London is hosting the Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup tournament at the Oval. I went to my first cricket match on Tuesday evening and now have a walking around understanding of the game.
First, let's talk about The Oval. The stadium is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall [aka Prince o
f Wales, Charles]. Surrey Co
unty Cricket Club was set up in 1845. The Duchy was willing to grant a lease of the land for the purpose of a cricket ground, and, on 10 March 1845, the Club signed a lease with the Otter Trustees, who held the land from the Duchy of Cornwall, 'to convert it into a subscription Cricket Ground', for 31 years at a rent of £120 per annum plus taxes (£20 more).
f Wales, Charles]. Surrey Co
unty Cricket Club was set up in 1845. The Duchy was willing to grant a lease of the land for the purpose of a cricket ground, and, on 10 March 1845, the Club signed a lease with the Otter Trustees, who held the land from the Duchy of Cornwall, 'to convert it into a subscription Cricket Ground', for 31 years at a rent of £120 per annum plus taxes (£20 more).The current pavilion was completed in time for the 1898 season. The stadium seats 23,500.
How do you play cricket?
In cricket, one team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible without being dismissed ("out") while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the other team’s batsmen and limit any runs being scored.
There are several variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side, Limited Overs Cricket, to a game played over 5 da
ys, Test cricket. Depending on the length of the game being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied.
Cricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. Today, the sport is played in more than 100 countries.
The rules of the game are known as the Laws of Cricket. These are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of cricket, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the club that has been the guardian of the Laws since it was founded in 1787.
A cricket match is played on a cricket field at the centre of which is a pitch. The match is contested between two teams of eleven players each.
In cricket, one team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible without being dismissed ("out") while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the other team’s batsmen and limit any runs being scored.
An over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it shall be completed by a teammate. An over consists of six legal deliveries. No balls [illegal delivery] and wides [a "ball" in baseball] do not count toward the six-ball tally. The captain of the fielding team decides which bowler will bowl any given over (subject to the restriction that no bowler may bowl two overs in succession).
The batters are encouraged by the crowd to "hit for six" [a home run in baseball] where the ball goes over the outer boundary without bouncing. The wall is only about six [6] inches high and the home run counts for six [6] runs. If the ball makes it to the wall with a bounce and without interference from a fielder it counts for four [4] runs.
When the batting team has used all its available overs or has no remaining batsmen, the roles become reversed and it is now the fielding team’s turn to bat and try to outscore the opposition. This is when the game got fun.
There are several variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side, Limited Overs Cricket, to a game played over 5 da
ys, Test cricket. Depending on the length of the game being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied.I went to a twenty-20 game between New Zealand and South Africa. The game was decided on the last bowl where New Zealand was behind by 3. They run for 3 and tie or hit the edge of the field for 4 and win. The ball was fielded well and they only scored 2 and lost the game by one run.
