adminAubrey Kamba
THE Rules of Cricket have been in use for well over 250 years. It is thought the real reason for this is that the game of cricket stands taller than any other sport in tradition and in excitement in accordance with the Laws. With the T20 World Cup 2016 coming up in India from the 8th of March to the 3rd of April it is prudent that we learn a few of the rules so that we can support our Chevrons with a little knowledge
1. Two teams, 22 players: Each team has 11 players on the field. One of a team’s 11 players is the team captain. This player is primarily responsible for ensuring that a team has no more than 11 players on the field at any given time.
2. Umpires’ rulings are final: the umpire is the final authority in play decisions. Players who fail to follow directions or who balk at an umpire’s decision will be turned over to the team captain for dismissal or other disciplinary measures.
3. Six balls equal one over: The bowler bowls the cricket ball to the batsman. If the batsman hits it or misses, the ball is considered completed. After the bowler delivers six balls, he has completed an “over.” Another team member now takes a turn to bowl the next over.
4. Game duration is negotiated: Teams may agree to play two innings and limit the number of hours they will be on the field. In the alternative, the teams may opt to only play one innings but do so by agreeing on the number of overs ahead of time.
5. Professional-level cricket matches are limited duration games: there are 3 formats to the game of cricket. The 1st and oldest format is called Test cricket, usually lasts six hours per day and continue for five days. The 2nd format is the limited overs cricket also known as One Day International (ODI), which is played over 50 overs per team. The 3rd format is called the T20 which is a new version of cricket and the shortest format played over 20 overs per team
6. Batsmen do not have to run: American audiences are familiar with baseball players tossing aside their bats and running from base to base. In cricket, the batsmen carry their bats with them as they run and use them to touch the ground marking their progress. It is noteworthy that they do not have to run.
7. Boundary rope hit equals four runs: in cricket if the batsman hits the ball and hits the boundary rope that borders the field it is recorded as four runs. If the ball goes beyond the boundary fence, the batsman scores six runs.
8. Overthrows allow for additional runs: Should fielders do not field well or do not throw the ball back, the batsmen will continue taking runs. If the ball rolls to the boundary of the field, the runs already completed are added to the automatic four-run score a boundary hit earns.
9. Time wasting is penalized: It is well known that cricket games can go on for days. In order to stop time wasting, a new batsman is out of the game if it takes him longer than two minutes to take the field after a wicket fall.
10. Field placement is optional: The team captain may choose to place team members in a number of field positions. Each captain uses this strategy to the advantage of the team and to throw off the strategy of the opposing team.
Aubrey Kamba is a university student doing English and Communications studies. For your feedback, you can contact him on 0778 712 404.
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