Cricket
Cricket is played all over the world in various climates and is one of the most nuanced of all team sports. For newcomers to the game, we put together this basic explainer...
Unlike the other ‘The World’s Game’ in football, or soccer as it’s referred to in Australia (and other non-traditional football countries), cricket is another of the most played sports in the world (surprisingly, volleyball, basketball and badminton are also in the top five) and happens to be the oldest of the two and is arguably one of the most nuanced of all global team sports. This is largely due to its varying forms, the conditions and regions in which it’s played and in its tactical selections of players, player-placements, fielding positions and more.
We’ve shared an explainer for football and AFL here on Red Bull already, and in looking to get you on board with cricket and how all of those nuances mentioned above shape the game and its tactical side, we’re here to offer a top-line view of the ‘gentleman’s game’ based on several key factors.
This guide is designed as a kind of ‘basics of the sport’ because if we chose to go as in-depth as the dynamic game demands, well… we’d be in the book-writing market instead.
So check out below our basic breakdown of cricket’s various forms, how each format’s ball and pitch determine a lot of decision-making, how the field is set up and more!
01
What is Cricket?
In its simplest form, Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams, each consisting of eleven players. Each team either 'bats' or 'bowls' with two batters on the field along with 11 players from the opposing team.
The goal of the bowling, or fielding team is to get each batter out through wickets or catches.
They then swap and the opposing team looks to score more runs than the original team.
02
What is the History of the Game of Cricket?
Alright, folks, let's take a quick dive into the rich history of cricket, the sport that has captivated fans across generations. It all kicked off way back in the 16th century over in southeast England, starting as a bit of a children's game. The first solid mention of cricket being played by adults came in 1611, and by the late 1600s, it was clear this sport was here to stay. Fast forward to 1744, and we get the first official "Laws of Cricket." By the 1760s and 1770s, the game had evolved significantly, with pitched deliveries replacing the old rolling ones and the bat changing from a hockey stick shape to the straight blade we know today.
Now, the 19th century was a ripper for cricket! This was when the sport really took off. County clubs started popping up, and we saw the first international matches. In 1844, the United States and Canada squared off in what was the first international cricket match. Cricket fever spread to the British colonies, and soon places like India, Australia, and the Caribbean were head over heels for the game. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), established in 1787, became the keeper of the cricket laws, and Lord's Cricket Ground became the sport's spiritual home. Test cricket made its debut in 1877 with England and Australia locking horns, setting the stage for the fierce and historic Ashes rivalry.
Moving into the 20th and 21st centuries, cricket continued to evolve and captivate. The introduction of limited-overs formats like ODIs and T20s brought a new, electrifying pace to the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped up as the global governing body, ensuring the game's growth and standardisation worldwide. Countries like India, Australia, England, Pakistan, and South Africa turned cricket into a national obsession. Major tournaments like the Cricket World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL) have made cricket one of the most watched and beloved sports on the planet. What a journey it's been, and there's no slowing down for this fantastic game!
03
What is the Aim of the Game?
The bowling, or fielding team will attempt to get all 11 batters out through wickets or catches before they swap and chase the number of runs the initial batting team scored.
The game of Cricket has many formats that changes the rules slightly. This is to give the game a different appeal to different audiences.
Cricket’s Key Formats
Cricket is played worldwide, from Australia to India to the Netherlands and even Canada.
Around the globe, the ‘big’ representative countries are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. There are many more, and within each, there are representative forms, from the IPL in India -- a massive T20 league, to County Cricket in the UK which is considered ‘First Class’ cricket. Each has unique rules, balls, and playing styles. Let’s break them down:
First Class Cricket
In First Class Cricket we have four-day, 50 over competitions such as the above-mentioned County Cricket as well as Sheffield Shield in Australia. These tests can last between four and five days with no cap on the amount of overs per innings but the general number is around 90 overs per day which is why First Class Cricket can balloon out to an additional day. An over comprises six balls from the bowler to the batter, excluding wides, no balls and other variables. All Test Cricket is played between competing countries and is considered the pinnacle of the sport.
In the women's version of the game, tests are a bit rarer and most games consist of either 50 over games such as ODIs or T20.
One Day Internationals
ODIs or, ‘One Day Internationals’, are played as the titular title suggests, across a whole day featuring two innings per side at a maximum of 50 overs. They can be played into the night which is why ODIs and the below T20 format use white balls which are easier to see in the later hours of the day under floodlights.
T20
In T20 or ‘Twenty-20’ cricket, the game is played at a faster pace with 20 overs per side in single matches generally starting during the day and finishing up at night like ODIs. The night element means T20 is also played with a white ball.
The Field
Arguably one of the most dynamic aspects of cricket is the field and how fielding actually works. Different types of bowlers command different field setups, such as spin, medium pace and fast pace bowling. But there’s also aspects to take into consideration such as whether the batter is right or left-handed, whether the bowler is either as well, and then how the bowler chooses to approach the wicket (more on this shortly). But the basic positions on the field can be broken down into these:
- Bowler, Wicketkeeper, Slips (up to four), Gully, Point, Cover, Mid Off, Mid On, Mid Wicket, Square Leg and Fine Leg.
- Each team has a captain whose job it is to manoeuvre the fielders at their disposal (nine as there’s always an active bowler and wicket keeper) to the myriad positions on the field based on things like the type of batter who is at the crease, the type of bowler bowling to them and how the pitch is manipulating the ball, bowler and batter.
In terms of size, a cricket field is always oval or very, very close to circular (*cough* SCG *cough*), roughly 100 to 120 metres in diameter and in modern cricket this ‘boundary’ is either outlined with rope or the infamous ‘Toblerone’ padding. Should a ball clear this boundary from the batter on the full it is a ‘six’ if it strikes the boundary after hitting the ground beforehand, or on the full it is a ‘four’. A fielder may take a catch right on the boundary, but cannot go over the boundary with the ball in-hand as that is automatically a six, however, they may throw it in the air to give them time to take a better position, then step back onto the deck and complete the catch. They can even do this and throw it to another fielder and as long as the ball, or either fielder has not touched that boundary or crossed it, the catch can be completed resulting in a wicket and the dismissal of the batter.
(This setup has created some incredible moments from a fielding perspective, particularly in the T20 and ODI formats of the game.)
The Wicket
The wicket, pitch or crease is a central strip of specially prepared turf with fine grass. This is curated over various periods of time depending on the geolocation of the ground to be a harder surface than the rest of the field which tends to (de)evolve over the course of a game or series. This then helps teams make tactical decisions as the ball, which also gains ‘wear’ over time and can move in unique ways based on both of the above facets, all of which can make for dramatic changes to deliveries to the batter from the bowler. It’s a dynamic element to cricket and can often define the outcome of a game on its own.
Bowling
While we’ve discussed the six-ball over format and rules above, bowling has a lot more nuance. In spin bowling, for example, you can have a leg-spinner, an off-spinner, orthodox spin and unorthodox spin and variances with each delivery, such as a bowler who plies their trade with finger placement, or others who rely on wrist action, and even combinations of both. In spin bowling the goal of the bowler is to ‘turn’ the ball to deceive the batter to hit the wickets, force an LBW (leg before wicket), or to have them caught by a fielder. Spin bowlers bowl at a much slower pace and arguably rely most on how a pitch’s condition changes over the course of a game or series.
Conversely, both medium and fast paced bowlers utilise a pitch’s ‘bounce’ based on its hardness, while also using the seam of the ball in unique ways to also ‘turn’ or ‘swing’ it, but obviously at a much faster pace. In medium and fast pace bowling there are also different types of deliveries, such as bouncers, yorkers, in-swing, out-swing and more and, again, depends on the style and approach by each bowler, as well as the condition of the pitch and the conditions of the climate in which the game is being played.
All of the above is designed to either dismiss the batters facing the ball, or severely limit their ability to make runs, which is the key scoring component of all formats of cricket. Moreover, how coaches, selectors and captains utilise all those bits of information is a testament to the nuance we talked about earlier which is why we’ll move on to the next key element of the game -- batting.
Batting
Most teams, regardless of format, will have an opening, middle and tail-end batting order. Openers are usually utilised to set the pace of the game, though in each format this is a different system of approach. In First Class cricket, for example, the openers are there to tire the bowling attack meaning runs are of a secondary consequence, despite being the key scoring system of the game. This is where cricket being known as “a game of attrition” truly comes into play. The middle order in First Class cricket then tends to come in with the strength to take advantage of a ‘blunted’ bowling attack, though it doesn’t always work out this way.
In the shorter formats of the game, the openers are usually just the more skilled, powerful (or both) of the line up and tend to attack the bowling with aggression to initiate early runs for the middle order to follow on for.
The tail-end of most formats tends to be the bowling attack as cricket has a lot of specialist players (an ‘all-rounder’ is a player good at both batting and bowling), and specialised bowlers work harder on their bowling craft than batting. That said, plenty of tail-enders over many games have made significant gains in the scoring department as often they have a bit more freedom to play on instinct, particularly in the shorter formats of the game.
On that Attrition
As we’ve alluded to throughout, the nuances that come into all formats of cricket are wide and varied with such things as player selection, weather, climate, pitch, ball degradation and more all factors in how teams approach each game and each moment. In this way, the tactical side of the game is based on outmanoeuvring the opposition at every juncture while also playing to your strengths. For example, the team to bat first sets up the ‘run chase’ which is the score the other team will need to beat once they're at the crease. If bowling first, your job is to limit that run chase to within an achievable margin for your team. There are advantages to batting or bowling first depending on numerous factors which, again, speaks to the nuance and tactical side of the game.
It is an incredibly complex sport with so many layers that it’s easy to see how people who don’t know how it all works can find it intimidating, however, as with all sports, throwing yourself into viewership or, even better, playing (and we didn’t even talk about Indoor Cricket), can help you wrap your head around it all. The bottom line, though, is with so many leagues, countries and formats, cricket really delivers something for all, and hopefully all of the above has given you enough info to step up to the crease and enjoy one of the best games in the world.
