Cricket is a popular outdoor game played in many parts of the world on an international and
national level. It is one of the prominent games played in India by children and adults alike.
The game consists of two teams with 11 players each. The game is played on a filed with a
rectangular 22-yard long pitch at the centre. There are wickets at the two ends. The pitch is
where the batsmen stand, and the bowler bowls the ball. A coin toss takes place before the
match begins. The team captains do the coin toss. The captain that wins gets to choose what
they want to do first. Each team has to bat and bowl. 2 batsmen are allowed on the field and try
to score a good amount of runs. The bowling team tries to bowl them out to prevent this. A
batsman can score a maximum of 6 runs in one ball. A bowler can bowl six balls in each over.
Umpires make sure that players follow the rules of the game. There are two umpires on the
field, one that stands on the bowler’s end and another that stands on the square leg. Nowadays
there is a third umpire off the ground as well as a match referee.
The team that bats first sets a target score which the other side should chase down. If the team
chases down the score, they win. If the scores are tied, a final over called the super over is
played by the sides. The team that scores the highest runs or chases down the target score
wins. In case of weather problems, then the match is either cancelled or the Duckworth- Lewis
method is adopted. Here the score of the teams at last over that was played is compared. The
team with the highest runs wins.
Cricket has three formats- T20, ODI and test. T20, also known as 20-20 is played for 20
overs by each team like IPL or Indian Premier League. ODI or One Day International is
played for 50 over by each team and lasts the whole day. The test format is played for
five days by the two teams with at least 90 overs per day.
The first games of cricket were played in the 16th century in England and are the
national sport of England. Throughout the 19th century, it spread throughout the world.
Cricket is extremely popular in India, England and Australia as well as in Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, etc. The governing body is the
International Cricket Council or ICC that makes the rules.
Cricket attracts many people. Children play the game on the streets and in large open
grounds. When cricket matches happen, the stadiums are filled with enthusiastic fans,
and they cheer loud for their teams, which encourages the players. Many families sit in
front of the TV and watch the whole game with many emotions and cheers. Today even
women play cricket, and women’s cricket is slowly gaining popularity.
Hamza Zahid Class:-8A
