Cricket Products at INTERSPORT

Welcome to INTERSPORT Cricket. Please click here to find INTERSPORT Store locations that specialise in Cricket bats, footwear, clothing and accessories. You can also view general information about Cricket in our FAQ section below and find out about events taking place in 2010.

FAQ's

The following information below applies to Test Cricket.  There are however, varying formats of the game, for example, Twenty20 where the rules differ slightly.

• A cricket team consists of 11 players and a reserve ‘12th man’ who plays should anyone become injured. This can only be as a fielder however, and not a bowler, batter or wicket keeper.
• Two umpires ensure that rules are adhered to throughout the game and also make decisions on scores and notify players of these.
• Test cricket spans over two innings, meaning that one team needs to bowl out their opponents twice and score more runs in order to win the match.
• There is no limit to the length of an innings, which is one of the main differences between test cricket and other formats. One-day cricket for example allows only a certain amount of overs per inning. The only time limit on Test Cricket is that the match must not run past 5 days.
• A coin toss decides which team will bat or bowl first.
• Batting is done in pairs and once ten players have been bowled out the two teams switch positions of batting and fielding.

Scoring in Cricket

• To score a run, the batsmen must run to each end of the pitch before the ball is returned.
• They may run as many lengths of the pitch as possible per shot.
• Runs can also be scored by hitting the ball out to the boundaries; this earns four points if the ball hits the ground before passing the boundary and six points if the ball passed the boundary before hitting the ground.
• If a four or six is scored, any runs completed by the batsmen are void.

Ways to score runs

• There are four other ways to score runs during the game.  The first being a ‘No Ball’ which can be declared for various reasons:
  • If the bowler bowls from the wrong place
  • If the ball bounces more than twice or rolls before reaching the batsman
  • If fielders are standing in illegal positions
  • A batsman can hit a ‘No Ball’ and score runs, but cannot be 'out' from it

• A second way to score runs is with a ‘Wide Ball’ being declared if the umpire thinks the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the delivery.
  • Umpires are much stricter on wide deliveries in the shorter format of the game whilst being much more relaxed in Test Cricket.
  • A wide delivery will add one run to the batting team and any runs scored by the batsman.
  • The batsman is not able to get 'out' off a wide delivery except if they are stumped, run out, handle the ball, hit their wicket or obstruct the field.
• A third way of scoring is a ‘Bye’ to be called.  This is where a ball that isn't a 'no ball' or 'wide' passes the striking batsman and runs are scored without the batsman hitting the ball.
• The fourth way to score is through a ‘Leg Bye’ where runs are scored by hitting the batsman but not the bat, and the ball is not a 'no ball' or 'wide'. No runs can be scored if the striking batsman didn't attempt to play a shot or if he was avoiding the ball.

Ways Batsmen can be given 'out' according to Cricket rules

• When a bowler gets a batsman out it is said that the bowler gets a 'wicket'. The following are the different ways a batsman can be given 'out':

• Bowled Out - If the ball is bowled and hits the striking batsman's wickets the batsman is given 'out' (as long as at least one bail is removed by the ball).
• Caught Out - If a batsman hits the ball, or touches the ball at all with his bat or hand/glove holding the bat, then the batsman can be caught out by fielders, the wicket keeper or bowler catching the ball on the full (before it bounces).
• Leg Before Wicket (LBW) - If the ball is bowled and it hits the batsman first without the bat hitting it then an LBW decision is possible. In order for the umpire to give this out he must first look at some of the factors stated in the cricket rules. The first thing the umpire needs to decide is would the ball have hit the wickets if the batsman was not there. If his answer to this is yes and the ball was not pitched on the leg side of the wicket he can safely give the batsman out. If however, the ball hits the batsman outside the line of off stump while he was attempting to play a stroke then he is not out.
• Stumped - A batsman can be given out when the wicket keeper puts down his wicket while he is out of his crease and not attempting a run (if he is attempting a run it would be a run-out).
• Run Out - If no part of his bat or body is grounded behind the popping crease while the ball is in play, and the wicket is fairly put down by the fielding side, then the batsman is considered to be out.
• Hit Wicket - Cricket rules specify that if a batsman hits his wicket down with his bat or body, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and the ball is in play then he is out. The striking batsman is also out if he hits his wicket down while setting off for his first run.
• Handled The Ball – If the batsman willingly handles the ball with the hand that is not touching the bat, without the consent of the opposition, they will be out.
• Timed Out - An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball or be at the non strikers end with his partner within three minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed. If this is not done the incoming batsman can be given out.
• Hit The Ball Twice - If a batsman hits the ball twice, other than for the purpose of protecting his wicket or with consent from the opposition, he is out.
• Obstructing The Field - A batsman is out if he willingly obstructs the opposition by word or action

There are many other cricket rules that have not been described here. These are most of the basics and will get you well on your way to playing the game. Many of the more advanced rules and laws can be learned along the way.

Basic Product Requirements:

• Cricket shoes – dependant on position played
• Cricket Whites
• Cricket Bat – preferably knocked in**
• Cricket Ball
• Cricket pads for protection
• Base layer – optional

** Most modern cricket bats are pre knocked in, that is that they are 80 - 90% knocked in. The final steps must be completed by the cricketer. The best way to knock in a cricket bat is to use a specialist tool or mallet which can be bought from most good cricket stores. Simply hit the mallet onto the bat for total period of 50 - 60 mins. Remember to knock in the edges, toe and face of the bat.
By knocking your cricket bat in, it hardens and knits the fibrous textures of the face of your bat before it is exposed to a new cricket ball. This is the most crucial process of running your bat in. A cricket bat that is run in correctly will provide you with more driving power and also have a much longer life span.