Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport where two opposing sides, or teams of eleven players, compete. The pitch is a rectangular section of 22 yards by 10 feet in the center of the oval field. At each end of the pitch, two sets of three sticks, known as wickets, have been placed in the ground.
One member of the fielding team (the bowler) bowls the ball toward the striker's wicket from the other end of the pitch while two batting team members stand in front of each wicket with bats. In an attempt to stop runs from being scored, the fielding team puts batters "out" by dismissing them.
Most people agree that children in the southeast counties of England invented cricket at some point in the Middle Ages. The first recorded mention of cricket being played, with claims to the contrary, comes from information provided during a Guildford court case in January 1597.
For most of the 17th century, cricket remained a low-key local activity. It has been extensively established in the records of trials heard by ecclesiastical courts that it was occasionally forbidden by the Puritans both before and during the time of the Commonwealth.
In the 18th century, the game achieved significant development, leading to its identification as England's national sport. As early as 1707, cricket was popular in London, and by the mid-1800s, big audiences were attending games held at the Finsbury Artillery Ground.
The Laws of Cricket, which have an international scope, include the rules for the game of cricket. The team captains, who are also players, flip a coin to choose which team will bat first and begin the first innings before the start of a match.
Only two batting team members are typically on the pitch at any given time during innings, whereas all eleven members of the fielding team take the pitch. It is common to reveal the batting order shortly before the game, though it is possible to change it.
Every team's primary goal is to score more runs than their competitors. One team's combined total for the first and second innings may be smaller than the opposing team's total for the first innings in a two-inning contest.
The umpires may call off a match in all cricket formats if bad weather or poor lighting prevents play from continuing. Poor weather has prevented a ball from being bowled during entire matches, including Test matches that were supposed to last five days.