Cricket is simple.
I'll explain test match cricket as that is the pinnacle of all cricket.
*Two teams
*Played over five days
*Eleven players per side
*Two umpires oversee play and make decisions.
*Toss of a coin determines who bats first and who bowls first
*Batting team has 2 batsmen on the field at any one moment
*Bowling team has all of their players on the field with a wicket-keeper and a bowler
*Batsmen have a 'crease' or a line that they are safe behind when running or having just played a shot. You can move forward out of the crease to play a shot or you can stand outside of the crease before the bowler even bowls but if you carry on standing there after the ball has visited the batsmen then you can be stumped/run out.
*Bowlers have to bowl it on the pitch towards the batsmen and can't deviate too far left or right from the stumps (else it's called a wide and the batting team gains 1 point and the bowler has to bowl another ball)
*Each 'Over' is worth 6 deliveries from the bowler
*The batsmen switch ends at the end of an over unless they have scored an odd number of runs at the end of the previous over.
*If the batsmen hit the ball to the ropes, that is an automatic 4 points or 'runs'. If the batsmen hit the ball in the air and it never touches the ground before going over the ropes, it's an automatic 6 'runs'.
*The batsmen can get out from any of the following dismissals:
**Caught: Bowler bowls the ball, batsman hits the ball with his bat (or the glove holding the bat) and the fielder/wicket-keeper catches the ball without it dropping to the ground.
**Bowled: Bowler bowls the ball, ball hits the stumps. The batsman can also hit the ball onto his own stumps for this dismissal.
**LBW: Bowler bowls the ball, ball hits the batsman in any area other than the glove holding the bat or the bat itself directly in front of the stumps. If the ball would be hitting the stumps if it didn't hit the batsman then the batsman is out. It is at the umpire's discretion as to whether the ball would hit the stumps. Can not be out if the ball pitches (lands) on the leg side of the batsman.
**Run Out: Bowler bowls the ball, batsman hits the ball and while the two batsman are running, the ball is delivered back to the stumps and then either the fielder next to the stumps takes off the 'bails' (bails = the two little sticks on top of the stumps) or a direct hit takes off the bails and the batsman is out.
*You'll find out other dismissals as and when you watch/play. Suffice to say there's about six or more other dismissals but they're not very common.
*Once ten wickets have been taken, the teams switch around and take on each other's roles.
*This switch around happens three times. Once after each innings. First Team > Second Team > First Team > Second Team.
*If the second team fails to get to a certain score after the first team has batted then they can be forced to follow on.
*So then it becomes: First Team > Second Team > Second Team > First Team
*The first team only has to bat again if the second team manage to surpass the first team's score.
EG.
England score 500. India score 150. India are forced to bat again and score 351. England would need 1 run for victory.
However if the scores are relatively close then normal innings service is resumed.
*There are different types of batsmen and bowler and each play their part towards their team.
*The opening batsmen are the first two batsmen at the crease. They generally have a less varied set of shots than the middle order but are highly trained at defending their wicket and taking the shine off the ball.
*The number 3 batsmen is a class of his own. He has to have the defensive strength of the openers but can also open up and play shots further into his innings.
*Middle order batsmen are the 3/4 batsmen after the number 3 batsmen. They usually play aggressively to score runs quickly.
*Lower order batsmen are the 2/3 batsmen after the middle order batsmen. They are usually highly aggressive or very defensive depending on their own style of play.
*Tailenders are the 1/2 batsmen after the lower order batsmen. They generally can't bat but some are used as 'safety batsmen' or 'night watchmen' to protect other batsmen at the end of the day.
*Fast bowlers are the core part of the fielding team's strategy. They are the backbone of the attack and are expected to take early wickets.
*Spin bowlers are the secondary part of the fielding team's strategy. They are expected to keep the scoring low, create pressure on the batting team and take well established batsmen wickets.
*Medium bowlers are the tertiary aspect of the fielding team's strategy. They can slow the pace down of the game and can catch a batsman out if he is impatient as the ball doesn't travel to the batsman as quick.
That's the core of the game. Strategy is a whole other aspect of the game.
Now for my question:
Do you understand?
