All Important Aspects of Cricket Everyone Should Be Familiar With

With over a billion fans globally, cricket receives immense love from people in different parts of the globe. Some like watching cricket games on screens, whereas others prefer going to stadiums to witness the action live. Besides merely watching matches, some hardcore fans of the sport indulge in fantasy cricket games and create virtual teams. They do so by following effective fantasy cricket tips and aim to earn exciting rewards, including real money. Although everyone knows what cricket is and follows all cricket-related events actively, some people are oblivious to the renowned sport’s concept. To inform such people about the sport, this article will cover what cricket is and list all its important aspects. Let us begin:

What is Cricket?

According to Wikipedia, Cricket is a bat and ball game played between two groups or teams, each comprising 11 players, on a field. At the center of the field, there is a 22-yard pitch with wickets on either end. Every wicket consists of two bails balanced on three stumps. Every cricket match begins with a toss, which involves captains of both teams coming forward and picking a side after a coin is flipped. The captain who wins the toss has the power to decide whether their team will bat or bowl first.

Major Components of Cricket:

Cricket, or cricket matches, have three major components, namely batting and bowling. Here is a detailed look at each:

• Batting

Every cricket team consists of 11 players, out of which only two can bat on the field at one time. Batting refers to the activity of players hitting the ball using their bat to score runs. Players who are well-versed in the skill of batting are referred to as batsmen. The first two batsmen who come out to bat at the beginning of a match are known as openers. The main objective of batsmen is to score as many runs as possible in matches since doing so increases their chances of winning. A team continues batting until all overs have been bowled, all players of the batting side have lost their wickets, or the batting team has won the match by scoring more runs than the opponents. Batsmen can score runs in multiple ways. For starters, they can run between the wickets. Besides this, they can score boundaries, i.e., fours and sixes, by hitting the ball out of the boundary. Despite being tough, this way of scoring runs allows batsmen to put up runs on the board quickly. The batting team also wins runs if bowlers make mistakes like bowling wides, no balls, etc.

• Fielding

Fielding refers to the activity of a team restricting the batting team from scoring runs. The fielding team is the one that is not batting. Both teams participating in any cricket match have to do fielding. The second component of cricket involves players saving runs, defending boundaries, taking catches, and preventing the batting side from putting up a massive score on the board. The more efficient a team’s fielding is, the better their chances of winning matches are.

• Bowling

Bowling is the last component of cricket. A bowler is a player from the fielding team whose main aim is to give away as few runs as possible and clinch the wickets of the opposing team’s batsmen who are on the crease. Every bowler needs to bowl six deliveries to complete an over. 

Bowlers are categorized into different categories depending on their style or speed of bowling. 

For instance, if a bowler takes a long run-up and puts in a fast delivery, they are referred to as a pacer. On the other hand, bowlers with a slow run-up who aim to spin the ball are called spinners. A bowler can take wickets in multiple ways. They can send batsmen back to their pavilion by hitting the wicket using their deliveries. Besides this, they can clinch a batsman’s wicket by catching the ball after it hits their bat. A batsman’s wicket is lost even if another player of the bowler’s team catches the ball. However, they must do so before the ball touches the ground. Moreover, players can also run out a batsman.

The Three Main Formats of Cricket

There are three main formats of cricket that are officially recognized by governing bodies globally. Here is a brief look at each: 

1. Test Cricket – In test cricket, two international cricket teams compete against each other in 5-day long matches. This format’s matches consist of multiple innings, and the team with the maximum runs at the end of the match is declared the winner. 
2. One-Day International – The One-Day International or ODI format features limited overs, 50, to be precise. Unlike test cricket matches lasting up to 5 days, ODI matches end in a single day. Each team plays 50 overs, and the one with the highest score at the end is declared the winner. 
3. T20 International – T20 International is currently the shortest official cricket format. Compared to ODI matches, T20 matches are way shorter since they only feature 40 overs, i.e., each team plays 20-over innings. Similar to ODIs, T20 matches are won by the team with the highest score at the end of a match. Cricket, or the Gentleman’s Game, is a genuinely splendid sport that everyone should know about. Anyone who wishes to know about the sport can refer to the aforementioned points to acquire the necessary information related to cricket.