Cricket is a widely popular sport with a history spanning hundreds of years to the 13th century. Indeed, the sport is arguably England’s most famous homegrown creation, as the first game was allegedly played in the country’s southern parts. Generation after generation has enjoyed cricket for its competitiveness, sportsmanship, and the handful of quirks and oddities that don’t exist in similar sports like American baseball. The sport’s popularity aside, there are many facts about cricket that you may not know, so here is a brief word of the most interesting things about playing cricket.
Epic matches for the ages
The exciting part about cricket is that the matches can last a reasonably long time, especially if the teams have a high talent level and the open space to hold a proper game. The vast majority of matches last only a few hours, but one stands out among all others: the 1939 marathon cricket match between South Africa and England. The contest lasted 14 days and ultimately culminated in a draw, ranking the match among the longest in any modern sport. Just imagine the shenanigans that would occur if football matches went as long.
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Batsman duos
Unlike their USA counterparts, cricket batsmen play two at a time. If you’re unfamiliar with the dynamics of scoring runs in cricket, this curiosity may confound you, yet it’s actually critical to playing well. Requiring two batsmen ensures that more teamwork will enter the equation rather than turn into a wholly individual sport. Still, that doesn’t mean cricketers don’t feel personal pressure. After all, imagine if you had to run with all that cricket equipment on several times within an hour. A partner is most welcome after the first few sprints.
Multiple run-scoring options
Many casual sports fans don’t realize that you can score more than one run in cricket. You are awarded only a single run in US baseball should the ball bounce or land over the boundaries. A bounced ball wins four runs; a ball that clears the boundary without touching the ground is worth six runs. Additionally, cricket matches have additional rules that award other runs, and for the casual sports fan, it’s hard to follow the intricacies. Nevertheless, the takeaway is that you can score runs multiple ways in cricket, whereas other sports have a more straightforward scoring system.
Curious terminology
Since cricket developed over hundreds of years, it’s no wonder the sport likewise developed curious terminology, some of which only exists in the sport. For example, you can be called out in cricket in 11 separate ways. You could get out with a leg-before-wicket call from the umpire, get bowled out, or get caught while the ball is still airborne. There are also things called wides, leg byes, and no balls – none of which make any sense outside of a cricket match.
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Overall, cricket is a complex sport with a lengthy history, and many of the curiosities are exclusive to cricket.