The Game of Cricket
Bat and ball games have been played for centuries (perhaps millenia) across the globe, but it was the English who first codified the game of Cricket.
The first known code of cricket dates from 1744 and was drawn up by certain "Noblemen and Gentlemen" in London. Later the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) became the keppers of the laws (in cricket the rules are refered to as laws) and they hold this honour to this day.
There are currently 42 laws and they are pretty inpenetrable for most foreigners who do not come from a country with a cricketing tradition. However, the British Empire did export cricket around the world and there are many former colonies (Australia, New Zeeland, India, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies to name a few) where cricket is still a highly regarded game.
The game in short.
Two teams play and there are 11 players a side. A coin is tossed to decide which team starts by batting. Two batters will attempt to score runs by hitting the ball and running between stumps. The opposing team (the 'bowling' team) will attempt to strick the batters out. Once 10 batsmen are out the teams swap sides, the batters becoming bowlers and visa versa. each team will bat twice and bowl twice during a game which can take up to 4 days to be completed.
The above only scratches the surface and before attending a cricket match, it is a good idea to get a better understanding of the rules of cricket.
"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 thats 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 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! "