If you have been countries to outside of North America you may have noticed a major sport in places such as England and Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Caribbean that is known as "Cricket". Cricket is extremely popular in many countries of the world and is considered to be one of the most popular spectator's sports in the regions it is played in.
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.
There are many things common to both these games. Just as is the case in baseball, the game is divided into halves called 'innings'. As is the case in baseball, during the 'inning' one team bats while the other team 'fields' and 'bowls'.
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 the team with the highest amount of runs. If the losing team bats last, the team is said to have lost by (the difference in the runs of the winning team and the losing team). If the winning team is bats last, they have won by (the total amount of) runs". If neither team is ahead with more runs, the cricket match can end in a "tie" or "draw".
The differences between a baseball bat and a cricket bat are very obvious. While the cricket bat is made up of a long handle and a flat surface, more like a paddle, the baseball bat is round and essentially tube shaped. Though the batting in cricket is very similar to batting in baseball, it is not the same. The same holds good for bowling and pitching.
When the ball is hit by the batsmen in cricket it is called a stroke (or shot). Sometimes the batsmen will hit the ball with the side of the bat (as opposed to hitting it with the flat surface, it is hit with the edge). This is referred to as a "snick". Batters bat in a batting order which may be changed up to any point in the game if necessary to obtain a strategic advantage over the opposing team.
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.
If you have an opportunity, you should see if you can find a cricket match, especially if you are visiting one of the countries in which it is a popular pastime. Cricket is great fun once you decipher the jargon, rules and nomenclature of the sport. With a little bit of a primer on the sport, you can enjoy the game as much as others who love the game.
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