The sport of cricket might seem complicated at first, but it’s actually pretty simple once you know the basic rules. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, and it’s played by people all over the globe, so it’s good to familiarize yourself with the main rules and regulations. Knowing these 15 basic rules of cricket will allow you to enjoy the game even more and be able to join in on conversations about the sport with confidence. So here are 8 basic rules of cricket every fan needs to know!
1) The field of play
The game of cricket is played on a large grass field. In the center of the field is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch, where the action takes place. The pitch is surrounded by an oval-shaped area called the outfield. Beyond the outfield is the boundary, which marks the end of the playing area.
2) The pitch
The pitch is a rectangle 22 yards (20.12m) long and 10 feet (3.05m) wide. The creases are drawn at each end of the pitch; they're 8 feet (2.44m) long and parallel to each other. The area between the creases is called the danger area, and that's where the bowler pitches the ball.
3) Batting, bowling and runs
In cricket, two teams of 11 players take turns batting and bowling. The batting team tries to score runs by hitting the ball with their bat and running between the wickets, while the bowling team tries to stop them by getting them out. Once a player is out, they can no longer bat and the team’s innings is over. The team with the most runs at the end of their innings wins.
4) Wickets
In cricket, a wicket refers to the set of stumps and bails that form the wicket. The wicket is where the bowler bowls the ball and the batsman tries to hit it. If the ball hits the wicket, then the batsman is out. There are three ways a batsman can be out
5) Bowled, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket
In cricket, the bowler delivers the ball to the batsman who then tries to hit it away. If the batsman misses the ball and it hits the stumps behind him, he is out. If the ball hits his body or bat and then his legs before hitting the stumps, he is out. If he hits the ball and it goes straight to a fielder who catches it, he is out. If he hits the ball and it goes over the boundary on the full without bouncing, four runs are scored. If it bounces before going over the boundary, six runs are scored.
6) Handled the ball, obstructing the field or dangerous throw
1. If the ball hits the bat and then goes on to hit the stumps, the batsman is out.
2. If the ball hits the bat and then flies up in the air and is caught by a fielder, the batsman is out.
3. If the ball hits the pad in front of the wicket and would have gone on to hit the stumps, but is instead caught by a fielder, the batsman is out.
4. If after hitting the ground, bouncing and/or passing through or over the fielders, without having been touched by a fielder, hits a set of stumps that are behind him at waist height or lower, he is out.
7) Run out, hit wicket or stump missed
In cricket, a run out occurs when the batsman is out of his crease and the ball hits the stumps. The ball can also hit the batsman's bat or body and deflect onto the stumps. A hit wicket happens when the batsman himself hits the stumps with his bat. And a stump missed is when the ball hits the ground and then bounces up and hits the stumps, but the batsman is not out of his crease.
8) Caught, caught behind, leg before wicket or hit wicket
There are three ways to get out in cricket: caught, caught behind, and leg before wicket (or hit wicket, which is pretty self-explanatory). Let's start with caught. If the ball is hit in the air and a fielder catches it before it hits the ground, the batsman is out. Simple enough, right?