Cricket
Cricket beginners' guide: Here's all you need to know
From confusing rules to scoring and strategies, we've got you covered when it comes to cricket. Get ready to step up to the crease with our ultimate beginners' guide to the sport.
Cricket is of the most played sports in the world (alongside football, volleyball, basketball and badminton). It also happens to be the one of the oldest sports in the world, even older than football. It's also arguably one of the most nuanced of all team sports. This is largely due to its varying forms, the conditions and regions in which it’s played and in its tactical selections of players, their placements on the field and more.
If you're looking to get on board with cricket and how all of those nuances mentioned above shape the game and its tactical side, we're here to offer a top-line view of the 'gentleman's game' based on several key factors.
So check out below our breakdown of cricket's various forms, how each format’s ball and pitch determine a lot of decision-making, how the field is set up and more.
01
What is cricket?
In its simplest form, cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams, each consisting of 11 players. Each team either 'bats' or 'bowls', with two batters on the field along with the 11 players from the opposing team. The goal of the bowling team is to get each batter out through wickets or catches. They then swap and the opposing team looks to score more runs than the original team.
KL Rahul celebrates at Red Bull Cricket Challenges
© Ali Bharmal / Red Bull Content Pool
02
What's the history of cricket?
It all kicked-off way back in the 16th century in southeast England, starting as a bit of a children's game. The first solid mention of cricket being played by adults came in 1611 and by the late 1600s, it was clear this sport was here to stay. Fast forward to 1744 and we got the first official Laws of Cricket. By the 1760s and 1770s, the game had evolved significantly, with pitched deliveries replacing the old rolling ones and the bat changing from a hockey stick shape to the straight blade we know today.
The 19th century was a golden era for cricket. Country clubs started popping up, and we saw the first international matches. In 1844, the United States and Canada squared-off in what was the first international cricket match. Cricket fever spread to the British colonies, and soon places like India, Australia and the Caribbean islands were head over heels for the game. London's Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), established in 1787, became the keeper of the cricket laws and the city's Lord's Cricket Ground became the sport's spiritual home. Test cricket made its debut in 1877 with England and Australia locking horns, setting the stage for the fierce and historic Ashes rivalry.
Action heats up at Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s Final in Dehradun
© Focus Sports / Red Bull Content Pool
Moving into the 20th and 21st centuries, cricket continued to evolve and captivate fans. The introduction of limited-overs formats like One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 brought a new pace to the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped-up as the global governing body, ensuring the game's growth and standardisation worldwide. Countries like India, Australia, England, Pakistan and South Africa turned cricket into a national obsession. Major tournaments like the Cricket World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL) have also made cricket one of the most watched and beloved sports on the planet. What a journey it's been and there's no slowing down for this fantastic game.
03
What is the aim of the game?
The bowling, team will attempt to get all 11 batters out through wickets or catches before they swap and chase the number of runs the initial batting team scored.
The game of cricket has many formats that changes the rules slightly however. This is to give the game a different appeal to different audiences.
04
Cricket's key formats
Cricket is played worldwide, from Australia to India, Netherlands and beyond. The 'big' representative countries are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. There are many more and within each there are representative forms, from the IPL in India -- a massive T20 league – to County Cricket in the UK, which is considered 'First Class' cricket. Each has unique rules, balls, and playing styles. Let's break them down:
First Class cricket
First Class cricket has four-day, 50-over competitions such as the above-mentioned County Cricket, as well as Sheffield Shield in Australia. These tests can last between four and five days with no cap on the amount of overs per innings, but the general number is around 90 overs per day, which is why First Class cricket can balloon out to an additional day. An over comprises six balls from the bowler to the batter, excluding wides, no balls and other variables. All Test cricket is played between competing countries and is considered the pinnacle of the sport.
Red Bull Campus Cricket action at Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium
© Focus Sports / Red Bull Content Pool
In the women's version of the game, tests are a bit rarer and most games consist of either 50 over games like ODIs, or T20.
One Day Internationals
One Day Internationals, or ODIs, are played across a whole day featuring two innings per side at a maximum of 50 overs. They can be played into the night, which is why ODIs and the below T20 format use white balls that are easier to see under floodlights.
T20
In Twenty-20 cricket, the game is played at a faster pace with 20 overs per side in single matches generally starting during the day and finishing up at night, like ODIs. The night element means T20 is also played with a white ball.
The field
Arguably one of the most dynamic aspects of cricket is the field and how fielding actually works. Different types of bowlers command different field setups, such as spinners, medium-pace and fast-pace bowling. But there's also aspects to take into consideration such as whether the batter is right or left-handed, whether the bowler is either as well and then how the bowler chooses to approach the wicket (more on this shortly). But the basic positions on the field can be broken down into these:
Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals in Sri Lanka
© Rutger Pauw / Red Bull Content Pool
- Bowler, Wicketkeeper, Slips (up to four), Gully, Point, Cover, Mid Off, Mid On, Mid Wicket, Square Leg and Fine Leg.
- Each team has a captain whose job it is to manoeuvre the fielders at their disposal (nine as there's always an active bowler and wicket keeper) to the myriad positions on the field based on things like the type of batter at the crease, the type of bowler bowling to them and how the pitch is manipulating the ball, bowler and batter.
In terms of size, a cricket field is always oval or very, very close to circular and roughly 100m to 120m in diameter. In modern cricket this 'boundary' is either outlined with rope or the infamous 'Toblerone' padding. Should a ball clear this boundary from the batter on the full – i.e. without bouncing – it is a 'six'. if it strikes the boundary after hitting the ground beforehand, it is a ‘four’.
A fielder may take a catch right on the boundary, but cannot go over the boundary with the ball in-hand, as that is automatically a six. However, they may throw it in the air to give them time to take a better position and then step back onto the pitch and complete the catch. They can even do this and throw it to another fielder and as long as the ball, or either fielder has not touched that boundary or crossed it, the catch can be completed resulting in a wicket and the dismissal of the batter.
The wicket
The wicket, pitch or crease is a central strip of specially prepared turf with fine grass. This is curated over various periods of time depending on the geolocation of the ground to be a harder surface than the rest of the field, which tends to (de)evolve over the course of a game or series. This then helps teams make tactical decisions as the ball, which also gains 'wear' over time and can move in unique ways based on both of the above facets, all of which can make for dramatic changes to deliveries to the batter from the bowler. It’s a dynamic element to cricket and can often define the outcome of a game on its own.
Bowling
While we've discussed the six-ball over format and rules above, bowling has a lot more nuance. In spin bowling, for example, you can have a leg-spinner, an off-spinner, orthodox spin and unorthodox spin and variances with each delivery, such as a bowler who plies their trade with finger placement, others who rely on wrist action, or even combinations of both. In spin bowling the goal of the bowler is to ‘turn’ the ball to deceive the batter to hit the wickets, force an LBW (leg before wicket), or to have them caught by a fielder. Spin bowlers bowl at a much slower pace and arguably rely most on how a pitch's condition changes over the course of a game or series.
Ben Stokes powers through Red Bull Cricket Challenges in Mumbai
© Ali Bharmal / Red Bull Content Pool
Conversely, both medium and fast paced bowlers utilise a pitch’s 'bounce' based on its hardness, while also using the seam of the ball in unique ways to also 'turn' or 'swing' it – obviously at a much faster pace. In medium and fast pace bowling there are also different types of deliveries, such as bouncers, yorkers, in-swing, out-swing and more and, again, depends on the style and approach by each bowler, as well as the condition of the pitch and the climate in which the game is being played.
All of the above is designed to either dismiss the batters facing the ball, or severely limit their ability to make runs, which is the key scoring component of all formats of cricket. Moreover, how coaches, selectors and captains utilise all those bits of information is a testament to the nuance we talked about earlier.
Batting
Most teams, regardless of format, will have an opening, middle and tail-end batting order. Openers are usually utilised to set the pace of the game, though in each format this is a different system of approach. In First Class cricket, for example, the openers are there to tire the bowling attack, meaning runs are of a secondary consequence, despite being the key scoring system of the game. This is where cricket being known as a game of attrition truly comes into play. The middle order in First Class cricket then tends to come in with the strength to take advantage of a 'blunted' bowling attack, though it doesn't always work out this way.
In the shorter formats of the game, the openers are usually just the more skilled, powerful (or both) of the lineup and tend to attack the bowling with aggression to initiate early runs for the middle order to follow on for.
Red Bull Campus Cricket action at Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium
© Focus Sports / Red Bull Content Pool
The tail-end of most formats tends to be the bowling attack, as cricket has a lot of specialist players (an 'all-rounder' is a player good at both batting and bowling) and specialised bowlers work harder on their bowling craft than batting. That said, plenty of tail-enders over many games have made significant gains in the scoring department, as often they have a bit more freedom to play on instinct, particularly in the shorter formats of the game.
On that attrition
As we’ve alluded to throughout, the nuances that come into all formats of cricket are wide and varied with such things as player selection, weather, climate, pitch, ball degradation and more all factors in how teams approach each game and each moment. In this way, the tactical side of the game is based on outmanoeuvring the opposition at every juncture while also playing to your strengths. For example, the team to bat first sets up the ‘run chase’ which is the score the other team will need to beat once they're at the crease. If bowling first, your job is to limit that run chase to within an achievable margin for your team. There are advantages to batting or bowling first depending on numerous factors which, again, speaks to the nuance and tactical side of the game.
It is an incredibly complex sport with so many layers that it’s easy to see how people who don’t know how it all works can find it intimidating, however, as with all sports, throwing yourself into viewership or, even better, playing (and we didn’t even talk about Indoor Cricket), can help you wrap your head around it all. The bottom line, though, is with so many leagues, countries and formats, cricket really delivers something for all, and hopefully all of the above has given you enough info to step up to the crease and enjoy one of the best games in the world.