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kilgore_trout1 t1_iw8fqis wrote

Yeah basically you’re right about the ways to get out, although there are a few more.

There are three internationally recognised forms of Cricket, but I’ll explain T20 as that is the format for this World Cup and also its the shortest and simplest version.

Put very simply you have two teams, one team will bat - ie - try to score as many runs (points) as they possibly can, whilst the other team bowls (pitches) trying to limit the batters score whilst also trying to get the batters out. Then when their innings is over the other team will come in and try and score at least one more run than them - if they do that, they win, if the don’t then they lose.

The bowling side has 120 balls to bowl at the batters, these balls are divided into “overs” which is 6 balls - that gives you 20 overs (giving the name of the format) two lots of 20 overs or T20)

There are always 2 batters on the pitch at any one time, one stood at either end of the 22 yard playing strip (called a wicket) in the middle of the pitch. So one is facing the bowler and one is stood at the end the bowler runs up from. The batters will try to score as many runs as possible in the 120 balls, they do this by hitting the ball as far as possible then running to the other end of the wicket and swapping places with the other batter. Doing this once counts for 1 run. They can run as many times as they like but if the bowling side get the ball back to either of the three sticks (stumps) that are located either end of the wicket before the batsman makes it back then he’s out.

Other ways to score runs are hitting the ball so that it goes out of the playing area - You get given 4 runs for doing that. Or you can hit the ball so that not only does it go out the playing area, but it doesn’t touch the ground on its way out, that gives you 6 runs. As a batsman you want to score lots of sixes! The other way the batting team scores is through a variety of foul or wide balls, but I won’t bore you with all of that!

So that’s it, the only other complication is that the bowling team can get batters out in a variety of ways, and as a batting team you can only lose 10 of your team to outs (confusingly also called losing a wicket!) once you lose all of your 10 wickets then your innings is over even if you’ve got more or your 120 balls left.

Ways to get out are:

being bowled out - the bowler bowls at you and the ball hits the stumps

Caught - a fielder catches your shot without it hitting the ground first

Run out - what I described above where a fielder hits the stumps with the ball before the batter makes it back safely.

LBW - complicated but basically if the ball is bowled and it hits the batters legs and the umpire thinks that the ball would have gone on to hit the wicket then that is out.

A few others but these are the important ones!

That’s very basically it. Hopefully that helps! No need to explain American football, it’s pretty much rugby league but with fewer downs and more armour lol

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drumgod_28 t1_iw8kcyy wrote

Never understood a thing about cricket until today! Thank you!

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Dangeresque2015 t1_iw8jo5z wrote

Thanks for the reply! I think I almost got it. I should've taken up the offer of my Indian bosses to watch some cricket between 2 am and 6 am one night to watch the game. I want to say it was England v. India but I could.be wrong. It could have been 20 years ago

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kilgore_trout1 t1_iw8ljlp wrote

If it was in July this year it could well have been England - India, I was at the game, it was an awesome day! (England winning helped lol) That was a test match which is a whole different kettle of fish, they can last 5 days!

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