Monday, October 22, 2007

Overview of Cricket


The aim of the batting team is to score as several runs as possible. A run is scored when both batsmen effectively move to their respective opposite ends of the pitch. (The batsmen will usually only attempt to score runs after the striker has hit the ball, but this is not required by the rules—the batsmen can attempt runs at any time after the ball has been bowled.) Runs are also scored if the batsman hits the ball to the boundary of the before a live audience area (this scores six runs if the ball crosses the boundary without having touched the ground, or four runs otherwise), or if the bowler commits some technical contravention like bowling the ball out of reach of the batsman.[citation needed]

The aim of the bowler's side is to get each batsman out (this is called a "taking a wicket", or a "dismissal"). Dismissals are achieved in a different ways. The most straight way is for the bowler to bowl the ball so that the batsman misses it and it hits the stumps, dislodging a bail. While the batsmen are attempting a run, the fielders may dismiss either batsman by using the ball to beat the bails off the set of stumps to which the batsman is closest before he has grounded himself or his bat in the crease. Other ways for the fielding side to dismiss a batsman contain catching the ball off the bat before it touches the ground, or having the batsman adjudged "leg before wicket" (abbreviated "L.B.W." or "lbw") if the ball strikes the batsman's body and would have gone on to hit the wicket. Once the batsmen are not attempting to achieve any more runs, the ball is "dead", and is bowled again (each attempt at bowling the ball is a "ball" or a "delivery").

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