Cricket: A little History and Rules
Cricket is a truly English game, originating in the 13th century. It was in English documents that the word “https://cricket-cup.com/” first appears. Its name comes from the Saxon word for “stick”. Presumably from the word “cric” – so called shepherd’s stick, which locked the gate of the pasture. Probably, the game of ball with the help of this stick curved at the end and entertained shepherds while looking after the flocks.
Cricket is supposedly derived from such ancient games as ‘club and ball’, ‘bat and ball’ and ‘trap and ball’.
The game originated in the south-east of Great Britain, on sheep pastures – there was low grass, on which it was convenient to roll the ball (it was made of wool or rags). The goal was defended with a shepherd’s stick.
The first information about cricket dates back to 1300: in the report on the spending of the royal court mentioned the amount of 100 shillings and 6 pounds, spent on “crig” and other sports Prince Edward.
While in 15th century documents there are occasional references to boys playing ‘crackett’, in the 16th century evidence of a passion for the game is more frequent. It is said that in his youth cricket was practiced by Oliver Cromwell.
The heyday of this game came at the end of the 18th century. It was started by a team from the English village of Hambledon, which founded the Cricket Club in 1750. In 1787, the Marie-leBon Cricket Club (MCC) was formed, which developed new rules a year later.
In 1900 cricket was even included in the list of Olympic Games, but for many reasons – unpopularity of this sport in many countries, lack of competition – cricket was excluded.
The first cricket world championship, held in 1912, failed. The winner among three participants (Australia, England and South Africa) could not be identified because of bad weather. The second World Cup was held only in 1975. Teams from England, Australia, New Zealand, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa played each other for the first World Cup. Since then, the competition has been held every four years.
The Basic Rules of Cricket
The first set of cricket rules is the Codex 1744, which contains the official dimensions of the various cricketing objects.
The rules of cricket at first glance are not particularly complicated, but if you are professionally engaged in this sport, you will have to read a weighty volume with all the nuances of the game.
The game is played between two teams of 11 players each. The goal of the game is to score more points (runs) than the opposing team. A match consists of one or more parts, each of which is called an innings. In each innings, one team bats and the other pitches once.
Cricket is usually played on grass. The cricket field is an oval-shaped pitch (cricket field), 80 by 60-70 meters, with a 20.12-meter (22-yard) strip of earth inside it. At each end of the strip of earth three posts are stuck into the field, on top of which two small wooden crossbars are placed. (67.5 centimeters high, 20 centimeters wide).
This structure is called a wicket (wicket).
At each wicket with bats in their hands are players of the hitting team. The batter, called the bowler, throws the ball near one of the wickets towards the other, trying to hit the wicket.
The batsmen standing next to the wicket try to defend it with their bat.
Players
Each team consists of 11 players. A well-balanced team will have 4-5 bowlers (players who specialize in pitching) and 5-6 batsmen (batsman) who specialize in batting. The most valuable players are the all-rounders – those who pitch well and bat well. Each team has one special player called a wicket-keeper. His job is to catch a pitched ball missed by the batter and try to hit the wicket with the ball if the batter was over the line.
Match
Before the match starts, the captains select 11 players and draw lots to determine who pitches first.
Overs
Each innings consists of a series of overs. A series consists of 6 overs bowled by the same bowler. The same bowler may not bowl two overs in a row.
Points
To earn their team one point, both players of the attacking team must run to the other wicket and touch the ground behind the bat line or any part of their body. Sometimes a good hit on the ball allows the attacking team to earn more points if a player manages to run from wicket to wicket more than once while the players on the pitching team are trying to get the ball back and break the wicket. If the ball bounces (or rolls) over the boundary, the attacking team scores 4 points. If the ball rolls over the boundary without touching the ground, the attacking team scores 6 points. Points may also be awarded for infringements or incorrectly executed serves.
The first two players on the attacking team are usually the strongest hitters and score the most points.