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Cricket: A Game That Fascinates Millions Of People
by Jeremy Rearden
http://www.focuscricket.com
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.
The game of cricket appears very similar to baseball at
first glance though there is significant difference between
the two. They are both Bat and Ball games and can confuse an
untrained eye that is unfamiliar with the sport.
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'.
The team who bats first sets a target score that the other
team attempts to match. The team that is bowling or playing
the field attempts to limit the amount of points or "runs"
that the opposing team scores. When a team is at bat they
always have two batters (or batsmen) on the field. Innings
do not change until 10 batsmen are declared out. This is
referred to as "taking their wickets" and results in the end
of the inning.
At the end of the game the winner is declared by counting
the runs. If the losing team bats last, the team is said to
have "lost by (the number of runs) that is the difference in
their scores", while if the winning team is the team that
bats last, they are said to have "won by (the amount of)
runs". A cricket match can also result in a "tie" or "draw".
There are very obvious differences between a baseball bat
and a cricket bat. While a baseball bat is round and
essentially tube shaped, a cricket bat is shaped more like a
paddle. The cricket bat is made up of a long handle and a
flat surface, reminiscent of a boat paddle. Batting is done
in a style similar to batting in baseball, but not quite the
same. The same can be said for pitching and fielding.
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.
The chief factor that makes cricket so compelling for some
is the subtle differences in strategy. These differences
attract both spectators and participants, and these
differences contribute to the vastly difference in
experience between playing and watching the game.
If you have an opportunity, you should see if you can find
a cricket match, especially if you are visiting one of the
countries in which it is a popular pastime. Cricket is
great fun once you decipher the jargon, rules and
nomenclature of the sport. With a little bit of a primer
on the sport, you can enjoy the game as much as others who
love the game.
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