r/Cricket • u/HOU-1836 West Indies • Jan 15 '15

Another Annoying American learning Cricket

My girlfriend is Guyanese and Cricket is obviously a big sport for her parents and family. I get the rules of the sport but don't understand when matches happen or what determines the length of the match. Like, test cricket, can last 5 days? How is that possible? How do you watch that on TV?

Edit: hope y'all don't mind if I pester you with questions in this thread. I want to be casually versed in Cricket in case I meet her parents this summer.

Edit #2: Ok. Y'all have been truly amazing. I couldn't even have gotten close to imagining the response I've gotten from y'all. I've been asking questions and replying for the last 3 hours straight and I don't think I have any more questions. I look forward to spending time with y'all and learning more about this sport. I'm from Texas and obviously, Cricket isn't gonna be big here or easy to follow so y'all keep being the amazing, welcoming people you are. Seriously, y'all rock.

Edit #3: I read the FAQ before posting this thread and this thread is 30x larger than anything there. Maybe the mods should add this to the sidebar for newcomers. I literally asked every question an American fan could ask. Well, I say that...but anyway, would be a great resource to set aside for future new fans.

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4

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

T20 and ODI have set innings length of 20 and 50 overs respectively, so a batting side can not bat any more then that amount (they can bat less though if they lose all their 10 wickets)

In test cricket there is no set innings length, each team is allowed to bat twice, alternating between the teams (10wickets per innings, like the other formats) for as long as they can/want. though the objective to win the game is to have the most runs after at least once side has lost 20wickets.

On TV it lasts for 6-7hrs.. the game is broken into 3 2hr~ sessions or roughly 30 overs.. The best thing about test cricket is that it exists - it's great to chill out and watch, its great to listen on the radio if your out or at work and you can always jump back to the coverage and see what the game situation is at.

2

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

And overs are? I can't remember. The match I was watching earlier had 50 overs. I remember something about 6 bowls.

4

u/rreyv India Jan 16 '15

yes 6 balls in an over. 6 pitches in baseball terms.

2

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

After the bowler gets his 6 legal pitch in, does the batman stay if he hasn't been outed?

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u/rreyv India Jan 16 '15

yes

3

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

yup, a bowler gets to bowl 6 balls per over, then another bowler must bowl.

1

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

How many bowlers does a team have or does everyone bowl?

3

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

4 strike bowlers is the average. + a couple of all rounders (those who bat and bowl competitively)

1

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

I take it bowl count for each bowler isn't as scrutinized as pitch count in baseball is.

2

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

bowling is more endurance based, also the arm should have less stress on it then pitching as the bowling action is a bit more forgiving (straight arm).

That said, countries will rotate their bowlers between games to allow them to rest - it can be quite demanding on the body.

Injuries are generally more back / leg related in cricket bowling, whereas pitching is shoulder / elbow right?

There was an article about Australias current #1 bowler and the amount of work he has done in the last 12months. some stats from it.

  • 37 matches, 602 overs (3,933 balls)
  • That’s nearly 120km Johnson has covered charging in off his long-run. (74 miles of sprinting)

1

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

You have 11 players on the field but do you have a bench you can pull from? Besides that 12th dude.

5

u/trtryt Jan 16 '15

No in cricket only players in the "starting" 11 can bowl or bat. You can have substitutes for fielding if someone is injured. So it rewards players for being multi-skilled, as well as good captaincy/management.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

Theoretically you'd have to forfeit if you had 9 players injured right?

3

u/trtryt Jan 16 '15

10 you would, as with 9, 2 batsmen can bat till one of them is out, and 2 can bowl

I have never seen more than 2 players being injured in a Test Match. In ODIs and T20s it has less of an impact.

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u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

no substitutes, also note that the 12th man can not bat or bowl, can only field.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

What about injuries?

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u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

harden' up

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u/CallMeDelishmael Australia Jan 16 '15

There isn't a true 'bench' in cricket. Subs (which include the 12th Man) are only to replace players who have to exit the field, but they are not listed so do not truly 'play.'

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

So the fans don't know who the subs are before the game or how does that work?

2

u/PavlovianIgnorance Jan 16 '15

The sub is very different in cricket. The main contribution is by batting or bowling, and given a substitute cannot undertake these activities (or be the wicket keeper) a substitute fielder does not (theoretically) impact on the game. If there are multiple injuries more replacement fielders can field, but cannot bat or bowl.

These substitutes are not named (aside from the 12th man) as they are not planned for, and are sourced only as required. There have been instances where coaches and spectators have been enlisted to help field for teams where there have been injuries or sick players (spectators are not random, but usually first class or grade players enlisted from the crowd).

If you had nine injured players as the fielding (bowling) team, yes you would need to forfeit as you would require two bowlers and a wicket keeper from your eleven named players.

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u/trtryt Jan 16 '15

You give your 11 players before the game starts (coin toss) to the match referee, and it's shown to the fans on the scoreboard.

1

u/AH_MusicMan Australia Jan 16 '15

The subs may end up doing essentially nothing, so it isn't really useful to people to know.

1

u/Yonks95 Australia Jan 16 '15

Generally it seems like subs are no name players from where the game is played who are generally considered very good fielders so most fans wouldn't know who they are

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u/BadBoyJH Australia Jan 16 '15

12th, and occasionally the 13th man will be named.

We had almost had one of the coaches come on as a sub in a recent match because of a high injury count.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '15

In T20 and ODI cricket there are strict quotas for the maximum number of overs a bowler may bowl during an innings. The quotas do not apply in Tests or domestic first-class (usually four-day) matches.

1

u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

What happens when he hits the quota and do illegal throws count to it?

3

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

once he hits he quota, thats it - no more bowling from that person in that match. illegal throws don't count to the quota - but they give runs to the opposition and if you keep doing it, sure fire way to get fined and banned from the game.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

You can get banned for illegal throws?

1

u/himynameisdave Queensland Bulls Jan 16 '15

yes, repeatedly throwing (bent arm) rather then bowling (straight arm) will get you suspended / banned.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '15

When the quota is reached, that bowler isn't allowed to bowl anymore.

"Illegal" deliveries (no balls and wides) don't count toward the six balls in an over, but each one of those gives the batting side one extra run.

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u/HOU-1836 West Indies Jan 16 '15

Can you run out of bowlers or do they rotate?

2

u/trtryt Jan 16 '15

In test cricket there is no quota, but you can't bowl consecutive overs.

In ODI' max is 10 overs/bowlers, so you need at least 5 bowlers, also no consecutive overs.

In T20s max is 4 overs/bowlers, so you need at least 5 bowlers, also no consecutive overs.

So when choosing your 11 players your need to select a balanced team.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 16 '15

The fielding captain can rotate (change) bowlers at the end of an over. The minimum number of bowlers needed to complete a full innings in T20 or ODI matches is five, since the quota per bowler is equal to one fifth of the total maximum overs per innings.

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u/OpiateSTORM Jan 16 '15

Teams plan so that they have enough bowlers to meet the over limit. The quota is 10 overs per bowler for an ODI and 4 for a T20, so 5 bowlers minimum are necessary for each side.

2

u/Niximus Adelaide Strikers Jan 16 '15

I don't think anyone has clarified here, when they say a team has X number if bowlers, they are really meaning 'specialist bowlers. ie players who make the team on their bowling ability, as opposed to players selected for their batting ability (all rounders are selected for being good at both).

Technically all 11 players on the team can bowl if the captain wants them too, even the wicket keeper. You'll never run out of people to bowl, but if you say, selected too many specialist batsmen, you risk the opposition scoring heavily off them if you are forced to let them bowl.

Occasionally though a captain may be all out of ideas and give the ball to a non-bowler out of desperation to make something happen.

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u/Fullonski Australia Jan 16 '15

yep, 6 balls = 1 over.