Cricket Handbook Cover 2

Cricket Handbook
CRICKET HANDBOOK
KUMAR ; ANAND & PAULYNN
CONTENT COMPLIANCE
SHIFT 4
Prepared by Kumar; Anand & Paulynn [Shift4]

Cricket Handbook
An Explanation of Cricket 2
Table of Contents
 Basics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
 Equipment ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
 The Field --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
 The Play ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
 Scoring Runs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
 Ways of Getting Out ------------------------------------------------------------ 10
 Officials ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
 Extras -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
 The Bowling Action -------------------------------------------------------------- 14
 Fielding ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
 Injuries and Substitutions ----------------------------------------------------- 17
 Adverse Weather Conditions ------------------------------------------------- 17
 Umpire Signals -------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
 Cricket Types ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
 A Guide to Test Cricket --------------------------------------------------------- 19
 One-Day International Cricket ----------------------------------------------- 22
 Twenty20 Cricket ---------------------------------------------------------------- 27
 Strategies, Tactics, and Trivia ------------------------------------------------- 30
 Bowling Styles -------------------------------------------------------------------- 30
 Batsman's Shots ------------------------------------------------------------------ 33
 Statistics and Good Performances ------------------------------------------ 34
 Teams Which Play Cricket ----------------------------------------------------- 36
 A Glossary of Cricketing -------------------------------------------------------- 38

Cricket Handbook
Basics 3
Cricket is a team sport for two teams of eleven players each. A formal game of cricket
can last anything from an afternoon to several days.
Although the game play and rules are very different, the basic concept of cricket is
similar to that of baseball. Teams bat in successive innings and attempt to score runs,
while the opposing team fields and attempts to bring an end to the batting team's
innings. After each team has batted an equal number of innings (either one or two,
depending on conditions chosen before the game), the team with the most runs wins.
(Note: In cricket-speak the word "innings" is used for both the plural and the singular.
"Inning" is a term used only in baseball.)
Cricket was first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century.
By the end of the 18th century, it had developed to the point where it had become the
national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being
played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being
held. Today, the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), has 105
member countries. With its greatest popularity in the Test playing countries, cricket is
the world's second most popular sport after Association football.

Cricket Handbook
Equipment 4
Cricket Ball:
It is a hard, cork and string ball, covered with leather. A bit like a baseball (in size
and hardness), but the leather covering is thicker and joined in two hemispheres,
not in a tennis ball pattern. The seam is thus like an equator, and the stitching is
raised slightly. The circumference is between 224 and 229 millimeters (8.81 to
9.00 inches), and the ball weighs between 156 and 163 grams (5.5 to 5.75
ounces). Traditionally the ball is dyed red, with the stitching left white.
Nowadays white balls are also used, for visibility in games played at night under
artificial lighting.
Cricket Bat:
Blade made of willow, flat on one side, humped on the other for strength,
attached to a sturdy cane handle. The blade has a maximum width of 108
millimeters (4.25 inches) and the whole bat has a maximum length of 965
millimeters (38 inches).
Protective Gear:
Pads, gloves, helmet, etc for batsmen to wear to prevent injury when struck by
the ball.
Shoes:
Leather shoes, usually with spiked soles for grip on the grass.
Clothing:
Normally is long pants, shirt (long or short sleeved depending on the weather),
possibly a sleeveless or long-sleeved woolen pullover in cold weather. For games
played with a red ball, the clothing must be white or cream. With a white ball,
players usually wear uniforms in solid team colors. Add a hat or cap to keep the
sun off. There are no regulations regarding identifying marks or numbers on
clothing.
Stumps:
Three wooden posts, 25 millimeters (1 inch) in diameter and 813 millimeters (32
inches) high. They have spikes extending from their bottom end and are
hammered into the ground in an evenly spaced row, with the outside edges of
the outermost stumps 228 millimeters (9 inches) apart. This means they are just
close enough together that a cricket ball cannot pass between them.

Cricket Handbook
Bails:
Two wooden crosspieces which sit in grooves atop the adjacent pairs of stumps. 5
Wickets:
There are two wickets - wooden structures made up of a set of three stumps
topped by a pair of bails. These are described below.
A complete wicket looks like this:

Cricket Handbook
The Field 6
A cricket field is a roughly elliptical field of flat grass, ranging in size from about 90 to
150 meters (100-160 yards) across, bounded by an obvious fence or other marker. There
is no fixed size or shape for the field, although large deviations from a low-eccentricity
ellipse are discouraged. In the centre of the field, and usually aligned along the long axis
of the ellipse, is the pitch , a carefully prepared rectangle of closely mown and rolled
grass over hard packed earth. It is marked with white lines, called creases, like this:
The dimensions are in centimeters (divide by 2.54 for inches).
The Play
The order in which the teams bat is determined by a coin toss. The captain of the side
winning the toss may elect to bat or field first.
All eleven players of the fielding team go out to field; two players of the batting team go
out to bat. The remainders of the batting team wait off the field for their turn to bat.
Each batsman wears protective gear and carries a cricket bat.
The game progresses by the bowling of balls. The sequence of events which constitutes
a ball follows:
The fielding team disperses around the field, to positions designed to stop runs being
scored or to get batsmen out. One fielder is the bowler. He takes the ball and stands
some distance behind one of the wickets (i.e., away from the pitch). Another fielder is
the wicket-keeper, who wears a pair of webbed gloves designed for catching the ball

Cricket Handbook
and protective pads covering the shins. He squats behind the opposite wicket. The rest
of the fielders have no special equipment - gloves to assist catching the ball are not 7
allowed to anyone but the wicket-keeper.
One batsman stands behind each popping crease, near a wicket. The batsman farthest
from the bowler is the striker, the other is the non-striker. The striker stands before his
wicket, on or near the popping crease, in the batting stance. For a right-handed batsman,
the feet are positioned like this:
The batsman stands with his bat held down in front of the wicket, ready to hit the ball,
which will be bowled from the other end of the pitch. The batsman usually rests the
lower end of the bat on the pitch and then taps the bat on the pitch a few times as
"warm-up" backswings.
The non-striker simply stands behind the other popping crease, waiting to run if
necessary. The bowler takes a run-up from behind the non-striker's wicket. He passes to
one side of the wicket, and when he reaches the non-striker's popping crease he bowls
the ball towards the striker, usually bouncing the ball once on the pitch before it
reaches the striker. (The bowling action will be described in detail later.)
The striker may then attempt to hit the ball with his bat. If he misses it, the wicket-
keeper will catch it and the ball is completed. If he hits it, the two batsmen may score
runs (described later). When the runs are completed, the ball is also considered
completed. The ball is considered to be in play from the moment the bowler begins his
run-up. It remains in play until any of several conditions occur (two common ones were
just described), after which it is called dead. The ball is also dead if it lodges in the
striker's clothing or equipment. Once the ball is dead, it is returned to the bowler for the
next delivery (another name for the bowling of a ball). Between deliveries, the batsmen
may leave their creases and confer with each other.
When one bowler has completed six balls, which constitute an over. A different member
of the fielding team is given the ball and bowls the next over - from the opposite end of

Cricket Handbook
the pitch. The batsmen do not change ends, so the roles of striker and non-striker swap
after each over. Any member of the fielding team may bowl, so long as no bowler 8
delivers two consecutive overs. Once a bowler begins an over, he must complete it,
unless injured or suspended during the over.
Another possibility during a ball is that a batsman may get out. There are ten different
methods of being out - these will be described in detail later. If a batsman gets out, the
ball is dead immediately, so it is impossible to get the other batsman out during the
same ball. The out batsman leaves the field, and the next batsman in the team comes in
to bat. The not out batsman remains on the field. The order in which batsmen come in
to bat in an innings is not fixed. The batting order may be changed by the team captain
at any time, and the order does not have to be the same in each innings.
When ten batsmen are out, no new batsmen remain to come in, and the innings is
completed with one batsman remaining not out. The roles of the teams then swap, and
the team which fielded first gets to bat through an innings. When both teams have
completed the agreed number of innings, the team which has scored the most runs wins.
Scoring Runs
Cricket is scored in runs. Two batsmen are on the field at the same time during play, one at each
wicket. Whenever a batsman hits the ball during a delivery, he may score runs. A run is
scored by the batsmen running between the popping creases, crossing over midway
between them. When they both reach the opposite crease, one run is scored, and they
may return for another run immediately. The fielding side attempts to prevent runs
being scored by threatening to run out one of the batsmen.
If the batsmen are attempting to take runs, and a fielder gathers the ball and hits a
wicket with it, dislodging one or both bails, while no batsman is behind that wicket's
popping crease, then the nearest batsman is run out.
If the batsmen run one or three (or five! rare, but possible), then they have swapped
ends and their striker/non-striker roles are reversed for the next ball (unless the ball just
completed is the end of an over).
In addition to scoring runs like this, if a batsman hits the ball so that it reaches the
boundary fence, he scores four runs, without needing to actually run them. If a batsman

Cricket Handbook
hits the ball over the boundary on the full, he scores six runs. If a four or six is scored,
the ball is completed and the batsmen cannot be run out. If a spectator encroaches on 9
to the field and touches the ball, it is considered to have reached the boundary. If a
fielder gathers the ball, but then steps outside or touches the boundary while still
holding the ball, four runs are scored. If a fielder catches the ball on the full and, either
during or immediately after the catch, steps outside or touches the boundary, six runs
are scored.
The batsmen usually stop taking runs when a fielder is throwing the ball back towards
the pitch area. If no fielder near the pitch gathers the ball and it continues into the
outfield again, the batsmen may take more runs. Such runs are called overthrows. If the
ball reaches the boundary on an overthrow, four runs are scored in addition to the runs
taken before the overthrow occurred. Runs scored by a batsman, including all
overthrows, are credited to him by the scorer. The number of runs scored by each
batsman is an important statistic.
If, while running multiple runs, a batsman does not touch the ground beyond the
popping crease before he returns for the next run, then the umpire at that end will
signal one short, and the number of runs scored is reduced by one.
The directions in which a right-handed batsman intends to send the ball when playing various
cricketing shots. The diagram for a left-handed batsman is a mirror image of this one.

Cricket Handbook
Ways of Getting Out 10

The wicket is said to be broken if one or both of the bails have been dislodged and fallen
to the ground. If the bails have fallen off for any reason and the ball is still in play, then
breaking the wicket must be accomplished by pulling a stump completely out of the
ground. If the wicket needs to be broken like this with the ball, the uprooting of the
stump must be done with the ball in contact with the stump.
The field is notionally split into two halves, along a line down the centre of the pitch.
The half of the field in front of the striker is called the off side; the half behind is called
the leg side, or sometimes the on side. Thus, standing at the bowler's wicket and
looking towards a right-handed striker's wicket, the off side is to the left and the leg side
to the right (and vice-versa for a left-handed striker). The stumps of the striker's wicket
are called off stump, middle stump, and leg stump, depending on which side they are
on.
When a batsman gets out, no matter by what method, his wicket is said to have fallen,
and the fielding team are said to have taken a wicket.
Now, the ways of getting out:
Caught:
If a fielder catches the ball on the full after the batsman has hit it with his bat.
However, if the fielder catches the ball, but either during the catch or
immediately afterwards touches or steps over the boundary, then the batsman
scores six runs and is not out.
Bowled:
If the batsman misses the ball and it hits and breaks the wicket directly from the
bowler's delivery. The batsman is out whether or not he is behind his popping
crease. He is also out bowled if the ball breaks the wicket after deflecting from
his bat or body. The batsman is not out if the wicket does not break.
Obstructing the Field:

If a batsman deliberately interferes with the efforts of fielders to gather the ball
or effect a run out. This does not include running a path between the fielder and
the wicket so that the fielder cannot throw the stumps down with the ball, which
is quite legal, but does include any deliberate attempt to swat the ball away.

Cricket Handbook
Leg before Wicket:

If the batsman misses the ball with his bat, but intercepts it with part of his body 11
when it would otherwise have hit the wicket, and provided several other
conditions (described below) are satisfied.
Stumped:
If a batsman misses the ball and in attempting to play it steps outside his crease,
he is out stumped if the wicket-keeper gathers the ball and breaks the wicket
with it before the batsman can ground part of his body or his bat behind his
crease.
Hit Wicket:
If, in attempting to hit a ball or taking off for a first run, the batsman touches and
breaks the wicket. This includes with the bat or dislodged pieces of the
batsman's equipment - even a helmet or spectacles!
Handle The Ball:

If a batsman touches the ball with a hand not currently holding the bat, without
the permission of the fielding side. This does not include being hit on the hand
by a delivery, or any other non-deliberate action.
Run Out:
If a batsman is attempting to take a run, or to return to his crease after an
aborted run and a fielder breaks that batsman's wicket with the ball while he is
out of the crease. If the ball is hit directly on to the non-striker's wicket, without
being touched by a fielder, then the non-striker is not out. If the non-striker
leaves his crease (in preparation to run) while the bowler is running up, the
bowler may run him out without bowling the ball.
Hit The Ball Twice:

If a batsman hits a delivery with his bat and then deliberately hits the ball again
for any reason other than to defend his wicket from being broken by the ball. If
the ball is bouncing or rolling around near the stumps, the batsman is entitled to
knock it away so as to avoid being bowled, but not to score runs.
Timed Out:
If a new batsman takes longer than two minutes, from the time the previous
wicket falls, to appear on the field.

Cricket Handbook
Officials 12
The game is adjudicated by two umpires, who make all decisions on the field and whose
word is absolutely final. One umpire stands behind the non-striker's wicket, ready to
make judgments on LBWs and other events requiring a decision. The other umpire
stands in line with the striker's popping crease, about 20 meters (20 yards) to one side
(usually the leg side, but not always), ready to judge stumping and run-outs at his end.
The umpires remain at their respective ends of the pitch, thus swapping roles every over.
If the technology is available for a given match, a third umpire is sometimes used. He
sits off the field, with a television replay monitor. If an on-field umpire is unsure of a
decision concerning either a run out or a stumping attempt, he may signal for the third
umpire to view a television replay. The third umpire views a replay, in slow motion if
necessary, until he either reaches a decision or decides that he cannot make a clear
decision. He signals the result to the on-field umpire, who must then abide by it. If the
equipment fails, the replay umpire signals no decision. The replay umpire cannot be
used for any decisions other than run outs and stumping.
Whenever any decision is in doubt, the umpire must rule in favor of the batsman. If the
ball hits an umpire, it is still live and play continues. If it lodges in an umpire's clothing,
then it is dead.
Steve Bucknor- Emirates Elite Panel umpire. Umpires Allem Dar (middle) and Billy Doctrove (left ).

Cricket Handbook
Extras 13
Extras are runs scored by means other than when the ball is hit by a batsman. Extras are
not credited to any batsman, and are recorded by the scorer separately. The total
number of runs for the innings is equal to the sums of the individual batsmen's scores
and the extras. There are four types of extras: no balls, wides, byes, and leg byes.
The bowler must bowl each ball with part of his front most foot behind the popping
crease. If he oversteps this mark, he has bowled a no ball. The umpire at that end calls
"no ball" immediately in a loud voice. The batsman may play and score runs as usual,
and may not be out by any means except run out, handle the ball, hit the ball twice, or
obstructing the field. Further, if the batsman does not score any runs from the ball, one
run is added to the batting team's score. Also, the bowler must bowl an extra ball in his
over to compensate. A no ball is also called if any part of the bowler's back foot is not
within the area between the return creases.
If the bowler bowls the ball far to one side or over the head of the batsman, so making it
impossible to score, the umpire will signal the ball as a wide. This gives the batting team
one run and the bowler must re-bowl the ball. The striker may not be out hit wicket off
a wide ball.
If the striker misses a ball and the wicket-keeper fails to gather it cleanly, the batsmen
may take runs. These runs are called byes and are scored as extras.
If the striker, in attempting to play a shot, deflects the ball with part of his body, the
batsmen may attempt to take a run. Such runs are called leg byes. If the striker did not
attempt to play a shot with his bat, leg byes may not be taken. The umpire adjudicates
by signaling a dead ball if the batsmen attempt to run when, in his opinion, no attempt
was made to play a shot.
Batsmen may be run out as usual while running byes and leg-byes. If, while running
either form of bye, the ball reaches the boundary, four byes (of the appropriate type)
are scored.

Cricket Handbook
The Bowling Action 14

The bowling action itself has to conform to several restrictions. The bowler's arm must
be straight when the ball is bowled (so no "throwing" is allowed). The ball must be
bowled over arm, not underarm.
The difference between 'bowling' and 'throwing': When you throw the ball, the elbow
is cocked and used to impart energy to the ball by straightening. When a ball is bowled,
the elbow joint is held extended throughout. All the energy is imparted by rotation of
the arm about the shoulder, and possibly a little by wrist motion. For a right-handed
bowler, the action goes roughly as follows:
After the run-up, the right foot is planted on the ground with the instep facing the
batsman. The right arm is extended backwards and down at this stage. The left foot
comes down on the popping crease as the bowler's momentum carries him forward - he
is standing essentially left-side on to the batsman. As the weight transfers to the left
foot, the right arm is brought over the shoulder in a vertical arc. The ball is released near
the top of the arc, and the follow-through brings the arm down and the right shoulder
forward rapidly.
Bouncing the ball on the pitch is not mandatory. It's usually done because the
movement of the ball off the pitch makes it much harder to hit. Unbounded deliveries,
or full tosses are almost always much easier to hit, and mostly they are bowled
accidentally. A full toss above hip height is no ball, and an umpire who suspects that
such a ball was deliberate will give the bowler an official warning. A warning is also
given if the umpire believes the bowler is bowling at the body of a batsman in a
deliberate attempt to injure the batsman. After two warnings a bowler is barred from
bowling for the rest of the innings.
If any rule governing the bowling action is violated, a no ball results.
Bowlers are allowed to polish the ball by rubbing it with cloth (usually on their trouser
legs) and applying saliva or sweat to it. Any other substance is illegal, as is rubbing the
ball on the ground. Usually one side of the ball is polished smooth, while the other
wears, so that the bowler can achieve swing (curving the ball through the air). It is also
illegal to roughen the ball by any means, including scraping it with the fingernails or
lifting the seam. A bowler who illegally tampers with the ball is immediately suspended
from bowling for the rest of that innings.

Cricket Handbook
The bowler may bowl from either side of the wicket, but must inform the umpire and
the batsmen if he wishes to change sides. Bowling with the bowling arm closest to the 15
wicket is called over the wicket, and is most common. Bowling with the non-bowling are
closest to the wicket is called around the wicket.
The bowler may abort his run-up or not let go of the ball if he loses his footing or timing
for any reason. The umpire will signal dead ball and the ball must be bowled again. If a
bowler loses his grip on the ball during the delivery action, it is considered to be a live
ball only if it is propelled forward of the bowler. If such a ball comes to rest in front of
the striker, but any distance to the side, the striker is entitled to walk up to the ball and
attempt to hit it with his bat. The fielding team must not touch the ball until the striker
either hits it or declines to do so.
A delivery may also be aborted by the striker stepping away from his stumps, if
distracted by an insect or dust in the eye, for example.
A typical bowling action
Fielding
Field placements in cricket are not standardized. There are several named field positions,
and the fielding captain uses different combinations of them for tactical reasons. There
are also further descriptive words to specify variations on the positions labeled by
simple names, so that any position in which a fielder stands can be described.
The only restriction on field placements is that, at the time the ball is delivered, there
must be no more than two fielders in the quadrant of the field backward of square leg.
(This rule exists mainly for historical reasons - see the Bodyline section below.)
Sometimes fielders close to the bat wear helmets for safety. When not in use, the
helmet (or any other loose equipment) may be placed on the field (usually behind the
wicket-keeper, where it is unlikely to be hit by the ball). If any such loose fielding

Cricket Handbook
equipment is hit with the ball, five runs are scored, either to the batsman who hit the
ball or as the appropriate form of byes. The ball is then considered dead and no further 16
runs can be taken, nor can a batsman be run out.
If a fielder is wearing a protective helmet, and the striker hits the ball so that it bounces
off the helmet, he may not be out caught off the rebound. If a ball rebounds from any
other part of the body of a fielder, he may be out caught if another fielder (or the same
one) then catches the ball before it hits the ground.

Cricket Handbook
Injuries and Substitutions 17

In case of injury, substitutes may replace any number of fielders. A substitute may only
field - he may not bowl, nor bat. A substitute may not keep wicket. A substituted player
must return to the field as soon as he is able to resume playing without danger.
If a batsman is injured, he may retire and resume his innings when fit again, so long as
his team's innings is not over. If a batsman is too injured to bat when no other batsmen
remain to come in after a wicket falls, his innings must be forfeited and his team's
innings ends. If a batsman is able to bat, but not run, then another player may run for
him. The runner must wear the same equipment as the batter, and performs all his
running. The injured non-runner must remain behind his crease at all times when the
ball is in play or risk being run out, even if his runner is safely behind a crease.
If a bowler is injured during an over and cannot complete it, another bowler must bowl
the remaining deliveries in that over. The bowler chosen to finish the over must not be
the bowler who bowled the previous over, and must not bowl the over immediately
following either.
A player may not leave the field for injury unless the injury is sustained on the field. An
injured player who takes the field may not leave because of his pre-existing injury,
unless it is clearly aggravated further on the field.
Adverse Weather Conditions

Play is suspended at the umpires' discretion for rain. Light rain is usually tolerated,
though nothing heavier, because of the possibility of damage to the pitch. If the players
are off the field, they must remain off until the rain has stopped completely. During rain
the pitch is covered with waterproof material to protect it. Often the bowlers' run-ups
and an area around the pitch are also covered.
During very windy conditions, sometimes the bails will tend to blow off the top of the
stumps. If this becomes a problem, the umpires can decide to play without bails. In this
case, the wicket does not need to be broken by uprooting a stump, and the umpires
must take full responsibility for deciding, in a reasonable manner, whether the wicket is
broken or not.

Cricket Handbook
Umpire Signals 18
The umpires signal various events with gestures, as follows:
Out:
When a batsman is out, the umpire making the decision raises one hand above
his head, with the index finger extended.
Not Out:
There is no formal signal to indicate that a batsman is not out. The umpire can
either shake his head 'no' or not signal at all.
Four:
A four scored by the ball reaching the boundary is signaled by an arm extended
horizontally and waved briefly back and forth in a horizontal arc.
Six:
A six is signaled by raising both arms straight over the head.
No Ball:
A no ball is signaled by holding an arm out horizontally.
Wide:
A wide is signaled by holding both arms out horizontally.
Byes:
Runs scored as byes are signaled by raising one arm over the head, palm open.
Leg Byes:
Leg byes are signaled by raising one leg and tapping the knee with one hand.
Dead Ball:
If the umpire has to signal dead ball to prevent the players from assuming that
the ball is still alive, he waves both arms across each other in front of his
abdomen.
One Short:
One short is signaled by touching the tip of one hand to the same shoulder.

Cricket Handbook
TV Replay:
If an umpire wishes the third umpire to make a decision based on a TV replay, he 19
signals by drawing a large square shape in the air with both hands, spreading
them out high in the air in front of him, bringing them down, and then together
again.
Cricket Types
Cricket is played professionally in several different versions. Here you will find a
description of each of these.
Professional
The traditional version of the game, Test Match cricket, has been rivaled in popularity by
shorter more spectator friendly versions of cricket in recent years.
1. Test Matches
2. One Day Matches
3. 20-Twenty Matches
Social
For many cricket superstars, their skills developed early playing in their backyard on at
the beach.
1. Backyard Cricket
2. French Cricket
3. Beach Cricket
A Guide to Test Cricket
Test Cricket is a game played between two International sides. It is the oldest form of
Cricket in existence.
The first officially recognized Test Match was between England and Australia on 15th
March 1877 at The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia winning by 45 runs.

Cricket Handbook
Test Match Rules and Regulations

A Test Match lasts for 5 days with 90 over’s being bowled on each. An ‘over’ refers to 6 20
legal deliveries being bowled. An ‘illegal’ delivery refers to a ‘no ball’ or a ‘wide’. A no
ball is where the bowler has overstepped the crease being releasing the ball and a wide
is where the umpire (official) decides the ball has not been bowled close enough to the
batsman for a shot to be played.
Over the course of the 5 days each side has 2 innings in which to compile as many runs
as possible.
Test Cricket Order of Play

Each of the 5 days is comprised of 3 sessions of 2 hours. After the first session there is a
40 minute ‘lunch’ break and after the second a 20 minute ‘tea’ break.
The final session can be extended by up to 30 minutes if 90 or more overs have not been
bowled. This is not applicable on the final days play.
A Test Match Innings

An innings is where each team has 11 batsmen each facing the bowling until they lose
their wicket, which means they are ‘out’. They bat in pairs so when 10 of the 11 are out,
the innings is over.
The team that scores the most runs over the course of the 5 days and their two innings
wins the match.
Scoring Runs in Test Cricket

There are many ways to score runs in Test Cricket. After hitting the ball the batsmen can
literally run between the wickets (3 wooden stumps with two bails across the top) up
and down until the fielding side has the ball close enough to the bails to stop them.
They can hit the ball to the boundary (a rope around the outside of the field. If the ball
bounces before reaching the boundary its worth 4 runs, if it doesn’t its worth 6. The
batting side is also awarded a run if the bowling side produces a no ball (see above).
Methods of dismissal in Test Cricket

There are several ways a fielding team can dismiss a batsman. Some such as LBW and
Caught are regular occurrences; others such as Handled the Ball are very rare. Some in
fact have never been seen at all.
Stoppages in Test Cricket

Play can be stopped due to bad light or rain at any time. In event off these stoppages
other than the additional 30 minutes, no further increase in time may be allowed.

Cricket Handbook
As soon as a result has been achieved play stops immediately regardless of how much
time is left. 21
How to win at Test Cricket

The winners of a Test Match are the side that has compiled more runs than the
opposition over their two overs. They must bowl out their opposition twice though
because if they are still batting at the end of the 5th day the match finishes a draw.
Current Test Nations

There is currently ten nations afforded Test status by The ICC (governing body). They are
England, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand,
Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan.
India v South Africa 2009/10

Test Series Team Squad
India Vs Australia 2nd Test Day 5

Cricket Handbook
One-Day International Cricket 22

One Day International (ODI) is a form of cricket, in which 50 overs are played per side
between two national cricket teams. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format. One
Day International matches are also called "Limited Overs Internationals (LOI)", because
they are limited overs cricket matches between national sides, and if the weather
interferes they are not always completed in one day. Important one-day matches,
international and domestic, often have two days set aside, the second day being a
"reserve" day to allow more chance of the game being completed if a result is not
possible on the first day (for instance if play is prevented or interrupted by rain).
The international one-day game is a late twentieth-century development. The first ODI
was played on 5 January 1971 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket
Ground. When the first three days of the third Test were washed out officials decided to
abandon the match and, instead, play a one-off one day game consisting of 40 eight-ball
overs per side. Australia won the game by 5 wickets.
In the late 1970s, Kerry Packer established the rival World Series Cricket (WSC)
competition, and it introduced many of the features of One Day International cricket
that are now commonplace, including colored uniforms, matches played at night under
floodlights with a white ball and dark sight screens, and, for television broadcasts,
multiple camera angles, effects microphones to capture sounds from the players on the
pitch, and on-screen graphics. The first of the matches with colored uniforms was the
WSC Australians in wattle gold versus WSC West Indians in coral pink, played at VFL Park
in Melbourne on 17 January 1979. It was credited with making cricket a more
professional sport.
Rules
In the main the Laws of cricket apply. However, in ODIs, each team gets to bat only a
fixed number of overs. In the early days of ODI cricket, the number of overs was
generally 60 overs per side but now it has been uniformly fixed at 50 overs. Simply
stated the game works as follows:
 An ODI is contested by 2 teams of 11 players each.

 The Captain of the side winning the toss chooses to either bat or bowl (field) first.
 The team batting first sets the target score in a single innings. The innings lasts
until the batting side is "all out" (i.e., 10 of the 11 batting players are "out") or all
of the first side's allotted overs are used up.
 Each bowler is restricted to bowling a maximum of 10 overs (fewer in the case of
rain-reduced matches and in any event generally no more than one fifth or 20%
of the total overs per innings).

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 The team batting second tries to score more than the target score in order to
win the match. Similarly, the side bowling second tries to bowl out the second 23
team for less than the target score in order to win.
 If the numbers of runs scored by both teams are equal when the second team
loses all of its wickets or exhausts all its overs, then the game is declared as a 'tie'
(regardless of the number of wickets lost by either team).
Where a number of overs are lost, for example, due to inclement weather conditions,
then the number of overs may be reduced. Where the number of overs available for the
team batting second is perforce different from the number of overs faced by the team
that batted first, the result may be determined by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The floodlights would be positioned in such a way that it would not interfere with
fielding teams and captains would be allowed a cloth on field should the ball become
moist.
Powerplay
The bowling team is subject to fielding restrictions stipulating that nine fielders,
including two fielders in catching positions, must be inside the fielding circle for a set
number of overs. Traditionally, the fielding restrictions applied for the first 15 overs of
each innings.
In a 10 month trial period starting 30 July 2005, the ICC introduced the Powerplays rule
as part of a series of new ODI regulations. Under the Powerplays rule, fielding
restrictions apply for the first 10 overs, plus two blocks of five overs (called Powerplay
Fives). From October 2008 the batting side decides when one of the remaining two
blocks occurs; the fielding side decides when to begin the other Powerplay. In the first
Powerplay, no more than two fielders can be positioned outside 30 yard circle (this is
increased to three for the second and third Powerplay blocks). In the first 10 overs, it is
also required that at least two fielders are in close catching positions.
The ICC have announced, as of 1 October 2007, with regard to Powerplays, that the
captain of the fielding side may elect to position 3 fielders outside the 30 yard circle in
one of the two 5-over Powerplays. The rule was first invoked in a match between Sri
Lanka and England at Dambulla Stadium on 1 October 2007. Sri Lanka won the match by
119 runs. Currently both 2nd and 3rd powerplay will have 3 fielders outside 30 yard
circle, and one powerplay is chosen by batting team.

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24
A limited number of fielders are allowed in outfield during powerplays.
Trial regulations
The trial regulations also introduced a substitution rule that allowed the introduction of
a replacement player at any stage in the match. Teams nominated their replacement
player, called a Supersub, before the toss. The Supersub could bat, bowl, field or keep
wicket; the replaced player took no further part in the game. Over the six months it was
in operation, it became very clear that the Supersub was of far more benefit to the side
that won the toss, unbalancing the game. Several international captains reached
"gentleman's agreements" to discontinue this rule late in 2005.

Cricket Handbook
Teams with ODI status

The International Cricket Council (ICC) determines which teams have ODI status 25
(meaning that any match played between two such teams under standard one-day rules
is classified as an ODI).
The ten Test-playing nations (which are also the ten full members of the ICC) have
permanent ODI status. The nations are listed below with the date of each nation's ODI
dates shown in brackets:
Australia (5 January 1971)

England (5 January 1971)
New Zealand (11 February 1973)
Pakistan (11 February 1973)
West Indies (5 September 1973)
India (13 July 1974)
Sri Lanka (7 June 1975)
Zimbabwe (9 June 1983)
Bangladesh (31 March 1986)
South Africa (10 November 1991)
The ICC temporarily grants ODI status to other teams; at present these are:
Kenya (from 18 February 1996, until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Canada (from 1 January 2006 until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Ireland (from 1 January 2006 until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Netherlands (from 1 January 2006 until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Scotland (from 1 January 2006 until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Afghanistan (from 19 April 2009 until the 2013 ICC World Cup Qualifier)
Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland earned this status as a result of their
performance at the 2005 ICC Trophy. The ICC followed this precedent in 2009 and used
the results of the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier (the new name of the ICC Trophy) to
award ODI status for the following four years. During the tournament Afghanistan
capped a remarkable year by finishing 5th and qualifying for ODI status.

Cricket Handbook
One Day International records

Sachin Tendulkar of India holds record of the most 100s and 50s in One Day 26
International. He also has the most runs in One Day International and is the only male
player to score a double century in a One Day International, which he achieved on 24
February, 2010.
The record for the highest innings total in any List A limited overs match is 443 for nine
by Sri Lanka against Netherlands in their One Day International 50-overs match at
Amstelveen on July 4, 2006. The lowest team total is 35 all out by Zimbabwe against Sri
Lanka in Harare, 2004.
The most runs scored by both sides in any List A limited overs match is 872: Australia,
batting first, scored 434 for four in 50 overs, and yet were beaten by South Africa who
scored 438 for nine with a ball to spare during their One Day International at
Johannesburg in 2006.
The best bowling figures are 8-19 by Chaminda Vaas for Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe in
Colombo, 2001-02 - he is the only player to take eight wickets in a One Day international.

Cricket Handbook
Twenty20 Cricket 27
The England Cricket Board introduced the Twenty20 Cup County Cricket Tournament in
2003. It was a huge success with the matches drawing vast audiences and attracting
new supporters to the game.
The success of the tournament in England meant that other cricket playing countries
soon adopted this form of the game domestically.
All Test Cricket playing countries now have a Domestic Twenty20 Tournament. These
are:
 Australia
 Bangladesh
 England
 India
 New Zealand
 Pakistan
 South Africa
 Sri Lanka, and
 West Indies.
In addition some of the non test playing countries has also adopted this format of the
game. They are:
 Holland
 Ireland, and
 Scotland
Twenty20 Cricket International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup

Following on from the huge popularity of the domestic tournaments, the first Twenty20
World Cup was held in South Africa in 2007 which was won by India.
In the next Twenty20 World Cup held in England in 2009 Pakistan beat Sri Lanka for the
trophy.
These events have drawn record crowds and changed the face of cricket from being a
staid old game played over five days, sometimes with no result, into a fast and furious
fun game with nail-biting finishes.
Also the shorter time frame, over which a match is played, appears to have mass appeal.

Cricket Handbook
Twenty20 Cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL)

The advent of the IPL in 2008 saw the game of cricket being taken to another level with 28
millions of dollars offered to top international players.
The IPL showcased the talents of the players from a different angle. Having joined a
franchise, players were playing with and against team mates from their own country. It
brought together the elite players from all test playing nations.
Combine this with the big hitting shots of the batsmen, the furious pace of the game,
the razzamatazz of cheer leaders and the stage was set for a 'bollywood' style spectacle.
The two IPL tournaments held so far, in India and in South Africa, have not disappointed
the spectators or the supporters.
Twenty20 Champions League

This tournament is the brainchild of the people behind the IPL. The tournament will be
played between 12 teams consisting of:
 3 IPL teams
 2 South African Domestic Teams
 2 Australian Domestic Teams
 2 English Domestic Teams, and
 1 Team each from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Twenty20 Cricket has progressed from a pilot domestic tournament in England in 2003
to the world stage, with 12 countries playing the game, in just seven short years. It has
also brought a new band of supporters to the game of cricket.
Champions League Twenty20 2009 Winners

Cricket Handbook
Twenty20 International teams

29
The nations are listed below with the date of each nation's Twenty20 International
debut shown in brackets.
1. Australia (17 February, 2005)

2. New Zealand (17 February, 2005)
3. England (13 June, 2005)
4. South Africa (21 October, 2005)
5. West Indies (16 February, 2006)
6. Sri Lanka (15 June, 2006)
7. Pakistan (28 August, 2006)
8. Bangladesh (28 November, 2006)
9. Zimbabwe (28 November, 2006)
10. India (1 December, 2006)
11. Kenya (1 September, 2007)
12. Scotland (12 September, 2007)
13. Netherlands (2 August, 2008)
14. Ireland (2 August, 2008)
15. Canada (2 August, 2008)
16. Bermuda (3 August, 2008)
17. Afghanistan (2 February, 2010)
Chennai Super Kings win Champions League T20 in South Africa

Cricket Handbook
Strategies, Tactics, and Trivia 30

All of the rules of cricket have been described above, as well as some other information
which is not "rules", such as names of fielding positions. The rest of this file concerns
other information that is useful to know, but not actually "rules".
Bowling Styles
There are two basic approaches to bowling: fast and spin. A fast bowler bowls the ball as
fast as practicable, attempting to defeat the batsman with its pace. If the ball also
swings in the air or seams (moves sideways) off the pitch because of bouncing on the
seam, it can be very difficult to play. A spin bowler has a more ambling run-up and uses
wrist or finger motion to impart a spin to the ball. The ball then spins to one side when it
bounces on the pitch, thus also hopefully causing it to be hard to hit. Fast bowlers are
generally used with a new ball, while spin bowlers get more spin with a worn ball. There
is also medium pace bowling, which concentrates more on swing and seam than pace.
A swing bowler will hold the seam of the ball at a certain angle and attempt to release
the ball so that it spins with the seam at a constant angle. With one side of the ball
polished and the other rough, differential air pressure will cause it to swing in the air.
A seam bowler attempts to keep the seam vertical, so that the ball hits the seam when it
bounces on the pitch and deflects in its path either to the right or left.
A fast bowler can also pull his fingers down one side of the ball as he lets it go, imparting
a small amount of sideways spin to the ball. This can cause the ball to move sideways off
the pitch. Such a delivery is called a leg-cutter if the ball moves from the leg side to the
off side of a right-handed batsman, or an off-cutter if moves from the off to the leg. A
specialist spin bowler can get a lot more spin that a fast bowler bowling cutters,
however.
There are two types of spin bowling: off-spin, and leg-spin. Imagine holding a ball in
your right hand and, for simplicity's sake, throwing it. If you twist your hand in a
clockwise direction on release, then the spin on the ball will be such that when it
bounces it will spin to your right. This is essentially off-spin bowling (so called because,
to a right-handed batsman, the ball spins from the off side to the leg side). The off-spin
delivery itself is called either an off-spinner or an off-break. An off-spin bowler will

Cricket Handbook
sometimes not spin the ball so much, putting more pace on the delivery. Such a delivery
is called an arm-ball. 31
Now imagine twisting the ball anticlockwise and releasing it from the palm so that it
'rolls' over the base of the little finger. This gives the ball spin in the opposite direction,
so it spins left when it bounces. This is basic leg-spin (because to a right-handed
batsman it spins from leg to off). The basic leg-spin delivery is called a leg-spinner or
leg-break.
The interesting thing about leg-spin is that if you cock your wrist at various angles you
can in fact, with the same basic bowling action, produce spin in different directions.
With the wrist cocked a little towards the inside of the arm, you can produce top-
spinners. Go further and you actually end up producing spin in the same direction as an
off-spinner. A ball bowled in this way by a leg-spin bowler is called a wrong 'un, or
sometimes a googly . Probably trickiest of all is a ball bowled with the hand in the same
position as a top-spinner, but released from under the hand, thereby gaining back-spin.
This ball is called a flipper.
Mike has also kindly supplied a graphic which attempts to show the arm and wrist action
of the different leg-spin deliveries. Sorry for those with only ASCII browsers, but this is
too difficult to show in ASCII! For those of you with graphical browsers, the following
diagram shows a view of a (right-handed) leg-spinner's arm, from in front (i.e.,
batsman's point of view). The rotation of the ball out of the hand is the same in each
case, with the ball spinning with the seam as an "equator".
So right handed spinners fall into two classes: off-spinners, with their simple off-spin
and arm-ball deliveries; and leg-spinners, with their leg-spinners, top-spinners, wrong
'uns, and flippers. Leg-spinners are naturally much more difficult to bat against, because
of the great variety of balls they can produce, but they are actually rarer than off-
spinners because it is so much more difficult to bowl reasonably accurately with the leg-
spin hand action.
For left-handed spin bowlers there is a whole different system of nomenclature!
A left-handed bowler who uses the same action as an off-spinner is called an orthodox
spinner. Such bowlers are not uncommon. A left-hander who bowls with the same
action as a leg-spinner is called an unorthodox spinner - and these are the rarest
bowlers in cricket. The left-handed analogue of the leg-spin delivery (which spins the
opposite way, of course) is called an unorthodox spinner. The top-spinner and flipper
retain their names. And the left-handed analogue of the wrong 'un is called a Chinaman.

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32
Typical bowling speeds are:

Fast bowler:
130-140 km/h (80-90 mph)
Medium pace bowler:
100-130 km/h (60-80 mph)
Spin bowler:
70-90 km/h (45-55 mph)
Bowlers also make use of the state of the pitch, which is quite crucial to the game, and is
one of the things the commentators look at in great detail before the game begins.
Because it's a natural surface, there are usually small inconsistencies in its flatness,
hardness and elasticity.
Some of the different types of balls bowled have special names:

Bouncer:
A ball bounced short so that it bounces high, usually chest height or higher as it
passes the batsman.
Yorker:
A ball bounced very close to the batsman's crease. This is difficult to score from and
often gets batsmen out, but is difficult to bowl without accidentally bowling a full toss.

Cricket Handbook
Batsman's Shots 33
The different types of shots a batsman can play are described by names:
Block:
A defensive shot played with the bat vertical and angled down at the front,
intended to stop the ball and drop it down quickly on to the pitch in front of the
batsman.
Drive:
An offensive shot played with the bat sweeping down through the vertical. The
ball travels swiftly along the ground in front of the striker. A drive can be an on
drive, straight drive, off drive, or cover drive, depending in which direction it
goes.
Cut:
A shot played with the bat close to horizontal, which hits the ball somewhere in
the arc between cover and gully.
Edge or Glance:
A shot played off the bat at a glancing angle, through the slips area.
Leg Glance:
A shot played at a glancing angle behind the legs, so that it goes in the direction
of fine leg.
Pull:
A horizontal bat shot which pulls the ball around the batsman into the square leg
area.
Sweep:
Like a pull shot, except played with the backmost knee on the ground, so as to
hit balls which bounce low.
Hook:
Like a pull shot, but played to a bouncer and intended to hit the ball high in the
air over square leg - hopefully for six runs.

Cricket Handbook
French Cut:
An attempt at a cut shot which hits the bottom edge of the bat and goes into the 34
area behind square leg.
Reverse Sweep:
A sweep with the bat reversed, into the point area.
Most of these shots can also be lofted, in an attempt to hit the ball over the close
fielders (or the boundary). The batting strokes can be divided into two categories:
Straight bat and cross bat. The straight bats shots are played with the bat held close to
the vertical, and are the blocks, drives and glances. Cross bat shots are played with the
bat held more horizontally, like a baseball bat. These include cuts, pulls, sweeps and
hooks.
The following terms are used more informally and are not standard:
Hoik:
A wild swing intended only to hit the ball as hard and as far as possible, usually with
little or no control.
Agricultural Shot:
Any shot played with very little skill.
Statistics and Good Performances

The following statistics are recorded:
Batsmen:
Number of runs scored, time spent batting, number of balls faced, how out (and
by which bowler and catcher if appropriate).
Bowlers:
Number of overs bowled, number of maidens bowled, number of wickets taken,
number of runs conceded (i.e., scored off his bowling).
Team:
Extras, total runs, wickets fallen, overs bowled, total at each fall of wicket.
The team score is usually given as "(number of wickets) for (number of runs)" in
Australia. In England, New Zealand, and some other countries it is given as "(number of

Cricket Handbook
runs) for (number of wickets)". Bowling figures are sometimes printed in shortened
form, for example: Donald 40-5-106-2, de Villiers 37-7-85-5, etc. 35
The partnership scores can be seen from the differences between successive fall of
wicket scores.
Good performances are considered to be:
 A batsman scoring 50, or 100, or multiples thereof.

 A partnership adding 50, or 100, or multiples thereof.
 A bowler taking five wickets in a single innings.
 A bowler taking ten wickets in a two innings match. (This is an excellent
performance and a relatively rare feat.)
 A bowler taking a hat trick, i.e., three wickets in three successive balls (perhaps
in different overs). This is even rarer.
Each of these tasks is usually greeted with enthusiastic applause from the spectators.
The crowd also usually applauds significant events such as: any wicket falling, a six, a
four, a good over from a bowler (one that the batsmen have great difficulty playing
safely), a good athletic effort from a fielder to gather the ball, the innings total reaching
a multiple of 50.
The number of runs scored in an innings average about 3 per over for a first class match,
and 4 per over in a one-day match. The variation in these numbers can be quite large,
differences of up to one run per over being not uncommon. In a first class match, a
captain makes his decision on declaring the innings closed based on the remaining time
in the match and the size of his team's lead. He will try to allow as much time as possible
to bowl the opposition out, while ensuring they do not have enough time to score
enough runs to win.
Over a single player's career, the two most important statistics are:
Batting Average:
The aggregate number of runs scored divided by the number of times the
batsman has been out. The higher, the better.
Bowling Average:
The aggregate runs scored against a bowler divided by the number of wickets
taken. The lower, the better.

Cricket Handbook
Each of these averages is kept separately for Test cricket, first class cricket in general,
and one-day cricket. A batting average above 30 is very good, 40 excellent, and 50 is 36
legendary. Mention must be made of the Australian batsman Sir Donald Bradman,
whose career average was a record 99.94, far and away the greatest batsman ever to
play the game. A bowling average below 25 is considered excellent.
Teams That Play Cricket

The official Test Cricket nations are currently: England, Australia, West Indies, South
Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh.
The West Indies is actually a consortium of Caribbean countries: Barbados; Jamaica;

Guyana; The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Antigua and Barbuda; St. Kitt's-Nevis;
Dominica; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Montserrat; and Grenada, Carriacou
and Petite Martinique.
Australia (Aus) South Africa (SA)

England (Eng) Sri Lanka (SL)
Pakistan (Pak) West Indies (WI)
India (Ind) New Zealand (NZ)
Zimbabwe (Zim) Kenya (Ken)
Namibia (Nam) Bangladesh (Ban)
Holland (Hol) Canada (Can)
Minor cricketing nations (which do not play Test cricket, but do compete for a place in
the World Cup One-Day competition) include: Ireland, Kenya, Fiji, Canada, The
Netherlands, and USA.
The most famous Test cricket Series is The Ashes, played every two years between
Australia and England. The Ashes trophy is a small urn containing "the ashes of English
cricket" (in reality the ashes of a set of bails), which "died" in a match in 1882 when
Australia beat England for the first time. The Ashes are currently held by Australia,
although the physical trophy is kept permanently in a room at Lord's Cricket Ground in
London.

Cricket Handbook
The most infamous event in cricket was the 1932-33 English tour of Australia - the
Bodyline tour. The English team used a new tactic to get batsmen out, by bowling at 37
their bodies and placing many fielders in short fielding positions backward of square leg.
As the batsmen fended the ball away in an effort to protect themselves, the ball often
flew off the edge of the bat into the waiting hands of the fielders, getting the batsman
out caught. The English referred to this tactic as "Leg Theory", but the Australians, angry
that the English bowlers were aiming at their bodies, christened it "Bodyline".
Several Australian batsmen were injured because of this, some seriously. The English
tactics cause a diplomatic row between the countries. After the tour was over, cricket
officials introduced the rules against dangerous bowling, and the restriction of no more
than two fielders backward of square leg.
Mumbai Indians V Guyana - 2010 Champions League Twenty20

Cricket Handbook
A glossary of cricketing terms

38
Cricket, more than most sports, is full of expressions and terms designed to bewilder the
newcomer (and often even the more seasoned follower) in an attempt to unravel some
of the stranger terminology.
Arm Ball
A ball bowled by a slow bowler which has no spin on it and so does not turn as
expected but which stays on a straight line (“goes on with the arm”)
The Ashes
Series between England and Australia are played for The Ashes
Asking rate
The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a one-dayer
Ball Red for first-class and most club cricket, white for one-day matches (and,
experimentally, women once used blue balls and men orange ones). It weighs 5½
ounces (5 ounces for women's cricket and 4¾ ounces for junior cricket)
Ball Tampering
The illegal action of changing the condition of the ball by artificial means, usually
scuffing the surface, picking or lifting the seam of the ball, or applying substances
other than sweat or saliva
Bat
Pad A fielding position close to the batsman designed to catch balls which pop
up off the bat, often via the batsman's pads
Batter
Another word for batsman, first used as long ago as 1773. Also something you
fry fish in
Beamer
A ball that does not bounce (usually accidently) and passes the batsman at or
about head height. If aimed straight at the batsman by a fast bowler, this is a
very dangerous delivery (and generally frowned on)
Bend your back
The term used to signify the extra effort put in by a fast bowler to obtain some
assistance from a flat pitch
Belter
A pitch which offers little help to bowlers and so heavily favors batsmen
Blob
A score of 0

Cricket Handbook
Bodyline
(also known as leg theory) A tactic most infamously used by England in 1932-33, 39
although one which had been around for some time before that, in which the
bowler aimed at the batsman rather than the wicket with the aim of making him
give a catch while attempting to defend himself. The fielding side was packed on
the leg side to take catches which resulted. This is now illegal
Bosie
An Australian term for a googly, now rarely used. Originated from the inventor of
the delivery, BJT Bosanquet
Bouncer
A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height
Boundary
The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a four or a six
(eg "Tendulkar hammered three boundaries")
Box
An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an old
term for a fielder in the gully region.
Bump Ball
A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and is caught
by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch
Bumper
See Bouncer.
Bunny
Also known as Rabbit. A member of the side who cannot bat and is selected as a
specialist bowler or wicketkeeper, and who almost always bats at No. 11. It can
also be used to describe a player who often gets out to one bowler - "Atherton
was McGrath's bunny"
Bunsen
A term used by commentators to describe a pitch heavily favouring slow bowlers.
From Cockney rhyming slang (Bunsen Burner = turner).
Bye
A run scored when the batsman does not touch the ball with either his bat or
body. First recorded in the 1770s.
Carry your bat
An opening batsman who remains not out at the end of a completed innings (ie
when all his team-mates are out)
Charge, giving the
When a batsman leaves his crease to attack the ball, usually against a slow
bowler. By doing this he can convert a good-length ball into a half-volley

Cricket Handbook
Chest-on
Used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the 40
batsman, as opposed to being side on
Chinaman
A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand batsman,
in effect a left-arm leg spinner. Named after Puss Achong
Chin music
Fast bowlers aiming the ball at the batsman's head. The term originated in the
Caribbean
Chucker
Another term for a bowler who throws the ball
Closing the face
Turning the face of the bat inwards and, in doing so, hitting the ball to the leg
side
Corridor of uncertainty
A term beloved by commentators which describes an area just outside the
batsman's off stump where he is unsure whether he has to leave or play the ball
Cow corner
An unconventional fielding position, more commonly found in the lower reaches
of the game, on the midwicket/long-on boundary. The term is thought to have
originated at Dulwich College where there was the corner of a field containing
livestock on that edge of the playing area. Fielders were dispatched to the "cow
corner"
Cricket Max
A shortened version of the game with unconventional scoring systems pioneered
by Martin Crowe in New Zealand in the late 1990s.
Cross bat
A cross-batted shot is where the batsman holds his bat horizontally when striking
the ball. Examples of cross-batted shots include hooks, pulls and cuts
Dead ball
A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken. First referred to in
1798
Declaration
When the batting side ends their innings before all of their players are out
Dibbly-dobbly bowlers
Bowlers who are of medium pace, and are effective in the one-day scenario in
choking the runs. New Zealand had a famous quartet - Rod Latham, Gavin Larsen,
Chris Harris and Nathan Astle - during the 1992 World Cup

Cricket Handbook
Dolly
An easy catch 41
Doosra
A Hindi/Urdu word which means "second" or "other", the doosra is the
offspinner's version of the googly, delivered out of the back of the hand and
turning away from the right-hand batsman
Drifter/ Floater
A delivery bowled by an offspinner which curves away from a right-hander, and
then carries straight on instead of turning
Duck
A score of 0 (also known as blob
Duckworth Lewis
Named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two mathematicians who devised
a system to help decide one-day cricket matches when rain interrupts play. Click
here for more information.
Economy rate
The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over
Extras
Runs not scored by batsmen. There are four common extras - byes, leg byes,
wides and no-balls. In Australia these are known as sundries
Featherbed
A batsmen-friendly pitch with little life for the bowlers. Often found in Antigua
Flipper
A variation for the legspinner that appears to be pitching short but the ball skids
on quickly and often results in bowled or lbw. It is a delivery that is used
sparingly
Full toss
A ball that reaches the batsmen without bouncing. Above waist height it
becomes a beamer
Gardening
The act of the batsman repairing indentations in the pitch, made by the ball or
studs, with his bat. More likely to happen when a ball has just whistled past his
nose or scooted by his ankle
Good length
The ideal length that the bowler aims for, getting the batsman in two minds as
whether to play forwards or back
Googly
The legspinner's variation that turns into the right-hander and away from the
left-hander

Cricket Handbook
Grubber
A ball that hardly bounces - see also shooter 42
Half volley
A ball that is the perfect length for driving, fuller than a good length but not a
full-toss
Handled the ball
If the batsmen deliberately touch the ball with his hands he can be given out.
Michael Vaughan fell victim to this in India on 2002-03 tour in Bangalore
Hawk-Eye
A tracking technology which helps to explain the intricacies of the sport, Hawk-
Eye can be helpful in judging LBWs. At the moment it is used mainly for arm-
chair umpiring, although one day it may be used in an official capacity
Heavy ball
When a delivery is quicker than it looks and hits the bat harder or higher than is
expected
Hit the ball twice
If a batsman deliberately strikes the ball twice to gain runs he can be given out.
However, the batsman can knock the ball away from his stumps with the bat
Hit the deck
The bowler's ability to deliver the ball from height and extract extra bounce from
the pitch
Hoick
Same as slog, but most used for on-side shots
In-ducker
An in swinging delivery that moves into the batsman very late. Wasim Akram
produced deadly versions with the older ball
Inside out, turning the batsman
A batsman aims to leg but the ball goes past the off and he is forced to play the
ball open-chested
Inside-out shot
A stroke where the batsman moves towards the leg side and hits a ball around
leg ide
Jaffa
A delivery that is too good for the batsman, and leaves him groping hopelessly at
thin air or (as the bowler will hope) dismisses him
King pair
Hardly worth turning up if have you got one of these out first ball for zero in both
innings?

Cricket Handbook
Leading edge
When the batsman miss-hits the ball and edges it forward in the opposite 43
direction to which he was attempting to play
Leg-bye
When the ball deflects off the pad and the batsmen run. A shot must be offered
to the ball. Leg-byes do not count against the bowler
Leg-break/spin
When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander
Leg-cutter
A ball which cuts and moves away from the batsman towards the offside (if he is
a right-hander)
Leg-side
The area of the pitch behind the batsman's legs
Leg theory
See Bodyline
Length
Where the ball pitches down the wicket. Lengths can be generally short, full or
good
Lifter
A ball that rises unexpectedly
Line
The line of attack the bowler employs when he is bowling
Lollipop
A really easy ball to hit - a 'gift'
Long hop
A ball which pitches short sits up and 'begs' to be hit
Loop
The flight of the ball
Maiden
An over where no runs that are attributable to the bowler are scored (byes or
leg-byes may be scored in this over, though, as these don't count against the
bowler)
Manhattan
A bar graph of runs scored per over which resembles the Manhattan skyscrapers
skyline
Mankad
A term popular mainly in indoor cricket - but also fairly popular in Australia for
outdoor cricket. Mankad is when the bowler brings his arm round and, instead of
releasing the ball, runs out the non-striker by whipping off the bails. This type of

Cricket Handbook
dismissal is rare - and usually a warning is given to the batsman beforehand.

Named after Vinoo Mankad, who twice dismissed the Australian Bill Brown this 44
way
MCC
The Marylebone Cricket Club, the spiritual home of cricket at Lord's in St Johns
Wood in London. For the greater period of cricket's formal history, the MCC
which was founded in 1787 was the autocratic arbiter in cricket matters. No law
could be changed without its approval. And while the administration of the game
world-wide has moved to the International Cricket Council, and to the England
and Wales Cricket Board in Britain, the MCC is still regarded as the ultimate
defender of the laws of the game, a type of Privy Council of cricket. For many
years, English touring teams were known officially as the MCC but as the 'great'
has ebbed away from Britain and its colonies, so the influence of the MCC has
diminished. And also the initials of the Melbourne Cricket Club in Victoria.
Middle
To hit the ball from the meat of the bat, "to middle it" is to connect really well.
Middle is also the centre of the field, where the bulk of the action takes place
Military Medium
A slightly derogative term for a bowler who has no real pace
Minefield
A difficult batting track. The pitch is in such a state of disrepair that it is almost
impossible to play "proper" shots as the ball is popping up everywhere
Nelson
The English superstition that 111 and its multiples are unlucky. The sticks
resemble 111, and are loosely connected with Lord Nelson's physical attributes.
Double Nelson is 222
Nervous nineties
The psychological pressure on the batsman knowing he is approaching a century
New ball
Can usually be taken every 80 overs. The advantage is to quick bowlers who have
a shiny and bouncy ball, but conversely it can result in an increase in scoring rate
as the ball comes off the bat faster
Nick
A faint edge off the bat
Nightwatchman
A non-batsman promoted up the order towards the end of a day's play with the
idea of shielding a recognized batsman in the final overs

Cricket Handbook
No-ball
An illegitimate delivery, usually when the bowler has overstepped on the front 45
crease
Nurdle
The batsman nudging the ball around and into gaps
Obstruction
When the batsman willfully blocks or distracts a fielder to prevent a catch being
made or a run-out being effected
Occupy the crease
When a batsman stays at the wicket but scores slowly, often with the intention
of playing out for a draw
Off-break/spin
A ball turning into the right hander- from off to leg (from left to right)
Off-cutter
An off break delivered at speed
Off the mark
When the batsman scores his first run
Off-side
The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left (if left-
handed)
On-side
The same as the leg-side
On the up
Making contact with the ball before it reaches the top of the bounce - hitting it
on the rise. Viv Richards was a prominent exponent
Out
There are ten possible ways of being out: bowled, caught, hit wicket, lbw,
stumped, timed out, handled the ball, obstruction, hit the ball twice, and run out.
To be out "retired out" is gaining in currency and popularity and counts as a
dismissal, unlike "retired hurt"
Outside edge
When the ball hits the edge of the bat which is furthest away from his body
Outswing
When the ball swings away from the batsman and towards the slips
Paddle
A sweep shot
Pair
When a batsman gets a duck in both innings

Cricket Handbook
Pinch-hitters
Lower-order batsmen promoted in the line-up to try and hit up a few quick runs. 46
Used mostly when a team is chasing a huge total in a one-dayer - the thinking
being that a few quick runs will reduce the asking rate; and if the pinch-hitter
gets out, the specialist batsmen are still around
Pitch
The bounce of the ball - "it pitches on a good length". Also, the cut strip in the
field of play
Play on
When a batsman hits the ball but it goes on to hit the stumps and he is bowled
Plumb
When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be plumb in
front.
Pudding
A slow, stodgy pitch which will be difficult to score quickly on
Pull
A back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to a
ball that hasn't risen as high.
Rabbit
See Bunny
Return Crease
Parallel white lines pointing down the pitch, either side of the stumps. A bowler's
back foot must land inside this area or else a no-ball will be called.
Retire
To postpone or end one's innings, either voluntarily through boredom when
you're simply too good for the opposition, or involuntarily and in agony, when a
nasty fast bowler has taken his pound of flesh
Reverse Sweep
The epitome of the type of shot you will not find in the MCC coaching manual.
This stroke is played by dropping to one knee and reversing one's hands, so that
you can swing the ball from leg to off, rather than the more natural off to leg. It
is a handy stroke for beating conventional fields in a one-day game, but it has its
drawbacks as well - just ask Mike Gatting
Reverse Swing
When the ball is 50 overs old and the pitch is as flat as a pancake, this
phenomenon is often a bowling side's saving grace. First mastered by the
Pakistani quicks of the 1980s and 1990s, it involves sideways movement of the
ball through the air that is contrary to your average everyday laws of physics.

Cricket Handbook
Rip
Big turn for a spin bowler, especially a leg spinner, who can use the whole action 47
of the wrist to impart maximum revolutions on the ball. Shane Warne,
consequently, bowls a lot of "rippers"
Ring Field
A standard fielding arrangement, with men positioned in a circle all around the
bat saving the single
Rock
Colloquial term for cricket ball
Roll
To flatten the playing surface with a heavy rolling device. At the end of an
innings, the side about to start their innings will be offered the choice of a heavy
or light roller
Roller
A heavy rolling device designed to flatten the surface of the pitch
Rope
Used to mark the perimeter of the field. If the ball crosses or hits the rope, a
boundary will be signaled
Rough
The area of a pitch that is scuffed up and loosened by the action of a bowler
running through in his follow-through. Usually, this will be situated a foot or so
outside leg stump, and consequently it becomes a tasty target for spin bowlers,
who can exploit the extra turn to make life a misery for the batsmen
Run-chase
Generally the fourth innings of a first-class or Test match, and the latter stages of
a one-day game, when the match situation has been reduced to a set figure for
victory, in a set time or maximum number of overs
Run-rate
Of particular importance in a one-day game, this is the average number of runs
scored per over, and is used as a guide to a team's progress (see Duckworth
Lewis)
Run-up
The preparatory strides taken by a bowler as they steady themselves for delivery.
Also the area in which they perform said action
Runner
A player who is called upon by a batsman who might otherwise need to retire
hurt. He is required to wear the same padding and stands at square leg or the
non-striker's end to perform the duty of running between the wickets. Often the
cause of endless confusion and inevitable run-outs

Cricket Handbook
Sandshoe crusher
Colloquial term for Yorker, a full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's 48
toes and usually hits them as well
Seam
The ridge of stitching that holds the two halves of a ball together, and causes
deviation off the pitch when the ball lands. Seam bowlers, as opposed to swing
bowlers, rely on movement off the pitch, rather than through the air
Shoulder arms
The description of when a batsman decides that rather than risk being dismissed
from a ball he lifts the bat high above his shoulder to attempt to keep his bat and
hands out of harm's way.
Shirtfront
A flat, lifeless, soul-destroying wicket that is beloved of batsmen the world over,
and loathed by bowlers of all varieties. For a prime example, see the Antigua
Recreation Ground
Sitter
The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever
receive. To drop one of these is to invite a whole world of pain from the crowd
and constant embarrassment from the giant replay screen (see dolly).
Sledging
Not the act of travelling downhill at speed on a toboggan, but the act of verbally
abusing or unsettling a batsman, in an attempt to make him lose concentration
and give his wicket away. Often offensive, occasionally amusing, always a topic
of conversation
Slog
Used to describe a shot which is not in the coaching book
Slogger
Exponent of the slog
Slog-sweep
A heave to the leg side, played like the sweep, but a lofted shot
Slower ball
Like naff plastic wristbands, these are the must-have accessory of the modern
international bowler. The idea is to deliver a pace of significantly reduced pace,
while at the same time turning your arm over at the same speed so as to deceive
the batsman. This change of pace can be achieved by a change of grip, or a late
tweak of the wrist. The best exponents - Courtney Walsh, Chris Cairns - are lethal.
The worst - no names mentioned - tend to be smacked clean over cow corner for
six

Cricket Handbook
Standing back/standing up
Where a wicketkeeper positions himself for a particular bowler. He stands back 49
for fast bowlers, and stands up for spinners
Stock ball
A bowler's regular delivery, minimum risk, little chance of runs or wickets. To get
away with a slower ball, they need a stock ball to lull the batsman into a false
sense of security
Stonewall
To protect one's wicket at all costs, putting defense above all other virtues. See
Jacques Kallis. Also a gay pride organization
Strike rate
The number of runs a batsman scores per 100 balls; the number of deliveries a
bowler needs to take his wickets
Sundries
Australian word for extras
Swing
A ball that curves through the air, as opposed to off the seam. See also, reverse
swing
Tailender
Players who come in towards the end of an innings, generally Nos. 8, 9, 10 and
11, who are not noted for their batting prowess (although ideally they can bowl
a bit by way of compensation)
Throwing
To deliver the ball with an arm that flexes at the elbow at point of delivery,
thereby enabling extra spin to be imparted for a slow bowler, or extra pace for a
quick bowler. A topic of endless debate
Ton
A century (100 runs by a single batsman in one innings)
Tonk
To give the ball a good wallop, onomatopoeically named after the sound a good
hit makes. See also twat, biff, thwack, belt, spank and leather
Trundler
Slow, laborious type of bowler, who thinks he's quick, once was quick, or is
simply old, fat and unfit and needs to be put out to pasture. See military medium
Twelfth man
A substitute fielder (and drinks waiter) for the chosen eleven. If called upon to
play, he is permitted to field wherever he is needed, but can neither bat nor
bowl

Cricket Handbook
Two-paced
A wicket that is beginning to break up, usually after three or four days of a Test 50
match, and so produces some deliveries that leap off a length, and others that
sneak through at shin-height
Uncovered pitches
Pitches that were left open to the elements for the duration of a match, and so
developed a variety of characteristics. The failings of a generation of English
batsmen were attributed to the decision, in the 1970s, to bring on the covers at
the slightest hint of rain
V - in the
The arc between mid-off and mid-on in which batsmen who play straight (in
accordance with the MCC Coaching Manual) tend to score the majority of their
runs. Modern aggressive players, such as Virender Sehwag, tend to prefer the V
between point and third man
Wagon-wheel
A circular graph or line-drawing depicting the region in which a batsman has
scored his runs
Walk (To)
The improbable act of a batsman giving himself out, without waiting for an
umpire's decision. Adam Gilchrist, famously, did this against Sri Lanka in the
semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. Mike Atherton, equally famously, did not at
Trent Bridge in 1998; en route to a match winning 98 not out against South
Africa
Wicket
One of those ubiquitous words that is central to the game of cricket. The word
can be used to describe the 22 yards between the stumps, the stumps
collectively (bails Included), the act of hitting these stumps and so dismissing the
batsman, and perversely, the act of not being out (Gayle and Sarwan added 257
for the second wicket). Plus any other use you care to think of
Wide
A delivery that pitches too far away from the batsman and so proves impossible
to score off. The umpire will single this by stretching his arms out horizontally, an
extra will be added to the total and the ball will be bowled again
Wrist spin
The version of spin bowling in which the revolutions on the ball are imparted via
a flick of the wrist, rather than a tweak of the fingers. As a general rule, a right-
arm wrist spinner’s action turns the ball from leg to off (leg spin) while a left-
armed turns it from off to leg (see chinaman)

Cricket Handbook
Wrong 'un
Australian term for a googly - a legspinner's delivery that turns in the opposite 51
direction, i.e. from off to leg
Yips
A mental affliction that affects many sportsmen, particularly golfers and spin
bowlers. It is a mind block that can cause a player to forget the basics of his
game, and in the most serious cases can force that player into early retirement
Yorker
A full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and/or the base of the
stumps. If the ball is swinging, these can be the most lethal delivery in the game,
as perfected by Waqar Younis in his pomp
Zooter
A spin bowling variation, first devised by Shane Warne. This is a delivery that
snakes out of the hand with little or no spin imparted, and so deceives through
its very ordinariness. Some question whether the delivery has ever existed, for it
could be another of Warne's mindgames to keep his opponents on their toes

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Cricket Handbook

Prepared by Kumar; Anand & Paulynn [Shift4]

Prepared by Kumar; Anand & Paulynn [Shift4]

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A complete wicket looks like this:

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The dimensions are in centimeters (divide by 2.54 for inches).

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Ways of Getting Out 10

Now, the ways of getting out:

Obstructing the Field:

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Leg before Wicket:

Handle The Ball:

Hit The Ball Twice:

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The Bowling Action 14

If any rule governing the bowling action is violated, a no ball results.

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A typical bowling action

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Injuries and Substitutions 17

Adverse Weather Conditions

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A Guide to Test Cricket

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Test Match Rules and Regulations

Test Cricket Order of Play

A Test Match Innings

Scoring Runs in Test Cricket

Methods of dismissal in Test Cricket

Stoppages in Test Cricket

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How to win at Test Cricket

Current Test Nations

India v South Africa 2009/10

India Vs Australia 2nd Test Day 5

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One-Day International Cricket 22

 An ODI is contested by 2 teams of 11 players each.

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A limited number of fielders are allowed in outfield during powerplays.

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Teams with ODI status

Australia (5 January 1971)

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One Day International records

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Twenty20 Cricket International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup

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Twenty20 Cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL)

Twenty20 Champions League

Champions League Twenty20 2009 Winners