Cricket

For the past week, there has been nothing but Cricket on the telly. So, I figured I'd let all of you know what this funny sport is about.

Cricket is somewhat comparable to baseball, but quite different. Like baseball, the object is to score more runs than the other team. However, instead of 3 outs in an inning, the bowling (pitching) team has to get 10 outs, or "wickets" before they can bat. There are a number of ways to get the batter out, but there are four that are most common:

1. Bowling the stumps: If the bowler (pitcher) throws the ball and is able to knock over the stumps (wooden sticks that sit behind the batter), the batter is out. As a result, the batter's goal is to use his bat to protect the stumps.
2. Leg before wicket: If the batter swings and misses and the ball hits him, stopping it from hitting the stumps, he is out. This rule is meant so that the batters don't protect the stumps with their bodies, only the bat.
3. Fly ball: Like in baseball, if the batter hits a pop fly and it is caught in the air, the batter is out.
4. Throw out: After the batter hits the ball, he can run to the safe zone. If he makes it, he scores a run. If the fielder grabs the ball, throws it at the stumps, and knocks them over before the batter reaches the safe zone, the batter is out.

There are three different ways to score runs:

1. Six: This is the equivalent of a home run. If you hit the ball out of the field of play on the fly, it's worth six runs
2. Four: If you hit the ball out of the field of play on a roll (there aren't walls, it's just a line), you get four runs
3. One: If you hit the ball and run to the safe zone, you get a run. You can run back and forth from safe zone to safe zone as many times as you can while the ball is in play, scoring a run each time.

Because you don't have to run when you hit the ball, getting an out is very difficult. If you hit a little dribbler and don't think you can make it to the safe zone, you don't have to run. This means that games can go on for a very long time.

In Cricket's purest form, the "Test match", the game lasts for 5 days and consists of two innings. In order to win, you not only have to have a higher score than the other team, but you also have to get the 10 outs in each of the innings. If the two innings are not completed by the time the 5 days are up, then the match is declared a draw no matter what the score was at that point. Since obviously no one wants that to happen, there's a bit of strategy involved as to when to stop playing.

For example, in this weekend's match, Australia played Sri Lanka and Australia batted first. In the first 2 days, they had scored 551 runs and only gotten out 4 times. They felt that they had amassed enough of a lead, and conceded their other outs so that Sri Lanka could bat. As it turned out, Australia was able to get Sri Lanka out 10 times in each of the two innings (for a total of 20 outs) before they could get to 551 runs. So, Australia won and didn't even have to bat in their second inning. If Sri Lanka did get more than 551, Australia would have been able to bat again in their second inning to try and retake the lead, but they would never have gotten the 6 outs back that they conceded.

Because the games are so long, there are designated tea breaks and lunch breaks for the players. Plus, because they are in the sun all day, they all wear zinc on their noses and mouths, so they look very funny. Oh, and when they bowl the ball, they're not allowed to bend their arm. So, they get a running start and do a funny windmill motion to throw it.

We're hoping to go see some live cricket while we're here. Apparently it's not as boring to watch as it may sound, especially when there's beer involved.