Californian Reacts | What Is Cricket? - Explaining Cricket to a Baseball Fan

Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport popular in many countries, often referred to as "the gentlemen's game." Just like baseball, it involves two teams taking turns to bat and field, with the objective of scoring runs while trying to dismiss the opposition. However, there are several key differences that make cricket a unique and captivating sport.

In cricket, each team has 11 players, and the game is typically played in two innings. During the batting team's turn, one player from the opposing team (the bowler) delivers the ball to the batsman, who attempts to hit it and score runs by running back and forth between two sets of stumps. Unlike baseball, where bases are used, in cricket, the batsmen run on a straight pitch between wickets.

Similarly to baseball, the fielding team aims to get the batsmen out. In cricket, a wicket can be taken in various ways, such as getting the batsman bowled (hitting the stumps with the ball), caught by a fielder, or leg before wicket (LBW) if the ball would have hit the stumps but was obstructed by the batsman's leg.

One significant difference is that cricket doesn't have a fixed number of innings. Instead, it continues until a predetermined number of overs (a set of six deliveries by a bowler) are bowled, or all batsmen are dismissed. Matches can last for several hours or even days in the case of Test cricket, making it a more strategic and patient game than baseball.

Additionally, cricket fields are much larger than baseball diamonds, and the playing area is circular. The bowler can deliver the ball overhand or underhand, unlike baseball's strict overhand pitching. Moreover, cricket allows for multiple bowlers to take turns during an inning, adding variety and tactics to the game.

Overall, cricket shares similarities with baseball in terms of the bat-and-ball nature and the objective of scoring runs while dismissing opponents. However, its distinct rules, formats, and playing style make it a captivating and beloved sport in its own right, capturing the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.

Top 10 cricket players from various countries were widely regarded as follows:

1) Virat Kohli (India) - One of the greatest batsmen in modern cricket and former captain of the Indian cricket team.
2) Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - New Zealand's captain and a technically skilled batsman known for his elegant style.
3) Joe Root (England) - England's captain and a prolific batsman with an excellent technique.
4) Steve Smith (Australia) - One of Australia's finest batsmen with unorthodox but effective stroke play.
5) Babar Azam (Pakistan) - Pakistan's captain and an elegant batsman with exceptional timing and footwork.
6) David Warner (Australia) - An aggressive Australian opener known for his power-hitting.
7) Jasprit Bumrah (India) - India's fast-bowling sensation, known for his deadly yorkers and pace.
8) Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) - A South African fast bowler with raw pace and excellent skills.
9) Trent Boult (New Zealand) - A left-arm swing bowler from New Zealand, known for his precision.
10) Ben Stokes (England) - An all-rounder from England, known for his powerful hitting and valuable contributions with both bat and ball.

Widely considered some of the best Cricket players.

[JordyJayHomer]

The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup game on the 23rd of Oct 2022 at the MCG had EVERYTHING!!

[gazlator]

Arguably the biggest grudge match in Test Cricket, between England and Australia ("The Ashes") is currently being played out in England at the moment.

[MarkBrown-cmxm]

The biggest events in the cricket calendar are (hopefully not too controversially):

Cricket world cup: This is a one day format (each team get 50 overs) tournament. Played every 4 years with the men's competition later this year and the women's competition happened last year.

T20 world cup: Twenty20 format tournament played every 2 years. Both men's and women's due to be played next year.

IPL: The Indian Premier League. This is the premier T20 franchise tournament that takes place every year. It's comfortably the richest cricket tournament in the world and draws the top players from around the world. India is probably the most obsessed with cricket of any nation and the spectacle of the IPL shows it. Other T20 franchises include (but aren't limited to) the "Big Bash" (Australia), "T20 Blast" (England), "Pakistan Super League" (Pakistan), and most recently "Major League Cricket" (USA).

The Ashes: First conceived in 1882 when Australia beat England on English soil for the first time and Australian media wrote an obituary for English cricket, saying "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". Since then, England and Australia have alternated tours to each other to play series' of Test matches (multi-day matches where teams bat 2 innings each) in order to win these "ashes". Often produces some of the best test cricket and sporting drama in the world. It's currently taking place in England with the 4th test of 5 in progress.

[Driskyle]

The sound that the batter hears of the stumps being hit by the ball is appropriately called the “death rattle”

[neilbiggs]

To deal with the question first, there are world cups for theT20 and One Day format. The next One Day format one will be held in India in the Autumn, and the next T20 one is next year, and is being held in the US and West Indies. There is also an attempt to launch "Major League Cricket" in the US this year, which has the Cricket For Americans channel rather excited! In regards to the Test format, I think it works in an ongoing ladder, so there is never a tournament per se, but there is usually some matches going on somewhere that has teams attempting to climb the rankings.

I'd say that before watching any games, it's probably worth finding a video about the different types of bowling as that is the starting point for any strategies the fielding team are using. It affects how the fields are placed, but there is also a question about when is the right time for a particular type of delivery. Sadly, I can't find a video that fits what I'm trying to recommend. Hopefully other commentors may be able to help

[anubhavthakur]

The biggest rivalries in cricket are India versus Pakistan and England versus Australia. the World Cups are different for different formats of the games. he ODIs have a 50 over each side game and the tournament is hosted every 4 years(current champions England) the T20 world Cup is 20 overs each side game which are originally scheduled for once in two years but are adjusted if two world cups align the same year(current champions Australia). the test matches include World Test Championships which is again a binary year contest between test playing nations where each series has 120 points and the best two teams after the WTC calender play the finals. Each World Cup have different Trophies and you can look up their significances. Ashes is going on right at this moment(the international series since 1854 the video was talking about) and you can catch up on the lore.

[somanshuaikat]

There are world cups for each of the 3 main formats of cricket: the World Test Championship for Test cricket, the Cricket World Cup for ODI (One-Day International), and the T20 World Cup for T20I (Twenty-20 International), with the most popular of these being the World Cup for the ODI format which happens once every 4 years. The next edition of the world cup will be taking place in India this year from 5 October to 19 November. 10 countries will be participating.

[thethreerailwayengines]

There are 5 matches I think are a pretty good place to start:

Match 1: Day 4 of the Headingley 2019 Test Match, England vs Australia

Match 2: 2019 ODI World Cup Final, England vs New Zealand

And then all 3 matches of the England vs South Africa T20 series played in the winter of 2019/2020

[grahamstubbs]

T20 cricket is probably a good place to start.
It's faster-paced because of the limited overs.
From there to the One Day Internationals, 50 overs each side.
There the elements of strategy become more obvious.
If you're still with us at that point, then test match cricket is where you're headed.

[seauryakumar]

There is a T20 World Cup next year in the US, maybe you can watch that.

[paulblackburn]

One of the best videos I've seen is Cricket explained for baseball fans.

[rafayali]

The biggest world is a 50 over world cup that happens every 4 years and you're lucky because there is one starting this year in October. This tournament consists of 10 teams, although this wasn't always the case but this year's world cup is one of the most awaited. You gotta check it out

[jca]

Die hard cricket fans will argue the 5 day test matches are the "best", with Eng v Aus as one of the oldest fiercest rivalrys (The Ashes, currently being played). However there is The Cricket World Cup, this is in the One Day format tho. Also there is a T20 World Cup, but this is less popular.

[devinchandula]

There is a new league (Major League Cricket) going on in Texas and North Carolina atm. Some of the matches are broadcasted via the CBS Sports.

[Gdsfjitssdbbb]

I love Cricket 😍😍 Our favourite sports. From 🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩

[Stephen-Fox]

The thing I recently learnt about cricket is when the LBW rule came into being - the earliest form of it seems to be from a 1774 change to the rules, and was probably introduced then to counteract the change int he way the game was played after the introduction of pads.

T20 is probably the easiest version of the sport to get into since it's the only one that's actually played over a sensible length of time for a sporting competition - 20 overs per inning. Six balls per over, one inning each. So 120 opportunities to score per side, each taking ~80 minutes so around 3 hours plus an interval. (It's also the version of the sport that would be most US television friendly, since you could probably fit a quick commercial between each over simply because the batters swap wickets and a new bowler comes to replace them but also general changes in strategies between overs.)

...just please don't pick a match that got interrupted by rain, no-one deserves their first exposure to an actual game to require understanding Duckworth-Lewis-Stern to know why the winning team won.

[DavidUKesb]

Cricket is the 2nd most popular sport in the world. The major playing countries are England, Australia, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the West Indies (which is a collection of Caribbean countries).

[kcreations]

You should try to go for major league cricket which is currently ongoing you will understand more 😊😊😊

[IamCyberPunk]

Australia is the most successful team in cricket

Major tournament in cricket

World Cup 50 overs
World Cup 20 overs
Champions Trophy 50 over

[t.a.k.palfrey]

To attempt a comparison between Test Cricket, First-Class Cricket, One Day or 50 over Cricket, and T20 Cricket is very difficult. The strategies, play times, and even some rules differ so much. Best I can get is to compare The entire World Series played in consecutive days, Major League with three games one after the other, Minor League and College Baseball, and Little or even PeeWee Baseball.