Cricket Fundamentals

Batting

• Types of shots:
  • Front foot shots: played with the front foot forward (e.g., drive, glide)
  • Back foot shots: played with the back foot forward (e.g., cut, pull)
  • Horizontal bat shots: played with the bat horizontal to the ground (e.g., hook, square cut)
• Batting techniques:
  • Orthodox batting: right-handed batsman holds the bat in the left hand, and vice versa
  • Unorthodox batting: unconventional batting styles, often used by sloggers or pinch hitters
• Batting positions:
  • Opening batsmen: first two batsmen, responsible for setting the tone of the innings
  • Top order: batsmen 1-4, expected to score heavily
  • Middle order: batsmen 5-7, provide stability and accelerate the scoring rate
  • Lower order: batsmen 8-11, often specialized bowlers or all-rounders

Bowling

• Types of bowling:
  • Fast bowling: pace bowling, aiming to dismiss batsmen quickly
  • Spin bowling: using spin to deceive batsmen, often slower than fast bowling
  • Medium pace bowling: a balance between pace and spin
• Bowling actions:
  • Overarm bowling: bowling with the arm straight, using the wrist and fingers
  • Roundarm bowling: bowling with the arm bent, using the wrist and fingers
  • Underarm bowling: bowling with the arm straight, using the wrist and fingers (rarely used)
• Bowling strategies:
  • Defensive bowling: containing the batsmen, reducing the scoring rate
  • Attacking bowling: aiming to dismiss batsmen, often using aggressive field placements

Cricket History

• Early history (16th-18th centuries):
  • Crickets origins in England, played by English nobility and commoners
  • First written records of cricket dates back to 1598
• Development and popularization (19th-20th centuries):
  • First international match between USA and Canada in 1844
  • Establishment of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) in 1787, governing body of cricket
  • Spread of cricket to the Indian subcontinent, Australia, and the West Indies
• Modern cricket (late 20th century-present):
  • Introduction of limited-overs cricket (ODIs) in the 1970s
  • Emergence of T20 cricket in the 2000s
  • Increased global participation, with cricket becoming a major international sport