Rule Book of Games

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players each on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 20-metre (22-yard) pitch with a target at each end called the wicket (a set of three wooden stumps upon which two bails sit). Each phase of play is called an innings, during which one team bats, attempting to score as many runs as possible, whilst their opponents bowl and field, attempting to minimise the number of runs scored. When each innings ends, the teams usually swap roles for the next innings (i.e. the team that previously batted will bowl/field, and vice versa). The teams each bat for one or two innings, depending on the type of match. The winning team is the one that scores the most runs, including any extras gained (except when the result is not a win/loss result). The game on the field is regulated by the two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler’s end, the other in a position called “square leg” which is about 15–20 metres away from the batsman on strike and in line with the popping crease on which he is taking guard. “Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game”. This book contains the fundamental and basic information of the subject and useful for teachers, students and researchers.