Bowler Carl Ifill (left) winds up to deliver a ball during a match in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Some cricket matches last for an entire day.
Believe it or not, there are 10 different ways of getting out for the batsmen: bowled, caught, stumped, run out and leg before wicket just to name a few. A batsman usually runs between the wickets to score runs or can simply hit the ball outside the ground for four or six runs.
Apart from that, an error from the fielding side can cost them runs as well, such as bowling the ball too wide or above the batsman's head.
Now, the facts, which are pretty boring to read if you are familiar about the game, but for beginners, it's a must.
Some of the most famous grounds of the game are The Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia), Lord's Cricket Ground (England), Eden Gardens (India), Gaddafi Stadium (Pakistan) and Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium.
And more importantly, the top 10 cricket legends as per ESPN rankings are Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Shane Warne, Sir Jack Hobbs, Dennis Lillee, Sachin Tendulkar, Imran Khan, Walter Hammond and Sunil Gavaskar.
In an effort to boost the image of the game beyond the mindset of commonwealth nations and make it more attractive, the International Cricket Council has introduced a new version of the game that is completed in less than four hours. This all-new avatar of cricket, Twenty20, compacts all the explosive properties of cricket into a 20 over-a-side game instead of the regular 50 over-a-side.
The IPL (Indian Premier League) is an amazing example of the success of this version. Having witnessed the energy and the excitement of the people during one of the IPL games at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, I was amazed at the passion generated because of the game.
Not to be missed, the IPL is coming up with its second season this April. Cricket is literally in the blood of every Indian and will probably last till the end of days. A famous quote, "Cricket is our religion; Sachin is our God" proves that the enthusiasm for the sport will never die down.
If you want to take up the global phenomenon, pick up a bat (a baseball bat will do for starters) and a tennis ball, have your house or dorm wall as the virtual stumps (drawn with markers), and you're set to go.
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