History UsefulNotes / CricketRules

* The pitch is symmetrically divided into two '''strike zones''' : the '''striker's end''' and the '''non-striker's end'''. In cricket, a batsman who can hit the ball, i.e. strike the ball, is the striker, while his partner is on the other end.[[note]]This is one part confusing to UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} fans because there strike means the exact opposite, i.e. when the batter fails to connect to the ball[[/note]]

# There are also two ways a batsman can get out by being an idiot: '''Obstructing the Field''' (which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstructing_the_field#Unusual_dismissal only one batsman in the history of Test match cricket has ever been dismissed for,]] Len Hutton, England vs South Africa, 1951), and

[[LightningBruiser Fast Bowlers]] mostly use the pace on the ball to beat the batsmen. They may deliberately bounce the ball high towards a batsman's head to unnerve him (called a '''bouncer''' -– not popular with umpires; numbers of these per innings are limited by a sort of gentlemen's agreement, as [[WeaponizedBall being cracked repeatedly on the skull by a small cannonball at up to 100mph]] is not fun), or in extreme and allegedly unintentional circumstances fling it directly at his head (a '''beamer''', ''very'' much frowned upon), or try to aim the ball to bounce directly under his bat (called a '''yorker''' –- incredibly hard to play if done correctly, but delivered wrongly can result in easy runs). Fast bowlers will also often use curveballs (called '''swing''' in cricket) to deceive an opponent –- however, the mechanics of why the ball curves are different from baseball: cricket balls are deliberately kept shiny on one side (by the bowler rubbing it vigorously on his trousers, usually near the groin, which [[MistakenForMasturbating looks decidedly dubious]]) and rough on the other to create additional motion in the air.[[note]]By contrast, baseballs curve because the seams on a baseball are constructed such that they effectively act as wings, messing with the trajectory.[[/note]] Most teams will begin a match with two fast bowlers in an attempt to get early wickets if they can establish a good line and swing; however once the batsmen are settled in and comfortable the extra pace does not bother them so much, so the bowlers will often by replaced by tricky spin bowlers. The fast bowlers will then come back at the end with a view to quickly wiping out the other team's tail-enders. A dying but still enduring tradition of the "bowler's union" lives on in cricket, which has some surprising class-connotations (specialist batsmen tended to be rich snobs, while specialist bowlers were working class) - a fast bowler will have no qualms about flinging bouncers rising into the ribs or head of a specialist batsman, but he will, by unspoken gentleman's agreement, tend not to do it to a tail-ender. Bowlers gotta stick together, you know. There was also the added impetus of that bowler remembering where his nasty bruise came from when it's *your* turn to bat...

[[JackOfAllStats Medium Pace Bowlers]] are like fast bowlers but without the raw pace, instead they will often vary their delivery more and try and outwit their opponent. A medium pace bowler is more likely to use '''seamers''' and '''cutters''', which bounce the ball on its stitched seam to create unpredictable effects. As they are often the most precise bowlers, medium pace can sometimes be used in the middle of the game to slow down an opponent's run-scoring rate; however they are generally less likely to take wickets than a fast or spin bowler.

An off-spinner grips the ball normally and spins it with his ''fingers'' on release so it turns right on bouncing, in towards a right-handed batsman's body (terminology for spinners becomes confusing when left-handers are involved, so we'll stick to the basics). Off-spin is hard to read and will often put the batsman on the defensive. Leg-spinners (also called wrist spinners) deliver the ball in a similar way but also twist their ''wrist'' as they release the ball, causing it to angle leftward on the bounce, away from a right-handed batsman. A batsman who fails to read this sort of spin will often make a bad hit and give the fielders an easy chance to catch him out. A wrist spinner can also deliver a '''googly''', an evil delivery that uses a complex wrist motion to cause the ball to turn in the opposite direction, as well as deliveries that use top or bottom spin to bounce unexpectedly high or low. This varied arsenal of deliveries makes leg-spinners some of the most dangerous bowlers a team can field; however the high difficulty of the skill means that although they take many wickets, they also concede many runs. An underperforming leg-spinner can be disastrous for a team -- making using them a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

# '''Timed out''', (which ''no'' batsmen in the history of test match cricket have ever been dismissed for - the nearest was a guy called David Steele, who once got lost trying to find the cricket pitch at Lords and ended up in the basement toilets. Well, we did say "being an idiot".) However, it has happened in limited overs Cricket, When Angelo Mathews was timed out for not getting a new helmet fast enough after breaking the strap getting ready to bat on the crease.

# '''Timed out''' (which ''no'' batsmen in the history of test match cricket have ever been dismissed for - the nearest was a guy called David Steele, who once got lost trying to find the cricket pitch at Lords and ended up in the basement toilets. Well, we did say "being an idiot".).