A brief history of the sport

Cricket is thought to have been invented in England, with the earliest documented reference to the game in 1597. Having developed as a kids’ bat-and-ball game during medieval times, it gathered popularity over the years, spreading across the world.

Today the International Cricket Council (ICC), headquartered in Dubai, is the governing body of cricket with 110 associate members from six continents, with members including England, Australia, India, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Scotland and the USA.

Of the 110 nations playing international cricket, 12 play Test cricket: England, India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan.

Within the UK, the County Championship is played annually across England and Wales, contested by 18 clubs that represent counties. The most successful team are Yorkshire, who’ve claimed 33 titles over the years.

Cricket Made Simple: Rules, Roles and Gear 

Cricket is a game rich in tradition and detail, but its core rules are straightforward once you break them down. Whether you're watching your first match or stepping onto the field, this section will help you understand how the game is played. 

How long is a cricket game?

Cricket matches can vary widely in length depending on the format being played. Some matches take just a few hours, while others span multiple days.  

How many players are in a game of cricket and what do the teams look like?

Each team has 11 players, typically including, batters, bowlers, all-rounders and a wicketkeeper. 

The game is played between two teams, with one batting and one fielding. After the batting side either loses all 10 wickets or reaches the limit of overs allowed, the teams switch roles. 

How does scoring in cricket work? 

Runs are the basic unit for scoring in cricket. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins and these are earned when batters run between the wickets or hit the ball to the boundary. Four runs are awarded when the ball crosses the boundary after touching the ground, while six runs are scored if the ball clears the boundary without touching the ground. 

Extras are additional runs given to the batting team for errors made by the bowling team. These include: 

• Wides: When the bowler delivers the ball out of reach 

• No-balls: Illegal deliveries (for example, overstepping the crease on delivery) 

• Byes: Runs taken when the ball passes the batter without touching the bat 

• Leg byes: Runs taken after the ball hits the batter’s body 

How do batters get out?

In cricket, the goal for the fielding team is to dismiss the batters as quickly as possible. A team’s innings ends when ten of its eleven players are out. Here are the most common ways for a batter to be dismissed:  

• Bowled: This happens when the bowler delivers the ball and it hits the stumps 

• Caught: If the batter hits the ball and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground 

• LBW (Leg Before Wicket): A batter can be given out LBW if the ball hits their leg or pad instead of the bat and the umpire believes it would have hit the stumps 

• Run Out: A run out occurs when a batter is trying to score a run but doesn't reach the crease before the fielding team breaks the stumps with the ball.  

• Stumped: This happens when the batter steps out of their crease to try and play a shot, but misses the ball and the wicketkeeper quickly removes the bails before they can get back 

Overs and Game Flow 

Overs help define the pace and structure of the game and are a crucial part of cricket strategy. An over is a set of six legal deliveries bowled by one player. Bowlers take turns bowling overs, and no bowler can bowl consecutive overs.  

Essential Equipment 

Cricket requires a mix of protective gear, specialised equipment and a well-prepared playing field. Here’s a quick overview of the key equipment used by players and how the game is set up. 

• For batting: Bat, pads, gloves, helmet, box, and optional guards 

• For bowling and fielding: Ball, appropriate shoes with spikes, fielding helmets for close-in fielders 

• Game setup: A 22-yard-long pitch, with wickets at each end. As well as a boundary rope marking the edge of the field 

Cricket Jargon Buster

Cricket has a language all its own, leaving newcomers scratching their heads. To help you follow the action and understand the commentary, we’ve broken down some of the most common pieces of cricket jargon.

• Powerplay 
  A restricted period at the start of a limited-overs match, when only a certain number of fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. The aim of this is to achieve faster scoring. For T20 matches it is for the first six overs, while for 50-over matches it is for the first 10

• DRS (Decision Review System) 
  A system that allows players to challenge an umpire’s decision. The third umpire uses replays and technology to review the call and either uphold or overturn it

• Strike Rate

  There are two different ways of measuring strike rates, one for batting and one for bowling. For batting it is the number of runs a player scores per 100 balls faced, whereas for bowling it is the average number of balls a bowler delivers per wicket taken

• Googly 
  A tricky delivery bowled by a leg-spinner that spins in the opposite direction to a standard leg-spin ball. This is a technique used to fool the batsman

• Dot Ball 
  This is when no runs are scored and no wicket falls from a bowler's delivery. It’s called a "dot" because that’s how it's marked in the scorebook

• King Pair 
  When a batsman is bowled out on the first ball they face in both innings of a two-innings match

• Yorker 
  A fast, low delivery that pitches right at the batsman’s feet or the base of the stumps, making it very hard to hit cleanly

• Hat-Trick 
  When a bowler takes three wickets in three consecutive deliveries