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A Guide to Cricket for Kids and Beginners

Cricket is one of the world's most popular team sports. It's a fun and exciting game to play all summer. Cricket encourages fair play, integrity, and self-control, and it's also great exercise. While it might be intimidating at first if you're not familiar with the game, learning about cricket can be well worth your while.

 

History of Cricket

Cricket is believed to have started in medieval England as a game developed by Flemish immigrants, but the first written record of the sport only dates back to the mid-1500s. As the English colonized different parts of the world, they brought the game of cricket with them, introducing it to the American colonies, South Africa, India, and Australia. The sport caught on and became very popular in these places, including in America, where even the soldiers at Valley Forge are said to have played cricket. However, its popularity there was not to last; when baseball emerged in the 1800s, Americans embraced that game's faster pace and simpler rules, leaving cricket behind. But cricket continued to grow worldwide into the 20th century, leading to the first World Cup competitions in the 1970s. Today, it's still hugely popular all over the world, and it's even experiencing a bit of a comeback in the United States.

Benefits of Learning Cricket for Kids and Adults

Cricket is a great sport for kids and adults that helps to develop players' overall fitness and stamina. The game involves lots of throwing, which improves hand-eye coordination, and it can also improve your balance and reflexes. Since cricket is a team sport, participants will need to learn teamwork and good social skills, which can be a particularly strong benefit for children. Kids in particular can also learn how to win and lose gracefully. And playing cricket is a fun way to meet new people and make new friends.

Cricket Equipment

To play cricket, you'll need equipment for the players as well as the field. You'll need two wickets, one at either end of the pitch, the rectangular playing area at the center of the field. Each wicket consists of three vertical sticks with two smaller sticks placed on top (sort of like a tall "M" shape). You'll also need a cricket bat and a cricket ball. And you should have safety gear for each batter and wicket-keeper (and preferably for everyone else, too).

Scoring and Regulations

In a cricket match, there are two teams of 11 players. At the beginning of each match, there are two batters on the pitch, one in front of each wicket. The bowler (the equivalent of a pitcher in baseball) stands behind one of the batters, then gets a running start and throws the ball toward the opposite batter, aiming downward toward the wicket. The bowler's job is to get the ball past the batter, while the batter's job is to hit the ball with their bat so that it doesn't hit the wicket. If the ball hits the wicket and knocks one of the top pieces (called bails) off of it, the batter is out. If the batter's leg is in front of the wicket and the ball hits their leg, the batter is out. And if the batter hits the ball but one of the fielders immediately catches it before it touches the ground, the batter is out.

If the batter hits the ball and it bounces on the ground, the batters can try to score. They do this by running across the pitch to the opposite wicket and then touching the ground with either their foot or their bat on the other side. Meanwhile, the fielders must catch the ball, then throw it toward one of the wicket-keepers, who stand behind the wickets. If a wicket-keeper catches the ball and tags the wicket before the batter touches the ground on their side, the batter is out. But if both batters reach the other side safely, they score a run. At this point, they can both turn around and run back to try to score again. As long as both batters reach the other side safely, they can keep scoring runs. But once a batter is out, they're out for good: They don't get another at-bat while their team is batting like they would in baseball.

There are also equivalents to home runs in cricket. If the batter hits the ball and it hits the ground, then keeps going to the boundary of the field or beyond, they get four runs. If they hit the ball and it goes flying beyond the boundary of the field without touching the ground, they get six runs.

Each turn for a bowler is an "over," which consists of six throws. After a bowler throws six times, someone else on their team gets a turn to bowl. The same bowler can bowl again later. Some cricket matches are limited to a certain number of overs, after which the match ends. Other types of matches end after a set number of innings. An innings (it's "innings" in cricket even when you're just talking about one) ends after ten players on a team are out; at this point, there's only one batter left, and two are required to keep playing. Often, cricket matches will end after each team gets either one or two innings. Once the match is over, the team with the most points wins.

Learning Form and Technique

Cricket players need to learn a number of different skills. Batting requires you to learn the proper stance; an ideal stance is with your feet bent and 16 inches apart, with your weight equally balanced between your feet. It's essential for your head to face the bowler and your front shoulder to point down towards the wicket. This technique helps you effectively hit the ball. Of course, you'll also need to have good hand-eye coordination and get good at hitting the ball with the bat. Bowling also requires practice and skill. You'll need to know how to grip the ball properly and the proper body movements to bowl the ball toward the wicket, which are different from the movements needed to throw a ball in baseball.

Cricket Safety Rules

One of the most important ways in which cricket players stay safe is by wearing the appropriate safety gear. Each batter and wicket-keeper should wear pads that protect their legs, gloves, and a helmet. It's also a good idea to have protective padding for other parts of the body. Fielders close to the wicket should also wear helmets.

Since cricket is a warm-weather sport, players should also take precautions to stay safe outdoors in the heat, like wearing sunscreen and staying hydrated. And like with any athletic activity, it's a good idea to stretch before and after you play cricket to help prevent injuries.

 

Edited by: Ben Thompson