How does cricket work?

Cricket may seem complicated at first glance – but once you know the basic rules, you’ll quickly understand the appeal of the game. Two teams, runs, wickets, and overs determine the course of play. We give you a clear explanation of how cricket works and what you need to know as a spectator.

How does cricket work?

Cricket is a team sport with two sides of 11 players each. It is played on a large oval field with a rectangular playing area in the middle – the pitch.
One team bats and tries to score runs (points).
The other team bowls and fields, aiming to prevent the batting team from scoring.

The sequence of play:

• Two batsmen are always on the pitch – one bats while the other runs with him.
• A player from the other team (the bowler) delivers the ball toward the batsman.
• The batsman attempts to hit the ball and then, together with his partner, run to the other side of the pitch – each run scores one point.
• Meanwhile, the fielders try to return the ball quickly in order to get one of the batsmen “out.”
• Once 10 out of 11 batsmen are out, the innings is over and the teams switch roles.
• At the end, the team with the most runs wins.

Cricket rules

When is a batsman out?

• When the ball hits the wicket (three stumps behind the batsman).
• When the ball is caught out of the air.
• When the batsman does not reach the safe zone in time while running.
• When the ball hits the leg and would otherwise have struck the wicket (LBW – Leg Before Wicket).

Scoring system:

• 1 run: When the two batsmen run once back and forth.
• 4 runs: When the ball touches the ground and reaches the boundary.
• 6 runs: When the ball clears the boundary without touching the ground.

Got cricket figured out? Then let’s go!

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