What is excitement? If someone wants to know then he should better watch cricket. This is the excitement which is making cricket more and more popular with the passing days.
Cricket is an outdoor game somewhat similar to the baseball. It is played between two teams of 11 players each, on a well prepared grassy ground having a radius of about 75 yards and having a central hard pitch (22 yards long) with wickets (three stumps with transverse bails) in the ground at either end of the pitch. The bat is made of willow with a bound cane handle. The bat should not be more than 38 inches in length and 4 and a 1/2 inches in width. The ball is leather covered and weighs about 5 and 1/2 ounces and should be about 9 inches in circumference. The team which is going to bat sends in two batsmen who score runs by hitting the ball and running through the length of the pitch between two batting creases provided that the ball has not crossed the boundaries of the ground. If it happens then the batsman who played the shot and the team is awarded with 4 or 6 runs. A batsman can get out in several ways (catch, bold, stump, run out, l.b.w or hit wicket). If a batsman gets out then he is replaced by another batsman until 10 batsmen get out or the innings is declared by the captain (Test matches) or the number of overs alloted to the team are completed (One day matches).
Cricket is different from baseball in the following respects:
 | In cricket, one can play on every side of the ground and there are no foul areas as in the baseball. |
| Every team can only play a maximum of 2 innings (Test matches) as compared to the 9 innings in baseball. |
| In cricket, running through the two creases one time gets one run. |
| In cricket, there are 11 players in a team whereas there are 9 players in a team in baseball. |
| Shape of ball and the style of throwing the ball is also different in these games. |
| Shape of bat and the stance of the batter is different in these games |
Not only is cricket different from baseball, it is much more exciting than baseball
(though some people might not agree with it). Cricket is all about love and passion. As
the Duke of Dorset said in 1777, "What is human life but a game of cricket?"
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OnlyCricket.org