Cricket FAQs: Your Ultimate Guide to the Game
What is cricket?
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each, aiming to score runs by hitting the ball and running between wickets.
Where did cricket originate?
Cricket originated in England during the 16th century and became formalized in the 18th century.
How many players are in a cricket team?
Each team has 11 players.
What are the basic formats of cricket?
The main formats are Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 (T20).
What is Test cricket?
Test cricket is the longest format, played over five days with each team batting twice.
How long is an ODI match?
An ODI (One Day International) lasts about 7-8 hours, with each team playing 50 overs.
What is T20 cricket?
T20 is the shortest format, where each team plays 20 overs, lasting about 3 hours.
What is an over in cricket?
An over consists of 6 legal deliveries bowled by a bowler.
What is a wicket?
A wicket refers to the stumps, the act of dismissing a batsman, or the pitch itself, depending on context.
How do you score runs in cricket?
Runs are scored by hitting the ball and running between the wickets or by hitting boundaries (4 or 6 runs).
What is a boundary?
A boundary is when the ball reaches the edge of the field, scoring 4 runs if it rolls over, or 6 if it clears it without bouncing.
What does “out” mean in cricket?
“Out” means a batsman is dismissed and must leave the field.
What are the ways a batsman can get out?
Bowled, caught, LBW (leg before wicket), run out, stumped, hit wicket, handled the ball, obstructing the field, hit the ball twice, or timed out.
What is LBW?
LBW (Leg Before Wicket) is when the ball hits the batsman’s leg in front of the stumps, and it would have hit them.
What is a no-ball?
A no-ball is an illegal delivery, often due to the bowler overstepping the crease, giving the batting team an extra run.
What is a wide ball?
A wide is a delivery too far from the batsman to hit, adding an extra run to the batting team.
What is a free hit?
A free hit follows a no-ball, where the batsman cannot be dismissed except by a run-out.
What is the role of a bowler?
A bowler delivers the ball to the batsman, aiming to dismiss them or restrict runs.
What is the role of a batsman?
A batsman scores runs by hitting the ball and protects their wicket from being hit.
What is the role of a wicketkeeper?
The wicketkeeper catches missed balls and attempts stumpings or catches behind the stumps.
What is a fielder’s role?
Fielders stop the ball, catch it, or throw it to effect run-outs.
What is the stumps in cricket?
Stumps are three wooden poles at each end of the pitch, topped with bails.
What are bails?
Bails are small wooden pieces placed on top of the stumps, dislodged to confirm a dismissal.
What is the pitch in cricket?
The pitch is the 22-yard strip between the wickets where bowling and batting occur.
What is an innings?
An innings is one team’s turn to bat until 10 players are out or the overs are completed.
What does “declare” mean in cricket?
In Test cricket, a captain can “declare” an innings closed to set a target for the opposition.
What is a draw in cricket?
A draw occurs in Test cricket when neither team wins within five days.
What is a tie in cricket?
A tie happens when both teams score the same runs at the end of the match.
What is the follow-on in Test cricket?
If the team batting second scores significantly fewer runs (usually 200 less), the team batting first can enforce a follow-on, making them bat again.
What is a duck in cricket?
A duck is when a batsman is dismissed for zero runs.
What is a golden duck?
A golden duck is when a batsman is out on the first ball they face.
What is a century in cricket?
A century is when a batsman scores 100 or more runs in an innings.
What is a half-century?
A half-century is 50 or more runs scored by a batsman.
What is a double century?
A double century is 200 or more runs by a batsman.
Who is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket?
As of March 29, 2025, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record with 15,921 runs.
Who has the most wickets in Test cricket?
Muttiah Muralitharan has the most wickets, with 800.
What is a hat-trick in cricket?
A hat-trick is when a bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries.
What is a maiden over?
A maiden over is when no runs are scored off a bowler’s 6 deliveries.
What is a powerplay in cricket?
In ODIs and T20s, the powerplay is a set of overs with fielding restrictions, encouraging aggressive play.
How many overs are in a powerplay?
In ODIs, it’s the first 10 overs; in T20s, it’s the first 6 overs.
What is DRS in cricket?
DRS (Decision Review System) allows teams to challenge umpire decisions using technology.
How many reviews does a team get in DRS?
In Tests, teams get 3 reviews per innings; in ODIs and T20s, it’s 1 per innings.
What is a third umpire?
The third umpire reviews decisions off-field using TV replays.
What is a run rate?
Run rate is the average runs scored per over.
What is a strike rate?
Strike rate measures a batsman’s runs per 100 balls or a bowler’s balls per wicket.
What is a Yorker?
A Yorker is a ball bowled at the batsman’s feet, hard to hit.
What is a bouncer?
A bouncer is a short-pitched ball aimed at the batsman’s head or chest.
What is a googly?
A googly is a deceptive spin delivery by a leg-spinner that turns the opposite way.
What is an off-spinner?
An off-spinner is a bowler whose ball spins from the off side to the leg side for a right-handed batsman.
What is a leg-spinner?
A leg-spinner spins the ball from the leg side to the off side for a right-hander.
What is a doosra?
A doosra is an off-spinner’s delivery that spins the opposite way, popularized by Saqlain Mushtaq.
What is a full toss?
A full toss is a ball that doesn’t bounce before reaching the batsman.
What is a beamer?
A beamer is a high full toss aimed at the batsman’s head, considered dangerous and illegal.
What is a slog in cricket?
A slog is an aggressive, often risky shot played by a batsman.
What is a cover drive?
A cover drive is an elegant shot played through the cover region off the front foot.
What is a lofted shot?
A lofted shot is when the ball is hit into the air.
What is a sweep shot?
A sweep is a low shot played against spin bowling, often with a horizontal bat.
What is a reverse sweep?
A reverse sweep is a sweep shot played in the opposite direction.
What is a switch hit?
A switch hit is when a batsman changes stance mid-delivery to hit the ball.
What is the ICC in cricket?
The ICC (International Cricket Council) is the global governing body for cricket.
What is the Ashes series?
The Ashes is a historic Test series between England and Australia.
What is the Cricket World Cup?
The Cricket World Cup is an ODI tournament held every four years, organized by the ICC.
Who won the most Cricket World Cups?
Australia has won the ODI World Cup 5 times (as of 2023).
What is the T20 World Cup?
The T20 World Cup is a tournament for the T20 format, also held every two years.
What is the IPL?
The IPL (Indian Premier League) is a professional T20 league in India.
What is the Big Bash League?
The Big Bash League (BBL) is Australia’s T20 cricket league.
What is a super over?
A super over is a tiebreaker in limited-overs cricket, where each team bats for one over.
What is a dead ball?
A dead ball is when play is stopped, and no runs or dismissals count.
What is a nightwatchman?
A nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman sent in late in a Test day to protect a key batsman.
What is a declaration bowling?
Declaration bowling is when a team bowls easy deliveries to speed up a declaration in Tests.
What is a partnership in cricket?
A partnership is the runs scored by two batsmen batting together.
What is a tailender?
A tailender is a lower-order batsman, usually a weaker hitter.
What is an all-rounder?
An all-rounder is a player skilled at both batting and bowling.
Who is considered the greatest cricketer?
Sir Don Bradman is often regarded as the greatest due to his 99.94 Test batting average.
What is a cricket ball made of?
A cricket ball has a cork core, wrapped in leather, stitched with a raised seam.
Why is the cricket ball red or white?
Red balls are used in Tests for tradition and visibility; white balls are used in limited-overs for night games.
What is a pink ball?
A pink ball is used in day-night Test matches for better visibility under lights.
What is swing bowling?
Swing bowling is when the ball curves in the air due to seam or shine.
What is reverse swing?
Reverse swing occurs when a worn ball swings opposite to its seam position.
What is seam bowling?
Seam bowling uses the ball’s seam to create unpredictable bounce.
What is a cricket bat made of?
Cricket bats are traditionally made from willow wood.
What is the maximum length of a cricket bat?
A cricket bat can be up to 38 inches long.
What is a sticky wicket?
A sticky wicket is a damp pitch that makes batting difficult.
What is a flat pitch?
A flat pitch is a dry, even surface favoring batsmen.
What is a green pitch?
A green pitch has grass, assisting fast bowlers.
What is a dustbowl pitch?
A dustbowl is a dry, cracked pitch favoring spinners.
What is the Spirit of Cricket?
The Spirit of Cricket refers to the game’s ethos of fair play and respect.
What is sledging in cricket?
Sledging is verbal banter or taunts between players to unsettle opponents.
What is a Mankad?
A Mankad is when a bowler runs out a non-striker backing up too far before delivery.
What is a bodyline tactic?
Bodyline was a controversial tactic of bowling at the batsman’s body, used in the 1932-33 Ashes.
What is a helmet in cricket used for?
A helmet protects the batsman’s head from fast deliveries.
What are cricket pads?
Pads protect the batsman’s legs from the ball.
What is a cricket ground’s boundary rope?
The boundary rope marks the edge of the playing field.
What is a sightscreen?
A sightscreen is a large screen behind the bowler to help the batsman see the ball.
What is the difference between amateur and professional cricket?
Amateur cricket is recreational, while professional cricket involves paid players and contracts.
What is a county cricket?
County cricket is England’s domestic first-class competition.
What is List A cricket?
List A is a classification for limited-overs matches, like ODIs.
What is a rain rule in cricket?
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method adjusts targets in rain-affected limited-overs games.
What is a timeless Test?
A timeless Test has no day limit, played until a result (now rare).
Why is cricket called a gentleman’s game?
Cricket earned this title due to its emphasis on etiquette and sportsmanship historically.
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