Cricket: A Game That Fascinates Millions Of People

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.

The game of cricket appears very similar to baseball at first glance though there is significant difference between the two. They are both Bat and Ball games and can confuse an untrained eye that is unfamiliar with the sport.

Cricket does share some of the same facets with baseball. As in a baseball game, a cricket match is played in segments called "innings". And, as in baseball, during a cricket inning one team bats while the other "fields" (sometimes called "bowls" in cricket).

The team who bats first sets a target score that the other team attempts to match. The team that is bowling or playing the field attempts to limit the amount of points or "runs" that the opposing team scores. When a team is at bat they always have two batters (or batsmen) on the field. Innings do not change until 10 batsmen are declared out. This is referred to as "taking their wickets" and results in the end of the inning.

At the end of the game the winner is declared by counting the runs. If the losing team bats last, the team is said to have "lost by (the number of runs) that is the difference in their scores", while if the winning team is the team that bats last, they are said to have "won by (the amount of) runs". A cricket match can also result in a "tie" or "draw".

There are very obvious differences between a baseball bat and a cricket bat. While a baseball bat is round and essentially tube shaped, a cricket bat is shaped more like a paddle. The cricket bat is made up of a long handle and a flat surface, reminiscent of a boat paddle. Batting is done in a style similar to batting in baseball, but not quite the same. The same can be said for pitching and fielding.

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'.

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.

Cricket is a great game that you will love and enjoy to play. You will have to overcome the steep learning curve of the jargon and nomenclature for the sport that is used to communicate the details of the game with enthusiasm. You should look into cricket if you are visiting one of the countries in which it is popular if you have an opportunity to visit these places.

Article Source: http://www.diyarticlelibrary.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 more articles on Cricket visit: www.focuscricket.com/articles Why not sign up for our free Cricket newsletter at: www.focuscricket.com/newsletters
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