Main page History Rules of the game Methods of dismissal Tournaments
 
 CRICKET RULES
 Ground and Equipment
 
GROUNDS: Cricket grounds vary in size from 5 and a 1/2 acres at Lord's in London to your local park. A leveled green field is ideal for the ground though the central batting and bowling area called the pitch is harder and almost grassless. Field positions are allotted though not marked on the ground.

THE PITCH: is an area 20.12 metres long and 3.04 metres wide in the centre of the field where the wickets are placed and the batsman faces the bowler.
 

WICKET AND BAILS: There are two wickets on a cricket pitch, one at the batsman's end and one at the bowlers end. A wicket consists of three stumps, each 28 inches high and about 11/4 inches thick stuck in the ground in a row 9 inches in width. Two wooden pieces called bails, each 4 and 3/8 inches long are put on top of the stumps.

CREASE: This is a white line that demarcates the area in which the batsman and the bowler can legally move at each end of the wicket. The bowling crease is a line extending four feet four inches on both sides of the central stump. The return crease is a line at right angles to each end of the bowling crease extending behind the wicket. While bowling, the bowlers rear foot must land inside this area. The popping crease is 62 feet from the opposing bowling crease and marks the batsmans' ground.

 

BAT AND BALL:The bat is a flattened stick around 38 inches long and 4 ¼ inches wide traditionally made of willow wood. The ball is made of leather filled with a core made of cork. A cricket ball has a circumference of around 9 inches and weighs around 150 grams.
 
CRICKET GEAR: Cricket players traditionally wear white trousers, shirt and shoes. In one dayers though, you are more likely to see them in specially designed colourful team gear. While batting players also wear white leg pads, gloves, helmets and other protective gear to protect themselves from the ball which can cause a fatal injury.
 
 
UMPIRES: You might find it hard to find even one volunteer umpire for a local match, but there are two field umpires for every international cricket match. One umpire stands behind the bowler's wicket. The other at square leg, about 13 metres from the batsman's popping crease. In case of a controversy, a third umpire might be called for a second opinion. This umpire usually refers to a television replay of the game for an exact version of what happened and advises the other umpires accordingly.
 
Main page History Rules of the game Methods of dismissal Tournaments