Cricket finally explained

[patc]

I've spent many an hour over the years explaining cricket to people. Pity I didn't find this online before now - would have been a timesaver, ROFL.

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

Pat

[Westletonion]

Brilliant! Perhaps we should have some outings to see some innings!

[dancingboy]

Now explain the lbw law, Pat.

[angelenroute]

I've always wondered about the ins and outs of this game, but now that I've read this, I'm quite sure I'm going outsane trying to figure it in.

[Katwoman]

I've spent many an hour over the years explaining cricket to people. Pity I didn't find this online before now - would have been a timesaver, ROFL.

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

Pat

Many years ago, at the Scarborough Cricket Festival, I bought a tea towel with this quotation on it. It's all true!

As for lbw, it's easy. If the ball bowled hits the batsman's leg, and the leg is in front of the wicket, and the ball would have hit the wicket if the leg hadn't been there, that's out. On the other hand, if the ball is spinning away from the wicket when it hits the batsman's leg and it wouldn't have hit the wicket if the leg hadn't been there, that's not out. Simples!

Apologies to our American friends, to whom this is probably gibberish. I felt similarly bewildered when reading Bill Bryson's "One Summer: America 1927". The chapter about Babe Ruth and baseball at times left me feeling that I might as well have been reading Chinese! Great book, though.

[CJ-Rochester]

Thanks for the explanation, Pat. That certainly clears it up for me.

[patc]

As for lbw, it's easy. If the ball bowled hits the batsman's leg, and the leg is in front of the wicket, and the ball would have hit the wicket if the leg hadn't been there, that's out. On the other hand, if the ball is spinning away from the wicket when it hits the batsman's leg and it wouldn't have hit the wicket if the leg hadn't been there, that's not out. Simples!

I think you’ve just about cracked it, Katwoman, .

For the benefit of our American friends the wicket (or “stumps”) consists of three sticks of equal height side by side stuck in the ground. Resting on top of these are two smaller sticks (called “bails”). When the bowled ball hits the wicket the bails fall off and the man who is in is, consequently, deemed by the Umpires to be out but, very occasionally, it has happened that, miraculously, the bails stayed put and the man who should have been out remains in. From memory I think it happened again fairly recently.

Pat

[Barry Appleby]

To all our American friends, don't worry, cricket was my game and still to this day I can't remember when fielding, which is fine leg or square leg, in the end, in those days, the skipper would say Oh! go over there! Baz. I used to hate fielding, luckily I was a spin bowler and not to bad it either, I'm not going into leg breaks and off breaks, that's another story.

[StevenKing]

On behalf of all Americans not expatriates I believe the consensus is our brains hurt after reading that. Still think you all are just pulling our chain and it's a big hoax.

[Katwoman]

On behalf of all Americans not expatriates I believe the consensus is our brains hurt after reading that. Still think you all are just pulling our chain and it's a big hoax.

Sorry, StevenKing, it all makes sense to us and it's all true. And we haven't even touched on short square leg, silly mid-off or gully. Not to mention googlies, yorkers and beamers.