What?, You've Never Heard Of The Game Of Cricket.!
By Jeremy Rearden
If you have been countries to outside of North America you may have noticed a major sport in places such as England and Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Caribbean that is known as "Cricket". is extremely popular in many countries of the world and is considered to be one of the most popular spectator's sports in the regions it is played in.

Cricket is a bat and ball sport that is in some ways similar to baseball, although there are significant differences between the two sports that at first glance may seem very similar. To the untrained eye that is unfamiliar with the sport of the confusion can be great.

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.

The result of the game is declared by counting the runs made by the teams. If the team batting second is unable to make the desired runs then it said that this team 'lost by (the number of runs) that is the difference in their scores'. In case the team batting second scores the required amount of runs then it is said 'won by (the amount of) runs'. The game can also result in a draw or a tie.

The differences between a baseball bat and a bat are very obvious. While the bat is made up of a long handle and a flat surface, more like a paddle, the baseball bat is round and essentially tube shaped. Though the batting in is very similar to batting in baseball, it is not the same. The same holds good for bowling and pitching.

The order in which the batsmen come to bat can be changed any time depending on the planned strategy to gain advantage of the situation. When the batsman hits the ball it is called the shot or 'stroke'. At times when the batsman hits the ball from the edge of the bat instead of the flat surface then it is called a 'snick'.

Cricket has become a recreationally compelling game both for the players and the spectators because of this subtle difference in strategy. These subtle differences do make a different experience in both playing and watching the game.

If you have an opportunity, you should see if you can find a match, especially if you are visiting one of the countries in which it is a popular pastime. 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.

Article Source: http://www.article-matrix.com

About the author: Jeremy Rearden is the your host at Focus on Cricket, the best place on the internet when you're after fresh up to date advice and comment to do with Cricket. For more free articles on Cricket: visit: www.focuscricket.com/articles
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