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What?, You've Never Heard Of The Game Of Cricket.!

By: Jeremy Rearden 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.

Cricket is a sport that utilizes a bat and ball, in some ways similar to baseball. Although at first glance the two games may seem similar, there are stark differences between the two sports. To someone unfamiliar with cricket, the game may seem confusing at first.

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'.

In cricket, the team who bats first sets a target score that the other team must try to match. The team that is bowling (or playing the field) tries to limit the number of points or "runs" that the opposing team scores. Unlike baseball, when a team is at bat they always have two batters (or batsmen) on the field. The innings is not over until 10 batsmen are declared out. When there are 10 outs, this is referred to as "taking their wickets" and results in the inning ending.

At the end of the game the winner is the team with the highest amount of runs. If the losing team bats last, the team is said to have lost by (the difference in the runs of the winning team and the losing team). If the winning team is bats last, they have won by (the total amount of) runs". If neither team is ahead with more runs, the cricket match can end in a "tie" or "draw".

One of the most obvious differences between baseball and cricket is the cricket bat. A cricket bat is shaped more like a wooden paddle, while a baseball bat is round and basically tube shaped. The cricket bat is made up of a long handle and a flat surface, very similar in appearance to a boat paddle. The batting style or stance is similar to the baseball stance, but not exactly the same. Pitching and fielding also bear similarities to baseball, with some subtle differences.

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.

Some find that it is due to the subtle differences in strategy that make cricket a more compelling sport to both participate in and follow recreationally. Indeed, these subtle differences make for a different experience in both playing and watching the game.

If you have an opportunity, you should look into cricket if you are visiting one of the countries in which it is popular. Cricket is great fun once you get over the steep learning curve required to pick up the jargon and nomenclature for the sport that is enthusiastically used to communicate the details of the game that so many people love and enjoy.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

About the author: Jeremy Rearden is the chief editor for Focus on Cricket, the web's premier location when you're after accurate up to date advice and ideas about Cricket. For questions or comments on any of our articles visit: www.focuscricket.com/articles
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