For 750 years, the British have been playing this game. What is cricket, what does it mean for an island state, you can fully imagine it only after familiarizing yourself with its history.
National treasure
Cricket is not only a cult English game in the fresh air, but also part of the culture and history of Britain, an integral feature of the nation. It is impossible to imagine Churchill without a cigar, Sherlock Holmes without a pipe, and England without cricket and Agatha Christie, whose father was the president of a local club, and there are a lot of lines of works devoted to this game. What is the phrase of Hercule Poirot from the novel “Cards on the Table” that everyone should play his game of cricket! By sacramentality, it is equal to the Russian dictum "We will all be there."
Deep roots
The question "what is cricket" can be answered in different ways. Firstly, this is one of the games with the ball and bat, which includes bast, baseball, golf, and croquet (another purely national fun, described, for example, in the book “The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, chapter vii). The exact time and place of occurrence of the investigated game is unknown, but it is believed that this is the Middle Ages and southeast of England. In connection with a similar sport , Kent is mentioned , where locals already in the XIII century had fun in the fresh air with a ball and a bat, instead of which in those days, a shepherd’s curved stick was used - cric. Most likely, this gave the name to the game, although there are other options for the name to appear, and the debate has not subsided so far.
Specific dates
There are suggestions that in the early Middle Ages, the game moved to continental Europe, and only then, in the XVII century, cricket returned to England, where it became a national sport. One way or another, but the first club arose in the county of Hampshire, the city of Hambledon, in the 60s of the XVIII century. Naturally, for decades, the inhabitants of this province were considered the best players in England. Then, and this is also natural, the center of cricket classes moved to the capital, where platforms began to be built, powerful clubs were created, under the influence of which the existing rules of the game changed for centuries. The current ones are also very confusing and specific. Therefore, you can get the exact answer to the question "what is cricket" at the Marylebone Club, in London. This is where the world game center and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are located.
Spread the game around the world
Britain had a lot of colonies, and even was considered an empire, over which the sun never set. Therefore, the national game of the British gained distribution in the controlled territories. Cricket is incredibly popular in Australia and India. They know what cricket is in New Zealand and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa. There are national teams of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada and the Caribbean. Despite the extensive list of countries, cricket did not last long among Olympic sports. The motivation for exclusion is the lack of competition. This happened, perhaps because only two teams were present at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 1900 - from England and France, and, of course, the British won.
Noteworthy historical moments
However, the history of the development of the national game knows a significant example of the rivalry between the national teams of England and Australia. Passion then was so great that it was reflected in literature and in cinema. The meeting, which ended with Australia's victory, marked the beginning of an annual tournament called “Ashes,” which is translated from English as “urn with ashes.” This name symbolized the death of English cricket.
Game nuances
Like any purely national sport, for example, golf, cricket has many rules and subtleties of the game, it has its own, developed over the centuries, unwritten, but indispensable code of conduct.
Players and fans know all these nuances from a young age, not to mention what kind of ball cricket is played, what are the players called, what is acceptable on the field, and what is judgmental, how to meet new players and so on. A cricket ball is the twin brother of a baseball, although in some countries it has been successfully replaced with a tennis one - it is cheaper, less traumatic, and easier to buy. And although it is almost three times lighter, cricket does not lose from this.
Real cricket ball
But traditions have traditions, especially in England, where the cricket ball is always used that fully complies with ICC standards - its weight corresponds to 156-163 grams, its diameter varies from 22.4 to 22.9 cm. Color can be more often. just red or white, sometimes pink, yellow or orange. What ball they play cricket directly depends on the types of games, weather conditions, time of day passing the meeting.
There are several game formats that differ from each other in various ways. The most indicative is the duration of the game. Short meetings have 20 overs (6 innings with one bowler) and take only 3.5 hours. Test matches between teams can last up to 5-6 days, in each of which the game lasts 6 hours.
Making a ball is a very specific process, due to the traditions that have developed over the centuries. The ball consists of several layers. The core (for high-quality ones - cork, less often polyurethane or rubber) is very wound with a special thread, the top layer is leather. For expensive balls, the coating is sewn from three parts - half and two quarters, and the seams play a special role. Quarters are sewn with an internal seam, and those walking in the center are external, there are 6. These are necessary for the game. The injuries of cricket deserve separate words, which together with football takes first place in this indicator. The ball for the game weighs 150-163 grams. An experienced player can launch it at a speed of 140 km / h. October 20, 2013 in South Africa during a match from a ball in the temple died player Darrin Randall.
The main conditions of the game
All the subtleties and nuances of this sport are provided for by ICC rules. Cricket is a complex, peculiar, slow, long (matches can last up to 5-6 days) and not everyone's favorite game. The subtleties of it are difficult to describe, but the basic provisions are possible. The cricket field must be oval and covered with grass. At its center is an earthen pitch - a rectangular platform 20.12 meters long and about 3 meters wide, at the ends of which wickets are installed (wooden pegs driven into the ground and representing the inverted letter "Sh"). All ball serveings are made on the pitch along its length. Crises - stripes at the ends of the pitch - separate gaming zones.
There are two teams - 11 people each, the match is played by two referees (at the high-level games there is also a third referee who is outside the field) and 2 referees who are the secretaries who receive and record the signals of referees from the field. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible and break the gate of the enemy. A cricket player, or cricketer, can be called a bowler (serving the ball) and a batsman (reflecting it with a bat). The gate protector is called Wicket Keeper, sometimes his role is especially significant.
The main roles of the game
Two leading roles (bowler and batsman) are alternately played by all players of both teams. The first can carry out no more than six innings, which are collectively called overs. The ball is served by the player of one team and is reflected by the representative of the other, both of them are in their opposite game zones located at the ends of the pitch. Immediately after the ball is reflected by the bat (the game is non-contact), the batsman can run to the opposite gate and touch the ground behind it with something, then you can rush back. Jogging brings points. But it can remain in place if the reflected ball flies far enough: to the edge of the pitch - 4 points, beyond its border - 6. All players during the match are dispersed throughout the field, and only two representatives of different teams serve and serve the ball.
The main periods of the game
The goal of the rest is to stop the opponent from gaining points and defending his gate. As soon as it is destroyed, the batsman leaves the game, which continues until the last, tenth player, serving the serve. This period is called innings. After him, the teams change places, that is, the bowler of the other team (6 innings) will serve the ball, and the batsmen of the other will take the ball.
As noted above, all the subtleties of purely national fun are absorbed by the British with mother's milk. The game of cricket has its sincere fans, and is also a must for representatives of the elite and members of the royal family, who are assigned special lodges. Colorfulness is a characteristic feature of a game called cricket. Photos serve as a clear confirmation of this.
The Cricket World Cup takes place once every four years.