What?, You've Never Heard Of The Game Of Cricket.!
Many countries outside of North America indulge in a major sport. These countries, places England and Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Caribbean all play a popular game called "Cricket". Cricket is one of the most popular games in these regions, both for players and spectators.
Cricket is a bat and ball sport that is in some ways similar to baseball, although there are significant differences between the two sports that at first glance may seem very similar. To the untrained eye that is unfamiliar with the sport of cricket the confusion can be great.
There are many things common to both these games. Just as is the case in baseball, the game is divided into halves called 'innings'. As is the case in baseball, during the 'inning' one team bats while the other team 'fields' and 'bowls'.
In cricket, the team who bats first sets a target score that the other team must try to match. The team that is bowling (or playing the field) tries to limit the number of points or "runs" that the opposing team scores. Unlike baseball, when a team is at bat they always have two batters (or batsmen) on the field. The innings is not over until 10 batsmen are declared out. When there are 10 outs, this is referred to as "taking their wickets" and results in the inning ending.
At the end of the game the winner is the team with the highest amount of runs. If the losing team bats last, the team is said to have lost by (the difference in the runs of the winning team and the losing team). If the winning team is bats last, they have won by (the total amount of) runs". If neither team is ahead with more runs, the cricket match can end in a "tie" or "draw".
One of the most obvious differences between baseball and cricket is the cricket bat. A cricket bat is shaped more like a wooden paddle, while a baseball bat is round and basically tube shaped. The cricket bat is made up of a long handle and a flat surface, very similar in appearance to a boat paddle. The batting style or stance is similar to the baseball stance, but not exactly the same. Pitching and fielding also bear similarities to baseball, with some subtle differences.
When the batsman hits the ball in cricket it's called a stroke (or shot). Occasionally, the batsmen will hit the ball with the side of the bat (hit with the edge of the bat) as opposed to hitting it with the flat surface. Using this method of hitting is called a "snick". Batting order is may be changed prior to the beginning of the game (in order to get a strategic advantage) but after the game starts the batting order is set.
Cricket has become a recreationally compelling game both for the players and the spectators because of this subtle difference in strategy. These subtle differences do make a different experience in both playing and watching the game.
Cricket is a great game that you will love and enjoy to play. You will have to overcome the steep learning curve of the jargon and nomenclature for the sport that is used to communicate the details of the game with enthusiasm. You should look into cricket if you are visiting one of the countries in which it is popular if you have an opportunity to visit these places.
About the author: Jeremy Rearden is the chief writer at Focus on Cricket, the #1 source on the internet when you're looking for fresh up to date advice and reviews to do with Cricket. For questions or comments on any of our articles visit: http://www.focuscricket.com/articles
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