Cricket -

Cricket also known as Cricket . Bat and ball sport , in which two teams of eleven players each face off. It is played in a very similar way to baseball in that the player of one team hits and tries to get runs, while the other team has to prevent it. It is played on a grass field, more or less oval, whose extension should not be less than that of a football field . It is a very popular sport, mainly in the countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations , in the Indian Subcontinent , it is the sport of the masses, while in other countries, such as England andAustralia is the biggest summer sport. It is one of the national sports of the UK and especially popular in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations .

History

The origin of cricket is in England , but it is not clear when. There is a theory that states that the history of cricket began when it was invented by children from the communities located between Kent and Sussex in medieval times . There are also data on a similar sport practiced by Prince Edward of Nawenden in 1300 called “creag”.

By 1550 it was already played in some schools and later, in the seventeenth century , cricket was expanding throughout the south of England where organized matches were played with 11 players per side. By the end of the 18th century it was already the national sport of the country and the Midlesex Country Club (MCC) was created, which set the rules and supervised the game until 1969 . Later some changes were made and the first World Cup was held in 1975 . Today it is an extremely popular game in the countries that have adopted it, but not so much in the rest of the world.

Objective of the game

The main objective in cricket games is to make races, quite similar to those of baseball, in times determined by innings or innings that generally go from one to two and that within if according to the rules of some leagues have timeouts or breaks for technical guidance. On the other hand, the development of cricket matches is mainly done in a field of dimensions similar to those of a baseball field, this with the purpose that the elusive ball has a large field of action and allows the game to be played with greater freedom.

Chronology

Name Cricket comes from the English word crick, which means: shepherd’s staff or staff ; that was the shape of the first slightly curved bats of the 18th century.
In 1877, in Melbourne , Australia , the first Test Match between England and Australia was held.
Today’s cricket bat is flat, paddle-shaped, made of willow wood; It measures 96 cm long by 10.8 cm wide and has a cane handle.
The dimensions of the playing field range from 133 by 152 m to 160 by 168 m.
Pitcher Kapil Dev from India broke the record having knocked down 434 rakes in his 24 years of competition.
Cricket is considered the National Sport of England.
Between 1978 and 1992 , Allan Border , from Australia, did 11,174 races.
The West Indies Cricket team has won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 .

The ball

The cricket ball is solid and similar in size to the tennis ball . It weighs between 156 and 163 grams, and is made of twine cord wrapped around a cork core and covered with leather. On these two hemispherical pieces of tanned leather, they are joined by a strip of the same material, sewn to them.

This seam, approximately half a centimeter thick, protrudes a few millimeters from the spherical surface, constituting an “imperfection” called the seam in English, which is exploited by fast bowlers.

Cricket balls lose speed and shape with use. Teams try to always keep one half shiny by polishing it with their clothing and letting the other half wear out and become rough. This situation produces an aerodynamic reverse swing effect, meaning that a pitch that would have been out-swing with a new ball can unexpectedly turn into an in-swing with a worn one, trapping the lbw batter.

However, interfering with the condition of the ball is considered very foul play. Players may not use any artificial method to accentuate its roughness, other than natural wear and tear, nor use chemicals to keep the other side polished and shiny, although it is allowed to use natural substances such as saliva or sweat .

The statutory life of the cricket ball is 80 overs, after which the team currently bowling has the option of ordering a new one.

Game dynamics

The batting team is the one that scores the runs. Batsmen play in pairs, one at one end of the cricket court (pitch) from where the ball is hit (striker end) and the other from where the ball is thrown (non-striker end). The batter currently on the striker end should hit the ball as far as possible to give both batters time to run to the other end before the ball is returned to either end. The act of getting both batters to the other end produces a run. If the ball is hit far enough, more runs can be scored by going back and forth to the other end until the ball returns. The batter who ends up on the striker end is the one who faces the next ball.

The pitching team tries not only to restrict the number of runs, but also to eliminate the opposing team’s batters. The ball is thrown from the non-striker end by the pitcher and is picked up by a defender (fielder). A set of six tosses constitutes an over. Once one pitcher finishes an over, another pitcher takes over and throws another over from the other end of the court; batters remain where they left. Each time a batter is put out, a new batter pairs up with the batter who has not been put out.

The entry ends when it is not possible to form another couple; usually when ten batters out of eleven are eliminated. One of the batters is not eliminated (not out). Once the inning is over, the roles are changed and the team that was bowling becomes the batter and vice versa.

Game rules

The rules of cricket are quite, as has already been said, similar to those of baseball, however a basic part that distinguishes cricket are the so-called sticks and crossbars, since the former, unlike those of baseball, are flattened and allow that the ball has greater contact with said element, thus allowing to hit the ball more easily. On the other hand, the second is an element or elements as its name indicates, crossbars, which are located behind the batter and that in case of being touched or knocked down are the main means to achieve an “ out ”.

Ways to make out

Knocking down with the ball any of the two crossbars (bail) placed on the three sticks (stump) located in turn behind the batter. It is usually enough to hit the sticks to make the crossbars fall.
Taking the ball before it falls to the ground once it has been hit by the batter.
Knocking down the sticks with the ball, and therefore the crossbars, when the batter is in full swing and the ball has been picked up by a field player. This mode is called run out.
If when batting he has not kept at least one foot on his base (crease) and when he misses the stroke the player of the opposing team normally located behind the batter (wicket-keeper), picks up the ball and knocks down the sticks. This mode is called stumped.
If the batter places his body between the ball and the sticks, preventing them from being knocked down by it. This action is called “leg before wicket” (lbw)
If the batter loses his balance and trips over his wicket (Hit Wicket).
If the batter uses his hands to touch the ball on purpose and without the permission of the opposition (Handling the Ball).
If the new batter takes more than two minutes to be ready to receive his first pitch, counting from the time the previous batter was eliminated (Timed Out)

Most important player and tournament

The most important player in cricket is Australian Donald Bradman , who is considered the best hitter in history. He died at the age of 92 in February 2001 .

The most important tournament in the sport of cricket, or in English “cricket”, is the Cricket World Cup. It has been held every 4 years since 1975 and the countries that have won have been, in order of number of victories, Australia (4), Caribbean (2) and Sri Lanka , Pakistan and India with 1 victory each. The next championship will be held in Asia the 2011 .