11 August 2004 - 20:46How to Play Cricket

Today I did not see anyone playing Cricket on the UNH field, most likely due to rain. However, I offer this description of the game, sent to me by one of my father’s students. Read on for Anirudh Ramesh’s email description.

Hello Dan,
My name is Anirudh Ramesh and I’m currently working in the Laser Teaching Center. Dr. Noe told me that you expressed some interest in cricket. So I’ll explain some of the basic rules to you so next time you see some Cricketers, you can join in on the fun! I rarely see cricket being played on Long Island so I’m surprised that there are Cricketers in Durham. You should consider yourself lucky!

Okay, as you may have noticed, cricket is similar to baseball. There are eleven players on each team. First, I’ll describe the field. Most fields are oval in shape with a pitch in the middle of the field. The pitch is actually very fine, dried grass that has been cut very close to its root. At the two ends of the pitch, there are three sticks which are plunged into the ground. The sticks are about 2.5 feet tall I believe. These sticks are called Wickets or Stumps. On the outside edge of the field, there is a boundary made of rope.

Next, I’ll talk about Batsmen or Batters (same as Hitters). Two batsmen bat at a time. One stands on one side of the pitch and receives hits while the other one stands on the other side of the pitch waiting to run if necessary. The purpose of the batsmen is to score as many runs as possible. If a ball is hit that crosses the boundary on the edge of the field, it is worth 4 runs. If the ball goes over the rope without bouncing, it is worth 6 runs.

All other runs are scored by running between the wickets. So once a ball is hit, a call is made by the Batsman that signals the Batsman on the other side of the pitch to run. Each time a Batsman crosses the entire length of the pitch, the team gets one run. Batsmen can run for one, two, three, or even four runs (running the length of the pitch 4 times for example). The other job of the Batsmen is to protect the Wickets. If a ball gets by a Batsman and hits the Wickets, the Batsman has been “Bowled” and is out and a new player comes to replace him. A team’s “Innings” are over (innings is a term for the duration of batting or fielding) once 10 Batsmen are out. There is no obligation to run on a hit, unlike baseball.

Next, I’ll talk about the Fielders. The job of Fielders is to play defense, same as baseball. They prevent the ball from crossing the boundaries that
mark the outer perimeters of the field. If a ball is hit into the air and is caught by a Fielder, the Batsman is out. Another way a Fielder can cause the
Batsman to be out is by a “run-out.” A run-out occurs when a Batsman tried to make a run on a ball that was not far enough away from the Wickets. The Fielder now has a chance to throw the ball and hopefully, hit the wickets before the Batsman has had a chance to cross the crease (a line made out of
chalk - the batsman is safe behind this line) This is like a force out in baseball.

Last but not least, Bowlers. Bowlers are the cricketing equivalents of Pitchers in baseball. The difference between the two sports is that the ball must bounce once before it reaches the Batsman. The Bowler of course must be talented enough to be able to “Bowl” the batsman (get him out by hitting the wickets.) There are a few different types of Bowlers. Fast Bowlers bowl fast like the name implies. Then there’s Medium-Pace and Slow-Pace. Also, there are Bowlers who specialize in Spinning the ball. Off spinners rotate their hand to the right when the release the ball and Leg Spinners rotate their hands to the left, causing right and left spins respectively. Another way a Bowler can get a Batsman out is by a Leg Before Wicket (LBW). When a Batsman blocks the ball with his shin pad and it appears to be in front of the wicket (meaning the ball would have hit the wicket if it weren’t for the Batsman’s leg), the Fielders appeal to the Umpire (in a hair-raising and incoherent yell that resembles “HOWWWWZZZZAATTTT” to the best of my discerning capabilities) and the Umpire decides whether or not the Batsman is out. This of course introduces human error and subjectivity to the game, which is a cause for much controversy.

So that’s the basic premise of cricket. There are of course other rules which I’ve either neglected to mention or forgotten. But, you should get a basic idea of what’s going on in case you see some more Cricketers.

Enjoy! The World Cup of Cricket will be back in 2006! And incidentally, Cricket is a game that originated in England and the entire British Commonwealth, except the U.S. participates in it. It is a growing sport and I hope that it takes off in America as it has in other places (Canada has a national team).

Have fun,
Anirudh Ramesh

Thanks, Anirudh. It looks pretty complicated. Maybe I’ll stick to watching for a little while!