What is Cricket?

If you've ever watched or played baseball, you already know the fundamentals of cricket: batting, bowling (or pitching), catching and running. Even with some commonalities, playing cricket is quite different from playing baseball. It is, however, a sport that is as much about teamwork, fair play, honesty and integrity as it is about scoring runs. Cricket is played against two teams who take turns batting and fielding. When batting, runs are scored according to how far a ball is hit and how many times the batting team runs between the wickets. Unlike baseball, there are two (2) batters in cricket: one hits the ball; the other helps run between the wickets to score. That means that in cricket there are two "home plates" just opposite each other that are marked by wickets. Fielders use the same skills as baseball players. They have strong arms to throw the ball to other teammates or to knock down wickets to stop batters from running. Bowlers (like pitchers in baseball) use their strength and speed to bowl a cricket ball as fast and as strategically as possible so that a batter has a hard time making contact with the ball.

All levels of play

While traditionally cricket has been played outdoors on an oval-shaped cricket field that includes a rectangular cricket pitch (the area where the batters and bowler take their positions and batters run between the wickets), today it can be played just about anywhere.

With a modified form of cricket, the sport can be played and practiced indoor as well. Players at all ages - including kids as young as six-years-old - and physical abilities can take part with minor modifications.

Deeply rooted in Canadian history

You may not know that cricket isn't new to Canada. As a matter of fact, it's one of the country's oldest organized sports. As early as 1785, cricket games were taking place and, in 1867, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald declared cricket as Canada's official national sport.

Illustrations supplied courtesy of England and Wales Cricket Board