Cricket is played only by few countries. They are England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Holland. None of the progressive countries like U.S.A, Japan, China, Korea, etc. can hardly afford to play a time- consuming game like cricket.
The game is played by two teams, each having eleven players in a series of tests. Nowadays they have been playing one day cricket which takes lesser time. Two umpires conduct the game.
They stand one on each side of the three cricket sticks fixed on the ground, called the wickets, with a small stick placed on the heads called the Bails. One team bats, and the other team bowls.
The cricket ball is small in size, but very hard. It is hit with the bat by the batsman when thrown from the opposite direction by the opponent bowler. The bowler throws the ball to hit the three wickets or stumps which are guarded by the batsman. By hitting the ball the batsman scores the runs.
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When the ball before dropping on the ground, if caught by the field player or it touches the stumps before the batsman reaches, then the batsman is declared ‘out’. The team that makes more runs is declared the winner.