It was a sweet victory for South Africa as it defeated England by six wickets during the Women’s T20 World Cup last February 23 in Perth, Australia. South Africa’s batting has improved since the T20 World Cup’s First Edition in 2009, making their first win over England this year. The Women’s T20 World Cup is an International Cricket Championship (ICC) held every two years with ten competing teams from England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka.
Game of Cricket
England was the country that invented the game of Cricket. It was said to be played by shepherds who were herding their flocks. Since then, the Cricket has earned stature and is now the national game of England. Different countries now play the game, like Europe, Africa, Oceana, the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent. International Cricket competitions are called Test Matches, which last up to five days. During the Test Match, teams can bat twice if time permits.
Cricket Game Rules
Cricket has two opposing teams with eleven players in each group. The team captain who wins during the toss chooses whether their team will bat or bowl first. The team that bats first have to score a lot of runs, and they have to ensure that their opponent will not get the same score.
Cricket is an outdoor sport played on an oval grass field. The field has a strip of flat ground in the center, called the “pitch,” with a wicket at each end. It is commonly played within one day wherein each team has 300 balls to be able to score runs. The opposing team needs to get a higher score using the same number of shots to win.
Cricket Key Players
There are three key players in the game of Cricket.
1. Batsmen or Batswomen
They are the ones responsible for scoring runs and preventing them from losing their wicket. Batters need to have excellent reflexes and high-level of decision-making capabilities to be able to score and get to win the game.
2. Bowlers
They are expected to bowl consistently to prevent the batters from scoring runs quickly. They are responsible for bowling batters out or get dismissed from the ground.
3. Wicketkeepers
They stand behind the wicket who carefully watch the batters. They prevent the opposing batsmen from scoring runs. They will be able to get a batter out by catching a ball in flight or running the batsman or batswoman out.
Cricket Essentials and Sportswear
A set of rules under the Laws of Cricket regulates the equipment used in the game of Cricket. These rules are observed by countries across the globe. Below are the Cricket equipment and gears used by players of the game.
Bats
They consist of flat wood connected to a cone-shaped handle. The bat should not be more than 96.5 centimeters long and 10.8 centimeters wide. Most Cricket bats weigh between 1.2 to 1.4 kilograms.
Ball
A cricket ball is a spherical cork ball with pure leather covering, usually colored white or red. The white balls are used for One-day matches. And, the red ones are for Test Matches and First-Class Cricket games. A Cricket ball may weigh between 156 to 163 grams and circumference of 220 to 224 millimeters.
Clothing
Cricket players have to wear polo tee-shirts in every game. When the weather is cold, they can wear long-sleeved polo tee-shirts. The polo tee-shirts are worn together with long white trousers. They also wear spiked shoes, which give more traction on the field. Players are also allowed to wear cricket caps, baseball, or sun hats.
Helmets
The batters and wicketkeepers use them to protect their head from the hard cricket ball. A cricket helmet is made of hard plastic and metals.
Gloves
Cricket batters and wicketkeepers wear gloves to catch the ball. The wicketkeepers use gloves for both hands made from cloth and leather. The insides of their gloves are smooth to protect their hands and fingers adequately.
Batter wear gloves when it is time for them to bat. The outside of their gloves is softer as compared to the gloves of wicketkeepers. The gloves are used for batters to have a good grip on the handle of the Cricket bats.
Abdomen Guard
Batsmen and wicketkeepers also wear abdomen guards or abdo guards to protect their bodies from the ball’s impact.
Pads
Leg pads are worn by Cricket players to protect the lower parts of their bodies, especially their shin. They are made of leather and cloth and are very soft inside. The outer part of the pads is made of wood sticks and hard plastic. Wicketkeepers have shorter pads than the batters.
Cricket is a complicated yet exciting game both for players and spectators alike. To conveniently play the game, players need to use the right game equipment and sportswear. For any essentials for sports, make sure to get them from recognized retail stores. For discounts and coupons, visit couponlawn.com for great deals on sports apparel and equipment.
Reference:
https://www.topendsports.com/sport/cricket/basics.htm
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket
https://www.cricketbio.com/cricket/list-equipments-used-cricket/
