for specifications about the wicket-keeper's gloves, which are dealt with in [[Laws of cricket#Fielders|Law 40]]. These laws are supplemented by Appendices A and B (see below).
* Law 5: [[Cricket ball|The ball]]. A cricket ball is between 8 13/16 and 9 [[inch]]es (22.4cm and 22.9cm) in circumference, and weighs between 5.5 and 5.75 [[ounce]]s (155.9g and 163g). Only one ball is used at a time, unless it is lost, when it is replaced with a ball of similar wear. It is also replaced at the start of each innings, and may, at the request of the fielding side, be replaced with a new ball, after a certain number of overs have been bowled (80 in Test matches, 34 in [[ODI]]s). The gradual degradation of the ball through the innings is an important aspect of the game.
* Law 6: [[Cricket bat|The bat]]. The bat is no more than 38 inches (96.5cm) in length, and no more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide. The hand or glove holding the bat is considered part of the bat. Ever since the [[Heavy Metal (cricket)|Heavy Metal]] incident, a highly publicized marketing attempt by [[Dennis Lillee]], who brought out an [[aluminium]] bat during an international game, the laws have provided that the blade of the bat must be made of wood (and in practice, they are made from [[White Willow]] wood).
* Law 7: [[Cricket pitch|The pitch]]. The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10ft (3.05 m) wide. The Ground Authority selects and prepares the pitch, but once the game has started, the umpires control what happens to the pitch. The umpires are also the arbiters of whether the pitch is fit for play, and if they deem it unfit, with the consent of both captains can change the pitch. Professional cricket is almost always played on a grass surface. However, in the event a non-turf pitch is used, the artificial surface must have a minimum length of 58ft (17.68 m) and a minimum width of 6ft (1.83 m).
* Law 8: [[wicket|The wickets]]. The wicket consists of three wooden stumps that are 28 inches (71.1 cm) tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are 9 inches (22.86 cm) wide. Two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps. The bails must not project more than 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) above the stumps, and must, for men's cricket, be 4 5/16 inches (10.95 cm) long. There are also specified lengths for the barrel and spigots of the bail. There are different specifications for the wickets and bails for junior cricket. The umpires may dispense with the bails if conditions are unfit (ie it is windy so they might fall off by themselves). Further details on the specifications of the wickets are contained in Appendix A to the laws.
* Law 9: [[Crease (cricket)|Bowling, popping, and return creases]]. This law sets out the dimensions and locations of the creases. The bowling crease, which is the line the stumps are in the middle of, is drawn at each end of the pitch so that the three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch fall on it (and consequently it is perpendicular to the imaginary line joining the centres of both middle stumps). Each bowling crease should be 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) in length, centred on the middle stump at each end, and each bowling crease terminates at one of the return creases. The popping crease, which determines whether a batsman is in his ground or not, and which is used in determining front-foot no balls (see law 24), is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps. The popping crease must be 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. Although it is considered to have unlimited length, the popping crease must be marked to at least 6 feet (1.83 metres) on either side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the middle stumps. The return creases, which are the lines a bowler must be within when making a delivery, are drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, along each sides of the pitch (so there are four return creases in all, one on either side of both sets of stumps). The return creases lie perpendicular to the popping crease and the bowling crease, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. Each return crease terminates at one end at the popping crease but the other end is considered to be unlimited in length and must be marked to a minimum of 8 feet (2.44 m) from the popping crease.
* Law 10: [[Cricket pitch|Preparation and maintenance of the playing area]]. In cricket, when a ball is bowled it almost always bounces on the pitch, and how the ball behaves depends very much on the condition of the pitch. Therefore detailed rules on the pitch itself are necessary. This law sets down rules governing how pitches should be prepared, mown, rolled, etc.
* Law 11: [[Cricket pitch|Covering the pitch]]. Covering the pitch affects how the ball will react when it bounces on it. For example, a ball bouncing on wet ground will react differently to one bouncing on hard ground. In general, a wet pitch will have uneven bounce, a dry pitch won't. The laws stipulate that the regulations on covering the pitch shall be agreed in advance. Bowlers' run-ups also need to be dry to reduce the chances that they will slip. The laws therefore require these to be covered wherever possible when there is wet weather.
=== Structure of the game ===
Laws 12 to 17 outline the structure of the game.
* Law 12: [[Innings]]. Before the game the teams agree whether it is to be over one or two innings, and whether either or both innings are to be limited by time or by overs. In practice, these decisions are likely to be laid down by Competition Regulations, rather than pre-game agreement. In two-innings games, the sides bat alternately unless the follow-on (law 13) is enforced. An innings is closed once all batsmen are dismissed, no further batsmen are fit to play, the innings is declared or forfeited by the batting captain, or any agreed time or over limit is reached. The captain winning the toss of a coin decides whether to bat or to bowl first.
* Law 13: [[Follow-on|The follow-on]]. In a two innings match, if the side batting second scores substantially fewer runs than the side batting first, the side that batted first can force their opponents to bat again immediately. The side that enforced the follow-on risks not getting to bat again and thus the chance of winning. For a game of five or more days, the side batting first must be at least 200 runs ahead to enforce the follow-on; for a three- or four-day game, 150 runs; for a two-day game, 100 runs; for a one-day game, 75 runs. The length of the game is determined by the number of scheduled days play left when the game actually begins.
* Law 14: [[Declaration and forfeiture]]. The batting captain can declare an innings closed at any time when the ball is dead. He may also forfeit his innings before it has started.
* Law 15: [[Playing time (cricket)|Intervals]]. There are intervals between each day's play, a ten-minute interval between innings, and lunch, tea and drinks intervals. The timing and length of the intervals must be agreed before the match begins. There are also provisions for moving the intervals and interval lengths in certain situations, most notably the provision that if nine wickets are down, the tea interval is delayed to the earlier of the fall of the next wicket and 30 minutes elapsing.
* Law 16: [[Playing time (cricket)|Start of play; cessation of play]]. Play after an interval commences with the umpire's call of "Play", and at the end of a session by "Time". The last hour of a match must contain at least 20 overs, being extended in time so as to include 20 overs if necessary.
* Law 17: [[Cricket pitch#Practice on the field|Practice on the field]]. There may be no batting or bowling practice on the pitch except before the day's play starts and after the day's play has ended. Bowlers may only have trial run-ups if the umpires are of the view that it would waste no time.
=== Scoring and winning ===
The laws then move on to discuss how runs can be scored and how one team can beat the other.
* Law 18: [[Run (cricket)|Scoring runs]]. Runs are scored when the two batsmen run to each other's end of the pitch. Several runs can be scored from one ball.
* Law 19: [[Boundary (cricket)|Boundaries]]. A boundary is marked round the edge of the field of play. If the ball is hit past this boundary, four runs are scored, or six runs if the ball didn't hit the ground before crossing the boundary.
* Law 20: [[Lost ball]]. If a ball in play is lost or cannot be recovered, the fielding side can call "lost ball". The batting side keeps any penalty runs (such as no-balls and wides) and scores the higher of six runs and the number of runs actually run.
* Law 21: [[The result in cricket|The result]]. The side which scores the most runs wins the match. If both sides score the same number of runs, the match is tied. However, the match may run out of time before the innings have all been completed. In this case, the match is drawn.
* Law 22: [[over (cricket)|The over]]. An over consists of six balls bowled, excluding wides and no balls. Consecutive overs are delivered from opposite ends of the pitch. A bowler may not bowl two consecutive overs.
* Law 23: [[Dead ball (cricket)|Dead ball]]. The ball comes into play when the bowler begins his run up, and becomes dead when all the action from that ball is over. While the ball is dead, no runs can be scored and no batsmen can be dismissed. The ball also becomes dead when a batsman is dismissed.
* Law 24: [[No ball]]. A ball can be a no ball for several reasons: if the bowler bowls from the wrong place; or if he straightens his elbow during the delivery; or if the bowling is dangerous; or if the ball bounces more than twice or rolls along the ground before reaching the batsman; or if the fielders are standing in illegal places. A no ball adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a no ball except by being run out, or by handling the ball, hitting the ball twice, or obstructing the field.
* Law 25: [[wide|Wide ball]]. An umpire calls a ball "wide" if, in his or her opinion, the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the ball. A ball is not called wide when the bowler bowls a bouncer that goes over the head of the batsman;such a delivery is a No ball. A wide adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a wide except by being run out or stumped, or by handling the ball, hitting his wicket, or obstructing the field.
* Law 26: [[Bye (cricket)|Bye]] and [[Leg bye]]. If a ball that isn't a no ball or wide passes the striker and runs are scored, they are called byes. If a ball that isn't a no ball hits the striker but not the bat and runs are scored, they are called leg-byes. However, leg-byes cannot be scored if the striker is neither attempting a stroke nor trying to avoid being hit. Byes and leg-byes are credited to the team's but not the batsman's total.
=== Mechanics of dismissal ===
Laws 27 to 29 discuss the main mechanics of how a batsman may be dismissed.
* Law 27: [[Appeal (cricket)|Appeals]]. If the fielders believe a batsman is out, they may ask the umpire "How's That?", commonly shouted emphatically with arms raised, before the next ball is bowled. The umpire then decides whether the batsman is out.
* Law 28: [[Wicket#Dismissing a batsman|The wicket is down]]. Several methods of being out occur when the wicket is put down. This means that the wicket is hit by the ball, or the batsman, or the hand in which a fielder is holding the ball, and at least one bail is removed.
* Law 29: [[Crease (cricket)#Batsman out of his ground|Batsman out of his ground]]. The batsmen can be run out or stumped if they are out of their ground. A batsman is in his ground if any part of him or his bat is on the ground behind the popping crease. If both batsman are in the middle of the pitch when a wicket is put down, the batsman closer to that end is out.
=== Ways to get out ===
Laws 30 to 39 discuss the various ways a batsman may be dismissed. In addition to these 10 methods, a batsman may retire out. That provision is in Law 2.
* Law 30: [[Bowled]]. A batsman is out if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler. It is irrelevant whether the ball has touched the bat, glove, or any part of the batsman before going on to put down the wicket, though it may not touch another player or an umpire before doing so.
* Law 31: [[Timed out]]. An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball (or be at the crease with his partner ready to face a ball) within 3 minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed, otherwise the incoming batsman will be out.
* Law 32: [[Caught (cricket)|Caught]]. If a ball hits the bat or the hand holding the bat and is then caught by the opposition within the field of play before the ball bounces, then the batsman is out.
* Law 33: [[Handled the ball]]. If a batsman wilfully handles the ball with a hand that is not touching the bat without the consent of the opposition, he is out.
* Law 34: [[Hit the ball twice]]. If a batsman hits the ball twice other than for the purposes of protecting his wicket or with the consent of the opposition, he is out.
* Law 35: [[Hit wicket]]. If, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, a batsman puts his wicket down by his bat or his person he is out. The striker is also out hit wicket if he puts his wicket down by his bat or his person in setting off for a first run. "Person" includes the clothes and equipment of the batsman.
* Law 36: [[Leg before wicket]]. If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was attempting to play a stroke, he is not out.
* Law 37: [[Obstructing the field]]. If a batsman wilfully obstructs the opposition by word or action, he is out.
* Law 38: [[Run out]]. A batsman is out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing side.
* Law 39: [[Stump (cricket)|Stumped]]. A batsman is out when the wicket-keeper (see Law 40) puts down the wicket, while the batsman is out of his crease and not attempting a run.
The laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is dismissed, through to specifications on how the pitch is to be prepared and maintained. Although the MCC is a private club based in London and no longer the game's governing body, the MCC retains copyright in the laws and only the MCC may change the laws, although nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the game's global governing body the International Cricket Council.
== History ==
Cricket started out as a game played by children, but expanded to become a betting game, and where rich aristocrats were involved, the wagers could be large. The earliest laws were drawn up in that context, to help regulate a game on which large sums of money were being staked. The earliest existing known Code of cricket was drawn up by certain "Noblemen and Gentlemen" who used the Artillery Ground in London in 1744. In 1755 there is further reference to the laws being revised by "Several Cricket Clubs, particularly the Star and Garter in Pall Mall", followed by a revision of the Laws by "a Committee of Noblemen and Gentlemen of [[Kent]], [[Hampshire]], [[Surrey]], [[Sussex]], [[Middlesex]] and London at the Star and Garter" in 1774. A printed form of the laws was published in 1775 and a further revision to the laws was undertaken by a similar body of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London in 1786.
However, these laws were not universally followed, with different games played under different guidance. On [[30 May]] [[1788]], the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]], which had been formed by the leading noblemen and gentlemen playing the game just one year before, produced its first Code of Laws. Whilst the MCC's version of the Laws were not accepted fully immediately, or applied consistently, it is the successor of these Laws that governs the game today. The next major change was in 1809 and saw the further standardisation of the weight of the ball from between 5 and 6 ounces (142 to 170 g) to between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (156 to 163 g), and the width of the [[cricket bat]] was standardised for the first time. The length of stumps was increased from 22 to 24 inches and bails from 6 to 7 inches to help the bowlers, and the importance of [[umpire (cricket)|umpires]] was further enhanced. Finally, a new method of dismissing a batsman was introduced. Previously, as cricket uses a hard ball and leg-pads were not used, players would naturally play with their legs away from the wicket. As batsmen started to wear pads, they became willing to cover their stumps with their legs to prevent the ball hitting the stumps and bowling them. Therefore a "[[leg before wicket]]" rule was introduced so that a batsman preventing the ball hitting his stumps with his legs would be out.
In 1829 the Length of stumps increased from 24 inches to 27 inches (559 to 686 mm) and the length of the bails was increased from 7 inches to 8 inches (178 to 203 mm), again to help the bowlers. For the first time, the thickness of stumps was mentioned. A new Code of Laws was approved by the MCC Committee on [[19 May]] [[1835]], and another on [[21 April]] [[1884]]. In the 1884 laws the number of players was formalised for the first time (at eleven-a-side), and the size of the ball was formalised for the first time too. The follow-on rule was introduced. This was in response to the problem that to win a game a side needed to dismiss their opposition twice. A side that batted first and was fully on top of a match and scoring lots of runs would have to wait until it was dismissed a second time before it could attempt to dismiss the opposition a second time. As cricket is a time-limited game, it meant that sides that dominated the opposition could be forced to draw rather than win games. The initial follow-on rule was faulty, though, as it required a side to follow-on when it was behind. A side could deliberately concede its last wickets in the first innings in return for being able to bowl last on a deteriorating pitch. Later the follow-on rule was changed so that a team sufficiently ahead of its opposition has the option on whether to enforce it or not.
In 1947 a new Code was approved by the MCC on [[7 May]]. In 1979 after a number of minor revisions of the 1947 Code, a new Code was approved at an MCC Special General Meeting on [[21 November]]. This is known as the 1980 code. Amongst other changes, imperial units are now followed by metric units in the specifications.
In 1992 a second edition of the 1980 Code was produced. In 2000 a new Code, which for the first time included a Preamble defining the Spirit of Cricket was approved on [[3 May]]. The code was rewritten into plain English and is more discursive than previous Codes. The length of an over was officially standardised at six balls for all matches, although in practice this had been the case for 20 or so years before that. In 2003 a second version of the 2000 Code was produced incorporating necessary amendments arising from the application of the 2000 Code.
Throwing was first regulated in laws produced in 1829. In 1864 overarm bowling was permitted for the first time.
In 1889, the length of an over increased from four balls to five balls. In 1900, the length of an over was increased to six balls. In 1922, variation was allowed in the length of the over (Australian overs to be eight balls). The 1947 Code stipulated that the length of an over was to be six or eight balls according to "prior agreement" between the captains.
== Today's laws ==
The [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] is the framer of the Laws of Cricket, the rules governing play of the game. The Laws are intended to apply to all two [[innings]] matches; the [[International Cricket Council]] has implemented "Standard Playing Conditions for [[Test cricket|Test Matches]]" and "Standard Playing Conditions for [[One-day cricket|One Day Internationals]]" to augment the Laws of Cricket. Similarly, each cricketing country has implemented Playing Conditions to govern domestic cricket. The Laws provide for One-day, or Limited overs cricket (including Twenty20) by stipulating that the number of innings per side may be one or two, and that each innings may be restricted to a maximum number of overs, or a maximum period of time.
The Laws retain the [[Imperial units]] as they were originally specified, but now also include metric conversions.
The Laws are organised into a Preface, a Preamble, forty-two Laws, and four appendices. The Preface relates to the Marylebone Cricket Club and the history of the Laws. The Preamble is a new addition and is related to "the Spirit of the Game;" it was introduced to discourage the increasing practices of ungentlemanly conduct. The Laws themselves deal with the following:
The first four laws cover the players, the umpires and the scorers.
* Law 1: [[Cricketer|The players]]. A cricket team consists of eleven players, including a captain. Outside of official competitions, teams can agree to play more than eleven-a-side, though no more than eleven players may field.
* Law 2: [[Substitute (cricket)|Substitutes]]. In cricket, a substitute may be brought on for an injured fielder. However, a substitute may not bat, bowl, keep wicket or act as captain. The original player may return if he has recovered. A batsman who becomes unable to run may have a runner, who completes the runs while the batsman continues batting. Alternatively, a batsman may retire hurt or ill, and may return later to resume his innings if he recovers.
* Law 3: [[Umpire (cricket)|The umpires]]. There are two umpires, who apply the Laws, make all necessary decisions, and relay the decisions to the scorers. While not required under the laws of cricket, in higher level cricket a third umpire (located off the ground and available to assist the on-field umpires) may be used under the specific playing conditions of a particular match or tournament. [[Third Umpire]]
* Law 4: [[Scorer|The scorers]]. There are two scorers who respond to the umpires' signals and keep the score.
=== Equipment and laying out the pitch ===
After dealing with the players, the laws move on to discuss equipment and pitch specifications, except for specifications about the wicket-keeper's gloves, which are dealt with in [[Laws of cricket#Fielders|Law 40]]. These laws are supplemented by Appendices A and B (see below).
* Law 5: [[Cricket ball|The ball]]. A cricket ball is between 8 13/16 and 9 [[inch]]es (22.4cm and 22.9cm) in circumference, and weighs between 5.5 and 5.75 [[ounce]]s (155.9g and 163g). Only one ball is used at a time, unless it is lost, when it is replaced with a ball of similar wear. It is also replaced at the start of each innings, and may, at the request of the fielding side, be replaced with a new ball, after a certain number of overs have been bowled (80 in Test matches, 34 in [[ODI]]s). The gradual degradation of the ball through the innings is an important aspect of the game.
* Law 6: [[Cricket bat|The bat]]. The bat is no more than 38 inches (96.5cm) in length, and no more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide. The hand or glove holding the bat is considered part of the bat. Ever since the [[Heavy Metal (cricket)|Heavy Metal]] incident, a highly publicized marketing attempt by [[Dennis Lillee]], who brought out an [[aluminium]] bat during an international game, the laws have provided that the blade of the bat must be made of wood (and in practice, they are made from [[White Willow]] wood).
* Law 7: [[Cricket pitch|The pitch]]. The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10ft (3.05 m) wide. The Ground Authority selects and prepares the pitch, but once the game has started, the umpires control what happens to the pitch. The umpires are also the arbiters of whether the pitch is fit for play, and if they deem it unfit, with the consent of both captains can change the pitch. Professional cricket is almost always played on a grass surface. However, in the event a non-turf pitch is used, the artificial surface must have a minimum length of 58ft (17.68 m) and a minimum width of 6ft (1.83 m).
* Law 8: [[wicket|The wickets]]. The wicket consists of three wooden stumps that are 28 inches (71.1 cm) tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are 9 inches (22.86 cm) wide. Two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps. The bails must not project more than 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) above the stumps, and must, for men's cricket, be 4 5/16 inches (10.95 cm) long. There are also specified lengths for the barrel and spigots of the bail. There are different specifications for the wickets and bails for junior cricket. The umpires may dispense with the bails if conditions are unfit (ie it is windy so they might fall off by themselves). Further details on the specifications of the wickets are contained in Appendix A to the laws.
* Law 9: [[Crease (cricket)|Bowling, popping, and return creases]]. This law sets out the dimensions and locations of the creases. The bowling crease, which is the line the stumps are in the middle of, is drawn at each end of the pitch so that the three stumps in the set of stumps at that end of the pitch fall on it (and consequently it is perpendicular to the imaginary line joining the centres of both middle stumps). Each bowling crease should be 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) in length, centred on the middle stump at each end, and each bowling crease terminates at one of the return creases. The popping crease, which determines whether a batsman is in his ground or not, and which is used in determining front-foot no balls (see law 24), is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps. The popping crease must be 4 feet (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease. Although it is considered to have unlimited length, the popping crease must be marked to at least 6 feet (1.83 metres) on either side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the middle stumps. The return creases, which are the lines a bowler must be within when making a delivery, are drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, along each sides of the pitch (so there are four return creases in all, one on either side of both sets of stumps). The return creases lie perpendicular to the popping crease and the bowling crease, 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. Each return crease terminates at one end at the popping crease but the other end is considered to be unlimited in length and must be marked to a minimum of 8 feet (2.44 m) from the popping crease.
* Law 10: [[Cricket pitch|Preparation and maintenance of the playing area]]. In cricket, when a ball is bowled it almost always bounces on the pitch, and how the ball behaves depends very much on the condition of the pitch. Therefore detailed rules on the pitch itself are necessary. This law sets down rules governing how pitches should be prepared, mown, rolled, etc.
* Law 11: [[Cricket pitch|Covering the pitch]]. Covering the pitch affects how the ball will react when it bounces on it. For example, a ball bouncing on wet ground will react differently to one bouncing on hard ground. In general, a wet pitch will have uneven bounce, a dry pitch won't. The laws stipulate that the regulations on covering the pitch shall be agreed in advance. Bowlers' run-ups also need to be dry to reduce the chances that they will slip. The laws therefore require these to be covered wherever possible when there is wet weather.
=== Structure of the game ===
Laws 12 to 17 outline the structure of the game.
* Law 12: [[Innings]]. Before the game the teams agree whether it is to be over one or two innings, and whether either or both innings are to be limited by time or by overs. In practice, these decisions are likely to be laid down by Competition Regulations, rather than pre-game agreement. In two-innings games, the sides bat alternately unless the follow-on (law 13) is enforced. An innings is closed once all batsmen are dismissed, no further batsmen are fit to play, the innings is declared or forfeited by the batting captain, or any agreed time or over limit is reached. The captain winning the toss of a coin decides whether to bat or to bowl first.
* Law 13: [[Follow-on|The follow-on]]. In a two innings match, if the side batting second scores substantially fewer runs than the side batting first, the side that batted first can force their opponents to bat again immediately. The side that enforced the follow-on risks not getting to bat again and thus the chance of winning. For a game of five or more days, the side batting first must be at least 200 runs ahead to enforce the follow-on; for a three- or four-day game, 150 runs; for a two-day game, 100 runs; for a one-day game, 75 runs. The length of the game is determined by the number of scheduled days play left when the game actually begins.
* Law 14: [[Declaration and forfeiture]]. The batting captain can declare an innings closed at any time when the ball is dead. He may also forfeit his innings before it has started.
* Law 15: [[Playing time (cricket)|Intervals]]. There are intervals between each day's play, a ten-minute interval between innings, and lunch, tea and drinks intervals. The timing and length of the intervals must be agreed before the match begins. There are also provisions for moving the intervals and interval lengths in certain situations, most notably the provision that if nine wickets are down, the tea interval is delayed to the earlier of the fall of the next wicket and 30 minutes elapsing.
* Law 16: [[Playing time (cricket)|Start of play; cessation of play]]. Play after an interval commences with the umpire's call of "Play", and at the end of a session by "Time". The last hour of a match must contain at least 20 overs, being extended in time so as to include 20 overs if necessary.
* Law 17: [[Cricket pitch#Practice on the field|Practice on the field]]. There may be no batting or bowling practice on the pitch except before the day's play starts and after the day's play has ended. Bowlers may only have trial run-ups if the umpires are of the view that it would waste no time.
=== Scoring and winning ===
The laws then move on to discuss how runs can be scored and how one team can beat the other.
* Law 18: [[Run (cricket)|Scoring runs]]. Runs are scored when the two batsmen run to each other's end of the pitch. Several runs can be scored from one ball.
* Law 19: [[Boundary (cricket)|Boundaries]]. A boundary is marked round the edge of the field of play. If the ball is hit past this boundary, four runs are scored, or six runs if the ball didn't hit the ground before crossing the boundary.
* Law 20: [[Lost ball]]. If a ball in play is lost or cannot be recovered, the fielding side can call "lost ball". The batting side keeps any penalty runs (such as no-balls and wides) and scores the higher of six runs and the number of runs actually run.
* Law 21: [[The result in cricket|The result]]. The side which scores the most runs wins the match. If both sides score the same number of runs, the match is tied. However, the match may run out of time before the innings have all been completed. In this case, the match is drawn.
* Law 22: [[over (cricket)|The over]]. An over consists of six balls bowled, excluding wides and no balls. Consecutive overs are delivered from opposite ends of the pitch. A bowler may not bowl two consecutive overs.
* Law 23: [[Dead ball (cricket)|Dead ball]]. The ball comes into play when the bowler begins his run up, and becomes dead when all the action from that ball is over. While the ball is dead, no runs can be scored and no batsmen can be dismissed. The ball also becomes dead when a batsman is dismissed.
* Law 24: [[No ball]]. A ball can be a no ball for several reasons: if the bowler bowls from the wrong place; or if he straightens his elbow during the delivery; or if the bowling is dangerous; or if the ball bounces more than twice or rolls along the ground before reaching the batsman; or if the fielders are standing in illegal places. A no ball adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a no ball except by being run out, or by handling the ball, hitting the ball twice, or obstructing the field.
* Law 25: [[wide|Wide ball]]. An umpire calls a ball "wide" if, in his or her opinion, the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the ball. A ball is not called wide when the bowler bowls a bouncer that goes over the head of the batsman;such a delivery is a No ball. A wide adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a wide except by being run out or stumped, or by handling the ball, hitting his wicket, or obstructing the field.
* Law 26: [[Bye (cricket)|Bye]] and [[Leg bye]]. If a ball that isn't a no ball or wide passes the striker and runs are scored, they are called byes. If a ball that isn't a no ball hits the striker but not the bat and runs are scored, they are called leg-byes. However, leg-byes cannot be scored if the striker is neither attempting a stroke nor trying to avoid being hit. Byes and leg-byes are credited to the team's but not the batsman's total.
=== Mechanics of dismissal ===
Laws 27 to 29 discuss the main mechanics of how a batsman may be dismissed.
* Law 27: [[Appeal (cricket)|Appeals]]. If the fielders believe a batsman is out, they may ask the umpire "How's That?", commonly shouted emphatically with arms raised, before the next ball is bowled. The umpire then decides whether the batsman is out.
* Law 28: [[Wicket#Dismissing a batsman|The wicket is down]]. Several methods of being out occur when the wicket is put down. This means that the wicket is hit by the ball, or the batsman, or the hand in which a fielder is holding the ball, and at least one bail is removed.
* Law 29: [[Crease (cricket)#Batsman out of his ground|Batsman out of his ground]]. The batsmen can be run out or stumped if they are out of their ground. A batsman is in his ground if any part of him or his bat is on the ground behind the popping crease. If both batsman are in the middle of the pitch when a wicket is put down, the batsman closer to that end is out.
=== Ways to get out ===
Laws 30 to 39 discuss the various ways a batsman may be dismissed. In addition to these 10 methods, a batsman may retire out. That provision is in Law 2.
* Law 30: [[Bowled]]. A batsman is out if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler. It is irrelevant whether the ball has touched the bat, glove, or any part of the batsman before going on to put down the wicket, though it may not touch another player or an umpire before doing so.
* Law 31: [[Timed out]]. An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball (or be at the crease with his partner ready to face a ball) within 3 minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed, otherwise the incoming batsman will be out.
* Law 32: [[Caught (cricket)|Caught]]. If a ball hits the bat or the hand holding the bat and is then caught by the opposition within the field of play before the ball bounces, then the batsman is out.
* Law 33: [[Handled the ball]]. If a batsman wilfully handles the ball with a hand that is not touching the bat without the consent of the opposition, he is out.
* Law 34: [[Hit the ball twice]]. If a batsman hits the ball twice other than for the purposes of protecting his wicket or with the consent of the opposition, he is out.
* Law 35: [[Hit wicket]]. If, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, a batsman puts his wicket down by his bat or his person he is out. The striker is also out hit wicket if he puts his wicket down by his bat or his person in setting off for a first run. "Person" includes the clothes and equipment of the batsman.
* Law 36: [[Leg before wicket]]. If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was attempting to play a stroke, he is not out.
* Law 37: [[Obstructing the field]]. If a batsman wilfully obstructs the opposition by word or action, he is out.
* Law 38: [[Run out]]. A batsman is out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing side.
* Law 39: [[Stump (cricket)|Stumped]]. A batsman is out when the wicket-keeper (see Law 40) puts down the wicket, while the batsman is out of his crease and not attempting a run.
Pads
==Batting pads==
Batting pads are large, protecting shins, knees and a part of lower thigh above knees, with a slot for the foot. Pads are one of the several protective gears wore by the cricket players while batting. Also known as leg guards, pads are wore on the legs by the batsman or the wicket keeper to protect them from the hard leather ball. Most pads have three [[velcro]] straps to fasten them to your leg, making them easy to adjust. A special knee roll is provided to protect knees from the ball. Traditional pads have ribs made up of cane wood to provide more protection, running vertically up to the knee roll. Professional players also include extra padding beneath the pads to encounter the impact from the ball generally delivered at a speed ranging from 80 to 90 miles/hour.
Modern day pads are made up of durable, strong and ultra light synthetic material like PVC to avoid fatigue caused by wearing them for a long time. Traditional pads were made up of cotton, foam and cane wood strips covered by a white cloth, making them heavy.
==Wicket-keeper's pads==
Originally, wicket-keepers used batting pads to protect their legs, but found the knee-protecting flaps interfered with their agility and ability to catch. There were also incidents where the ball lodged in the space between the flap and the wicket-keeper's leg. Modern wicket-keeper's pads are therefore smaller than batting pads, with insignificant knee flaps.
Batting gloves
History
The first player to bring about the ideas of Batting Gloves was Bobby Thomson of the Giants, who wore golf gloves during spring training in 1949. He didn’t wear them during the season, but he started an idea that stuck. The first person to wear a batting glove in a game was Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. Some sources say Harrelson first wore golf gloves while playing for the Kansas City A's in 1964. Others cite a more lyrical and perhaps apocryphal tale, in which Harrelson was with the Red Sox in 1968 and, not expecting to play in a night game, spent the afternoon playing golf. Arriving at the ballpark with blistered hands after shooting 27 holes, he was surprised to find himself in the starting lineup and resorted to wearing golf gloves to protect his sore hands. Rusty Staub was the first to wear the golf gloves on a daily basis.
Batting Gloves became an essential and common element of MLB during the early 1980's with Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies spearheading efforts of Franklin Sports to become the choice of the majority of players. Over time Franklin Sports became (and remains today) the official batting glove of Major League Baseball.
Umpire (cricket)
An umpire in cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal, i.e. not a member of one of the teams, impartial) is a person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket. Besides making decisions about legality of delivery, appeals for wickets and general conduct of the game in legal manner, the umpire also keeps a record of the deliveries and announces the completion of an over.
A cricket umpire is not to be confused with the referee who usually presides over only international matches and makes no decisions affecting the outcome of the game. The greatest umpire in the world, in the current era is Sir Bradley Smith, voted greatest umpire by the NSW umpiring association in 2007. Bradley resides in Sydney and is a life member of the Sutherland Shire Cricket Club Umpires association.
== Overview ==
Traditionally, cricket matches have two umpires on the field, one standing at the end where the bowler delivers the ball (Bowler's end), and one directly opposite the facing batsman (usually, but not always, at [[fielding positions in cricket|square leg]]). However, in the modern game, there may be more than two umpires; for example Test Matches have four: two on-field umpires, a [[third umpire]] who has access to video replays, and a [[fourth umpire]] who looks after the match balls, takes out the drinks for the on-field umpires, and also arranges travel and meals for all of the umpires.
Since 2002, the ICC has two panels of umpires: namely the 11-man [[ICC Elite umpire panel|'''Elite Panel of Umpires''']] (two of which are, in theory, appointed to each Test Match) and the larger [[International Panel of Umpires and Referees|'''International Panel of Umpires''']].
Professional matches also have a [[match referee (Cricket)|match referee]], who complements the role of the umpires. The match referee makes no decisions relevant to the outcome of the game, but instead enforces the [[ICC Cricket Code of Conduct]], ensuring the game is played in a reputable manner. The ICC appoints a match referee from its [[Panel of ICC Referees|'''Elite Panel of Referees''']] to adjudicate [[Test cricket|Test matches]] and [[One Day Internationals]].
Minor cricket matches will often have trained umpires. The independent Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (ACU&S), formed in 1955, used to conduct umpire training within the UK. However, following a ballot of its members, it was taken over by a new organisation, the ECB Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) on 1 January 2008. The ECB ACO has yet to finalise its plans for future umpire and scorer training and examination with the UK. [[Cricket Australia]] has introduced a two-tier accreditation scheme and eventually all umpires will be required to achieve the appropriate level of accreditation. The ages of umpires can vary enormously as some are former players, while others enter the cricketing world as umpires. [[disability|Physical disability]] need not necessarily be a barrier - in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] a 19 year old with [[cerebral palsy]] has achieved the national Level 2 accreditation, is umpiring in a country competition, has umpired a statewide carnival, and has been recognised for his achievement by [[Cricket Victoria]]. The youngest umpire to achieve Level 2 Accreditation was a 16 year old male West Australian, now umpiring second grade cricket.
Nevertheless, in accordance with the tradition of cricket, most ordinary, local games will have two umpires, one supplied by each side, who will fairly enforce the accepted rules.
==Batting pads==
Batting pads are large, protecting shins, knees and a part of lower thigh above knees, with a slot for the foot. Pads are one of the several protective gears wore by the cricket players while batting. Also known as leg guards, pads are wore on the legs by the batsman or the wicket keeper to protect them from the hard leather ball. Most pads have three [[velcro]] straps to fasten them to your leg, making them easy to adjust. A special knee roll is provided to protect knees from the ball. Traditional pads have ribs made up of cane wood to provide more protection, running vertically up to the knee roll. Professional players also include extra padding beneath the pads to encounter the impact from the ball generally delivered at a speed ranging from 80 to 90 miles/hour.
Modern day pads are made up of durable, strong and ultra light synthetic material like PVC to avoid fatigue caused by wearing them for a long time. Traditional pads were made up of cotton, foam and cane wood strips covered by a white cloth, making them heavy.
==Wicket-keeper's pads==
Originally, wicket-keepers used batting pads to protect their legs, but found the knee-protecting flaps interfered with their agility and ability to catch. There were also incidents where the ball lodged in the space between the flap and the wicket-keeper's leg. Modern wicket-keeper's pads are therefore smaller than batting pads, with insignificant knee flaps.
Batting gloves
History
The first player to bring about the ideas of Batting Gloves was Bobby Thomson of the Giants, who wore golf gloves during spring training in 1949. He didn’t wear them during the season, but he started an idea that stuck. The first person to wear a batting glove in a game was Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. Some sources say Harrelson first wore golf gloves while playing for the Kansas City A's in 1964. Others cite a more lyrical and perhaps apocryphal tale, in which Harrelson was with the Red Sox in 1968 and, not expecting to play in a night game, spent the afternoon playing golf. Arriving at the ballpark with blistered hands after shooting 27 holes, he was surprised to find himself in the starting lineup and resorted to wearing golf gloves to protect his sore hands. Rusty Staub was the first to wear the golf gloves on a daily basis.
Batting Gloves became an essential and common element of MLB during the early 1980's with Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies spearheading efforts of Franklin Sports to become the choice of the majority of players. Over time Franklin Sports became (and remains today) the official batting glove of Major League Baseball.
Umpire (cricket)
An umpire in cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal, i.e. not a member of one of the teams, impartial) is a person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket. Besides making decisions about legality of delivery, appeals for wickets and general conduct of the game in legal manner, the umpire also keeps a record of the deliveries and announces the completion of an over.
A cricket umpire is not to be confused with the referee who usually presides over only international matches and makes no decisions affecting the outcome of the game. The greatest umpire in the world, in the current era is Sir Bradley Smith, voted greatest umpire by the NSW umpiring association in 2007. Bradley resides in Sydney and is a life member of the Sutherland Shire Cricket Club Umpires association.
== Overview ==
Traditionally, cricket matches have two umpires on the field, one standing at the end where the bowler delivers the ball (Bowler's end), and one directly opposite the facing batsman (usually, but not always, at [[fielding positions in cricket|square leg]]). However, in the modern game, there may be more than two umpires; for example Test Matches have four: two on-field umpires, a [[third umpire]] who has access to video replays, and a [[fourth umpire]] who looks after the match balls, takes out the drinks for the on-field umpires, and also arranges travel and meals for all of the umpires.
Since 2002, the ICC has two panels of umpires: namely the 11-man [[ICC Elite umpire panel|'''Elite Panel of Umpires''']] (two of which are, in theory, appointed to each Test Match) and the larger [[International Panel of Umpires and Referees|'''International Panel of Umpires''']].
Professional matches also have a [[match referee (Cricket)|match referee]], who complements the role of the umpires. The match referee makes no decisions relevant to the outcome of the game, but instead enforces the [[ICC Cricket Code of Conduct]], ensuring the game is played in a reputable manner. The ICC appoints a match referee from its [[Panel of ICC Referees|'''Elite Panel of Referees''']] to adjudicate [[Test cricket|Test matches]] and [[One Day Internationals]].
Minor cricket matches will often have trained umpires. The independent Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (ACU&S), formed in 1955, used to conduct umpire training within the UK. However, following a ballot of its members, it was taken over by a new organisation, the ECB Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) on 1 January 2008. The ECB ACO has yet to finalise its plans for future umpire and scorer training and examination with the UK. [[Cricket Australia]] has introduced a two-tier accreditation scheme and eventually all umpires will be required to achieve the appropriate level of accreditation. The ages of umpires can vary enormously as some are former players, while others enter the cricketing world as umpires. [[disability|Physical disability]] need not necessarily be a barrier - in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] a 19 year old with [[cerebral palsy]] has achieved the national Level 2 accreditation, is umpiring in a country competition, has umpired a statewide carnival, and has been recognised for his achievement by [[Cricket Victoria]]. The youngest umpire to achieve Level 2 Accreditation was a 16 year old male West Australian, now umpiring second grade cricket.
Nevertheless, in accordance with the tradition of cricket, most ordinary, local games will have two umpires, one supplied by each side, who will fairly enforce the accepted rules.
Cricket bat
A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of cricket. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624.
This specialised bat is shaped something like a paddle, consisting of a padded handle similar to - but sturdier than - that of a tennis racquet, which is usually cylindrical in shape. This widens into the blade of the bat, a wider wooden block flat on one side and with a V-shaped ridge on the other to provide greater air flow in the follow through and greater strength to the over-all bat. The flat side (the front of the bat) is used to hit the ball. The point at which the handle widens into the blade is known as the shoulder of the bat, and the bottom of the blade is known as the toe of the bat.
The bat is traditionally made from willow wood, specifically from the Cricket-bat Willow (Salix alba var. caerulea), treated with raw (unboiled) linseed oil. The oil has a protective function, but also increases surface friction with the ball, thus control. This wood is used as it is very tough and shock-resistant, not being significantly dented nor splintering on the impact of a cricket ball at high speed, while also being light in weight. It incorporates a wooden spring design where the handle meets the blade. The current design of a cane handle spliced into a willow blade was the invention in the 1880s of Charles Richardson, a pupil of Brunel and the chief engineer of the Severn railway tunnel.[1] The rules of the game limit the allowable size for a bat as not more than 38 in (965 mm) long and the blade may not be more than 4.25 in (108 mm) wide. Bats typically weigh from 2 lb 8 oz to 3 lb (1.1 to 1.4 kg) though there is no standard. The handle is usually covered with a rubber or cloth sleeve to enhance grip and the face of the bat may have a protective film.
Modern bats are usually machine made, however a few specialists still make hand-made bats, mostly for professional players.
Bats were not always this shape. Before the 18th century bats tended to be shaped similarly to how hockey sticks are currently shaped. This may well have been a legacy of the game's reputed origins. Although the first forms of cricket are lost in the mists of time, it may be that the game was first played using shepherds' crooks.
Until the rules of cricket were formalised in the 19th century, the game usually had lower stumps, the ball was bowled underarm (whereas now it is bowled overarm except on very rare occasions), and batsmen did not wear protective pads, as they do nowadays. As the game changed, so it was found that a differently shaped bat was better. The bat which is generally recognised as the oldest Bat still in existence is dated 1729 and is on display in the Sandham Room at the Oval in London.
Cricket ball
Manufacture
Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam. The covering is constructed of four pieces of leather shaped similar to the peel of a quartered orange, but one hemisphere is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the other. The "equator" of the ball is stitched with string to form the seam, with a total of six rows of stitches. The remaining two joins between the leather pieces are left unstitched.
For men's cricket, the ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9 and 163.0 g) and measure between 8 13/16 and 9 in (224 and 229 mm) in circumference. Balls used in women's and youth matches are slightly smaller.
Cricket balls are traditionally dyed red, and red balls are used in Test cricket and First-class cricket. White balls were introduced when one-day matches began being played at night under floodlights, as they are more visible at night. Professional one-day matches are now played with white balls, even when they are not played at night. Other colours have occasionally been experimented with, such as yellow and orange for improved night visibility, but the colouring process has so far rendered such balls unsuitable for professional play because they wear differently to standard balls. Recently the ICC is in talks for testing with pink balls in ODI matches. The white ball has been found to swing a lot more during the first half of the innings than the red ball. It also deteriorates faster than the red ball.
Cricket balls are expensive. As of 2007, the ball used in first class cricket in England has a recommended retail price of £70 (USD 140).[1] In test match cricket this ball is used for a minimum of 80 overs (theoretically five hours and twenty minutes of play). In professional one day cricket, at least two new balls are used for each match. Amateur cricketers often have to use old balls, or cheap substitutes, in which case the changes in the condition of the ball experienced during an innings in professional cricket are not replicated.
Condition of acricket ball
A new, highly polished ball is used at the start of each innings in a match. A cricket ball may not be replaced except under specific conditions described in the Laws of Cricket:
If the ball becomes damaged or lost.
If the condition of the ball is illegally modified by a player.
In Test cricket, after 80 overs, the captain of the bowling side has the option to take a new ball.
In One Day Internationals, there is a mandatory change of the ball at the start of the 35th over of each innings. The replacement will be a clean used ball, not a new ball. This rule was introduced in June 2007[2]
The ball is not replaced if it is hit into the crowd - the crowd must return it. If the ball is damaged, lost, or illegally modified, it will be replaced by a used ball in similar condition to the replaced ball. A new ball can only be used after the specified minimum number of overs have been bowled with the old one.
Because a single ball is used for an extended period of play, its surface wears down and becomes rough. The bowlers will polish it whenever they can - usually by rubbing it on their trousers, producing the characteristic red stain that can often be seen there. However, they will usually only polish one side of the ball, in order to create 'swing' as it travels through the air. They may apply natural substances (i.e. saliva or sweat) to the ball as they polish it.
The seam of a cricket ball can also be used to produce different trajectories through the air, with the technique known as swing bowling, or to produce sideways movement as it bounces off the pitch, with the technique known as seam bowling.
Since the condition of the cricket ball is crucial to the amount of movement through the air a bowler can produce, the laws governing what players may and may not do to the ball are specific and rigorously enforced. The umpires will inspect the ball frequently during a match. It is illegal for a player to:
rub any substance apart from saliva or sweat onto the ball
rub the ball on the ground
scuff the ball with any rough object, including the fingernails
pick at or lift the seam of the ball.
Despite these rules, it can be tempting for players to gain an advantage by breaking them. There have been a handful of incidents of so-called ball tampering at the highest levels of cricket, involving players such as Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis and former England captain Mike Atherton.
A new cricket ball is harder than a worn one, and is preferred by fast bowlers because of the speed and bounce of the ball as it bounces off the pitch. Older balls tend to spin more as the roughness grips the pitch more when the ball bounces, so spin bowlers prefer to use a worn ball. Uneven wear on older balls may also make reverse swing possible. A captain may delay the request for a new ball if he prefers to have his spin bowlers operating, but usually asks for the new ball soon after it becomes available.
[edit] Dangers of cricket balls
Cricket balls are notoriously hard and potentially lethal, hence today's batsmen and close fielders often wear protective headgear. Raman Lamba was killed when hit on the head while fielding at forward short leg in a club match in Bangladesh. Only two other cricketers are known to have died as a result of on-field injuries in a first-class fixture. Both were hit while batting: George Summers of Nottinghamshire on the head at Lord's in 1870; and Abdul Aziz, the Karachi wicket-keeper, over the heart in the 1958-59 Quaid-e-Azam final. Ian Folley of Lancashire, playing for Whitehaven in 1993, died after being hit, and in 1995 a batsman was killed in a match in Vancouver, Canada, when hit on the head ducking under a bouncer.
Frederick, Prince of Wales is often said to have died of complications after being hit by a cricket ball, although in reality this is not true - although he was hit in the head by one, the real cause of his death was a burst abscess in a lung. Glamorgan player Roger Davis was almost killed by a ball in 1971 when he was hit on the head while fielding.
Numerous injuries are reported to health institutions, worldwide, in relation to cricket ball injuries including: occular (with some players having even lost eyes), cranial (head), digital (fingers and toes) and testicular.
[edit] Cricket ball swing
The key to making a cricket ball swing is to cause a pressure difference between the two sides of the ball. The air pressure depends on the flow of air over each side of the ball. Swing is generated when bowlers, by accident or design, disrupt the flow of air over one side of the ball.
Normal swing is achieved by keeping one side of the ball polished smooth and shiny, and delivering the ball with the polished side forward, and the seam angled in the direction of desired swing. The outswinging delivery moves away from the right-handed batsman, while the inswinger moves in towards him. Normal swing is achieved by maintaining laminar boundary layer air-flow on the shiny side whilst creating turbulent flow on the seam side. These deliveries, particularly the outswinger, are the bread and butter of opening bowlers who get to use the ball while it is still new.
Reverse swing is very different from conventional swing. Although the seam is oriented in the same way as for an outswinger and the action is the same, the rough side of the ball is to the fore, and the ball moves in to the batsman like an inswinger. Reverse swing is achieved when the ball is bowled very fast. In this case the air flow will become turbulent on both sides before it reaches the seam.
Alternatives to cricket balls
Sometimes alternatives to a real cricket ball may be preferred for reasons of safety, practice, availability and cost. Examples include a tennis ball (most favoured) or a plastic version of the cricket ball, known as an Incrediball.
Many casual players use a tennis ball wrapped in layers of some type of adhesive tape (often electrical tape), which makes the relatively soft tennis ball harder and smoother. This is commonly referred to as a tape ball. A common variant is to tape only half the tennis ball, to provide two different sides and make it easy to bowl with prodigious amounts of swing.
Diamond cricket ball
The world's first diamond cricket ball was made in Sri Lanka with 2704 diamonds and 18 carat (75%) gold for the seam. The material used to keep the diamonds on the ball is similar to the one used on the wings of NASA space shuttles.[3]
A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of cricket. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624.
This specialised bat is shaped something like a paddle, consisting of a padded handle similar to - but sturdier than - that of a tennis racquet, which is usually cylindrical in shape. This widens into the blade of the bat, a wider wooden block flat on one side and with a V-shaped ridge on the other to provide greater air flow in the follow through and greater strength to the over-all bat. The flat side (the front of the bat) is used to hit the ball. The point at which the handle widens into the blade is known as the shoulder of the bat, and the bottom of the blade is known as the toe of the bat.
The bat is traditionally made from willow wood, specifically from the Cricket-bat Willow (Salix alba var. caerulea), treated with raw (unboiled) linseed oil. The oil has a protective function, but also increases surface friction with the ball, thus control. This wood is used as it is very tough and shock-resistant, not being significantly dented nor splintering on the impact of a cricket ball at high speed, while also being light in weight. It incorporates a wooden spring design where the handle meets the blade. The current design of a cane handle spliced into a willow blade was the invention in the 1880s of Charles Richardson, a pupil of Brunel and the chief engineer of the Severn railway tunnel.[1] The rules of the game limit the allowable size for a bat as not more than 38 in (965 mm) long and the blade may not be more than 4.25 in (108 mm) wide. Bats typically weigh from 2 lb 8 oz to 3 lb (1.1 to 1.4 kg) though there is no standard. The handle is usually covered with a rubber or cloth sleeve to enhance grip and the face of the bat may have a protective film.
Modern bats are usually machine made, however a few specialists still make hand-made bats, mostly for professional players.
Bats were not always this shape. Before the 18th century bats tended to be shaped similarly to how hockey sticks are currently shaped. This may well have been a legacy of the game's reputed origins. Although the first forms of cricket are lost in the mists of time, it may be that the game was first played using shepherds' crooks.
Until the rules of cricket were formalised in the 19th century, the game usually had lower stumps, the ball was bowled underarm (whereas now it is bowled overarm except on very rare occasions), and batsmen did not wear protective pads, as they do nowadays. As the game changed, so it was found that a differently shaped bat was better. The bat which is generally recognised as the oldest Bat still in existence is dated 1729 and is on display in the Sandham Room at the Oval in London.
Cricket ball
Manufacture
Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam. The covering is constructed of four pieces of leather shaped similar to the peel of a quartered orange, but one hemisphere is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the other. The "equator" of the ball is stitched with string to form the seam, with a total of six rows of stitches. The remaining two joins between the leather pieces are left unstitched.
For men's cricket, the ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9 and 163.0 g) and measure between 8 13/16 and 9 in (224 and 229 mm) in circumference. Balls used in women's and youth matches are slightly smaller.
Cricket balls are traditionally dyed red, and red balls are used in Test cricket and First-class cricket. White balls were introduced when one-day matches began being played at night under floodlights, as they are more visible at night. Professional one-day matches are now played with white balls, even when they are not played at night. Other colours have occasionally been experimented with, such as yellow and orange for improved night visibility, but the colouring process has so far rendered such balls unsuitable for professional play because they wear differently to standard balls. Recently the ICC is in talks for testing with pink balls in ODI matches. The white ball has been found to swing a lot more during the first half of the innings than the red ball. It also deteriorates faster than the red ball.
Cricket balls are expensive. As of 2007, the ball used in first class cricket in England has a recommended retail price of £70 (USD 140).[1] In test match cricket this ball is used for a minimum of 80 overs (theoretically five hours and twenty minutes of play). In professional one day cricket, at least two new balls are used for each match. Amateur cricketers often have to use old balls, or cheap substitutes, in which case the changes in the condition of the ball experienced during an innings in professional cricket are not replicated.
Condition of acricket ball
A new, highly polished ball is used at the start of each innings in a match. A cricket ball may not be replaced except under specific conditions described in the Laws of Cricket:
If the ball becomes damaged or lost.
If the condition of the ball is illegally modified by a player.
In Test cricket, after 80 overs, the captain of the bowling side has the option to take a new ball.
In One Day Internationals, there is a mandatory change of the ball at the start of the 35th over of each innings. The replacement will be a clean used ball, not a new ball. This rule was introduced in June 2007[2]
The ball is not replaced if it is hit into the crowd - the crowd must return it. If the ball is damaged, lost, or illegally modified, it will be replaced by a used ball in similar condition to the replaced ball. A new ball can only be used after the specified minimum number of overs have been bowled with the old one.
Because a single ball is used for an extended period of play, its surface wears down and becomes rough. The bowlers will polish it whenever they can - usually by rubbing it on their trousers, producing the characteristic red stain that can often be seen there. However, they will usually only polish one side of the ball, in order to create 'swing' as it travels through the air. They may apply natural substances (i.e. saliva or sweat) to the ball as they polish it.
The seam of a cricket ball can also be used to produce different trajectories through the air, with the technique known as swing bowling, or to produce sideways movement as it bounces off the pitch, with the technique known as seam bowling.
Since the condition of the cricket ball is crucial to the amount of movement through the air a bowler can produce, the laws governing what players may and may not do to the ball are specific and rigorously enforced. The umpires will inspect the ball frequently during a match. It is illegal for a player to:
rub any substance apart from saliva or sweat onto the ball
rub the ball on the ground
scuff the ball with any rough object, including the fingernails
pick at or lift the seam of the ball.
Despite these rules, it can be tempting for players to gain an advantage by breaking them. There have been a handful of incidents of so-called ball tampering at the highest levels of cricket, involving players such as Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis and former England captain Mike Atherton.
A new cricket ball is harder than a worn one, and is preferred by fast bowlers because of the speed and bounce of the ball as it bounces off the pitch. Older balls tend to spin more as the roughness grips the pitch more when the ball bounces, so spin bowlers prefer to use a worn ball. Uneven wear on older balls may also make reverse swing possible. A captain may delay the request for a new ball if he prefers to have his spin bowlers operating, but usually asks for the new ball soon after it becomes available.
[edit] Dangers of cricket balls
Cricket balls are notoriously hard and potentially lethal, hence today's batsmen and close fielders often wear protective headgear. Raman Lamba was killed when hit on the head while fielding at forward short leg in a club match in Bangladesh. Only two other cricketers are known to have died as a result of on-field injuries in a first-class fixture. Both were hit while batting: George Summers of Nottinghamshire on the head at Lord's in 1870; and Abdul Aziz, the Karachi wicket-keeper, over the heart in the 1958-59 Quaid-e-Azam final. Ian Folley of Lancashire, playing for Whitehaven in 1993, died after being hit, and in 1995 a batsman was killed in a match in Vancouver, Canada, when hit on the head ducking under a bouncer.
Frederick, Prince of Wales is often said to have died of complications after being hit by a cricket ball, although in reality this is not true - although he was hit in the head by one, the real cause of his death was a burst abscess in a lung. Glamorgan player Roger Davis was almost killed by a ball in 1971 when he was hit on the head while fielding.
Numerous injuries are reported to health institutions, worldwide, in relation to cricket ball injuries including: occular (with some players having even lost eyes), cranial (head), digital (fingers and toes) and testicular.
[edit] Cricket ball swing
The key to making a cricket ball swing is to cause a pressure difference between the two sides of the ball. The air pressure depends on the flow of air over each side of the ball. Swing is generated when bowlers, by accident or design, disrupt the flow of air over one side of the ball.
Normal swing is achieved by keeping one side of the ball polished smooth and shiny, and delivering the ball with the polished side forward, and the seam angled in the direction of desired swing. The outswinging delivery moves away from the right-handed batsman, while the inswinger moves in towards him. Normal swing is achieved by maintaining laminar boundary layer air-flow on the shiny side whilst creating turbulent flow on the seam side. These deliveries, particularly the outswinger, are the bread and butter of opening bowlers who get to use the ball while it is still new.
Reverse swing is very different from conventional swing. Although the seam is oriented in the same way as for an outswinger and the action is the same, the rough side of the ball is to the fore, and the ball moves in to the batsman like an inswinger. Reverse swing is achieved when the ball is bowled very fast. In this case the air flow will become turbulent on both sides before it reaches the seam.
Alternatives to cricket balls
Sometimes alternatives to a real cricket ball may be preferred for reasons of safety, practice, availability and cost. Examples include a tennis ball (most favoured) or a plastic version of the cricket ball, known as an Incrediball.
Many casual players use a tennis ball wrapped in layers of some type of adhesive tape (often electrical tape), which makes the relatively soft tennis ball harder and smoother. This is commonly referred to as a tape ball. A common variant is to tape only half the tennis ball, to provide two different sides and make it easy to bowl with prodigious amounts of swing.
Diamond cricket ball
The world's first diamond cricket ball was made in Sri Lanka with 2704 diamonds and 18 carat (75%) gold for the seam. The material used to keep the diamonds on the ball is similar to the one used on the wings of NASA space shuttles.[3]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
