# Would one of my fellow Dopers explain just how cricket is played? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060 "2002-09-22T00:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/41 "2002-09-24T14:37:08Z")
A similar system was used in the TV coverage in Oz last year. The essential problem with it is picking up bounce and movement between the time the ball pitches and strikes the pad. Sometimes only a matter of a few centimetres and then extrapolating that for the 2 metres the ball needs to travel. This was demonstrated in one of the first class fixtures when a “shooter”, a ball that pitched short of a length and therefore expected to bounce waist height but due to vagaries of then surface doesn’t bounce true. In this case the delivery barely bounced at all. The batsman was palpably out LBW, but the special effects shot was shown, probably in error. The software predicted that the delivery would have bounced clearly above stump height. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/42 "2002-09-24T14:48:33Z")
Yeah, that sounds like it would be a problem, **woolly**. I wonder what system they were using? I know Sky had their own but dropped it this season in favour of the one I’ve mentioned. Personally I’d prefer to trust a human umpire, but the technology adds to the TV entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/43 "2002-09-24T15:01:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester \* > \*\*And no, **Cliffy** the batsmen do not run on the same ground as the ball bounces (the pitch) . They run to either side of the pitch. To do otherwise is to create just the sort of divots that they themselves will have to contend with. And it’s against the rules, also. \*\* There is no rule forbidding the batsmen to run on the pitch (though in general they don’t). However, the bowler shouldn’t, (though they frequently do) and it is not unusual for the umpire to ask them to desist. Cricket is a great game invented to confuse Americans, we really shouldn’t be discussing it here. We could ruin it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/44 "2002-09-24T15:23:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*What’s hotbox? \*\* In baseball, when a runner is caught between bases with a defender at each base. The defenders are trying to tag the runner out with the ball while the runner is trying to touch a base first to be safe. The defenders can throw the ball to each other, making an intense back-and-forth whirl of running and throwing. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/45 "2002-09-24T21:36:08Z")
Thanks, Gary. I wonder if anyone’s ever avoided that situation with a decent gymnastics jump? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/46 "2002-09-24T22:04:02Z")
Didn’t SKY use a similar system for the premiership football a year or two ago, but for one reason or another (probably not enough controversial decisions) they stopped using it? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/47 "2002-09-24T22:59:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by antechinus \* > Imagine the excitement of a 5 day test compressed into only 7 hours. Alas, poor cricket, I knew him well… The problem for me is that cricket is so slooooow. Between every ball, the bowler has to walk back for his runup, even if nothing happened. If he’s a fast bowler this could be 20 paces. Meanwhile play stops. Every six balls, the fielders swap ends, so that the a new bowler can come on (and also bowl from the other end). Meanwhile play stops. Every time someone is out, they have to walk off the field, and a new chap walks on. Guess what… Meanwhile play stops. If it starts to rain… If the light is poor… If it’s time for lunch… If it’s time for tea… If a side is out… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by antechinus \* > The players wear brightly coloured outfits (derisivly termed pyjamas) and there is a camera covering the game from just about every angle, including from inside the stumps. So, if you like action and colour, this is the cricket to watch. Actually, if you like action, colour **and sporting action** , watch rugby sevens. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/48 "2002-09-25T00:46:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by glee \* > Every time someone is out, they have to walk off the field, and a new chap walks on. > Guess what… > Meanwhile play stops. Oh, yeah; that two minutes lost will just kill you. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/49 "2002-09-25T01:35:58Z")
Of course **Monty** there’s no getting away from the fact that it _is_ a slow game, even the fans admit that. The breaks in play _do_ add up. But you either like that because of the tension and buildup that creates, as true fans do, or [sub][if you happen to be shallow and have a short attention span, tee hee][/sub]you won’t like the slowness, and you won’t like the game. Of course, the “hotbox” situation almost never actually develops in cricket. There are _two_ batsmen, crossing over to each end of the wicket. So all the fieldsmen have to do is get it to one end, and one or other of the batsmen will be out. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/50 "2002-09-25T05:05:23Z")
Princhester: And I’ve seen some incredible dives and attempts at getting the ball into the wicket from the “wrong end” of the field. Amazing what goes into the fielder’s mind when he’s supposed to be chucking the ball at the right end. The most entertaining aspect of that particular situation is the pathetic attempt at justification over beers later. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/51 "2002-09-25T05:36:47Z")
You can find a **simple** explanation of cricket [here](http://www.cricketman.com/explanation.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/52 "2002-09-25T06:00:01Z")
everton: Has a wicketkeeper ever captained? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/53 "2002-09-25T06:12:06Z")
Certainly. Australia’s wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has captained a few games (although he finds it very hard work, and has recently said he does not want the job full time) Moin Khan of Pakistan did it for a while, although he too found it very hard. Alec Stewart captained England while wicketkeeper quite successfully. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/54 "2002-09-25T06:15:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* bracketed info mine for clarity) > Oh, yeah; that two minutes lost (when a new chap walks on) will just kill you. Well there seems to be an acceptance in cricket that **the game keeps stopping**. Indeed there was a farcical incident where someone dressed as the new batsman walked onto the field before the real guy, and got himself into the papers! The atmosphere at county cricket matches is thin, unlike baseball where the crowd really seem to be enjoying themselves. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester \* > Of course **Monty** there’s no getting away from the fact that it _is_ a slow game, even the fans admit that. The breaks in play _do_ add up. But you either like that because of the tension and buildup that creates, as true fans do, or [sub][if you happen to be shallow and have a short attention span, tee hee][/sub]you won’t like the slowness, and you won’t like the game. I feel I’m entitled to be sarcastic about cricket because I have experienced it live and on TV. I went to see a touring international side play a county. After a full day’s play (no interruptions for poor weather), the internationals had reached 165 - 4. (For our American friends, the rough equivalent would be that you’ve seen about 2 completed innings of baseball in 7 hours. Dire.) At one point, a batsman hit a 4. (As the song says ‘I remember it well.’) One spectator stood up and applauded. Instantly a stentorian voice rang out ‘SIDDOWN!’ Princhester, I do know what you mean by tension and buildup. I play 7 hour games of chess (which are only interesting to other players - but I understand concentration.) The problem I perceive is that cricket has built-in interruptions and is very snooty towards its fans. Things like refusing refunds due to poor weather, as long as there’s been say 30 minutes of play in a day. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/55 "2002-09-25T07:45:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > Maybe it’s worth adding that whereas in baseball each pitch uses a fresh ball, in cricket the same ball is used hundreds of times. That’s an exageration about baseball, even for the majors. However, it’s true that they do change the ball fairly often in the course of the game. In the majors, the umps start off each game with around 75 new balls. But a typical game may have 200 to 300 pitches in it. Or more if it goes into extra innings. I forget what the average number of pitches per ball is, but I think it’s around 4 or 5 (they don’t always use all 75 of those balls). Of course, that’s the majors where they have lots of money for buying lots of balls. In lower levels of the sport, the average number of balls per pitch is higher. > [@](#): > > This damages the leather casing progressively, … The difference in roughness creates an aerodynamic effect like a plane’s wing and enables curve balls to be bowled (we call that “swing”). Which is exactly why they change the ball so often in baseball: to keep the pitcher from being able to throw viscious curve balls. ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/56 "2002-09-25T13:31:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester > Alec Stewart captained England while wicketkeeper quite successfully. Oh come on **Princhester** , you know that “success” and “English cricket” are contradictory terms. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dtilque > Which is exactly why they change the ball so often in baseball: to keep the pitcher from being able to throw viscious curve balls. And, apart from being detrimental to batting averages, what is the problem with that? Where’s the sport hitting straight full tosses? 😉 As a junior and using a off-break action I could get a off speed pitch to swing/curve up to a metre into a right hander. Of course this was as the reliever in “one ball per game” high school stuff. However, if given a new ball, the results were unremarkable. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/57 "2002-09-25T14:09:55Z")
“Would one of my fellow Dopers explain just how cricket is played?” The simple answer, if you’re English, is; badly. Mind you, even that should be good enough this winter… ---
**Author:** ![Norrybaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9a28c/32.png) [@Norrybaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norrybaby)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/58 "2002-09-25T18:01:20Z")
Dream on LC 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/59 "2002-09-25T20:00:16Z")
As for statistics, by the way, baseball has quite a bit of them, as well. When a batter goes up to bat, for instance, you get a graphic showing, for his last fifteen at bats against this particular pitcher in this particular stadium, where each of his hits went on the field. As well as the same statistics broken down by who’s on base. And whether it’s a day or a night game. And by the number of outs, or the inning. Heck, you can probably find statistics on how well different players do in different moon phases. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060/60 "2002-09-26T06:03:00Z")
Well of course **Woolly** the whole point of the English Cricket team is to provide another thing for the English to whinge about. So he was very successful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-one-of-my-fellow-dopers-explain-just-how-cricket-is-played/129060.md?page=4)