My Favourite Game (Cricket)

Playing outdoor sports is my hobby. I like to play different types of games such as football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton etc. But cricket is the most favorite sport to me. To me, it is much more enjoyable game for both the players and the spectaculars. 

Cricket is the national game of England. Its origin is traced back to 13th century. Cricket is very popular in England and its popularity has spread to other parts of the world. Now it is a game of international status and now is being played widely across the world.

Cricket is played between two teams. There are eleven players in each team. One is the bowling side and the other is the batting side. The players of the bowling side play in different positions such as: Bowler, Wicket keeper, first slip, second slip, point, gully, long-off, long-on, long off boundary, long-on boundary, third man boundary.

The players of the batting side come to play as: two openers, first down, second down, third down, fourth down, fifth down, sixth down, seventh down, eighth down, ninth down. There are two umpires to maintain the rules of the game. Cricket is played in a round field. In the game, the batsman wears hand-gloves, arm-guard, leg-guards, thigh-guards, full shoes and helmet as safe against injury.

If the batted ball crosses the boundary line it is declared four and if the ball crosses the boundary line in air it is called a six. The bowler bowls the ball aiming at the wicket and the batsman tries to drive this ball with his bat. When the ball is batted off, the batsman runs from this wicket to that wicket and from that wicket to this wicket as many times as it is possible for him before the ball is obtained by the players of the bowling side. 

If a batsman makes one hundred runs in an innings, he earns a century. If a player of the bowling side catches the batted-off ball before it falls on the ground he earns the credit of a catch and the batsman is ousted. If the stumps of bails are bowled off the batsman is ousted. Similarly run-out, hit wickets etc. are there to oust a player. In those cases another player of the batting side comes to his position. Thus, the game goes on.

In the second turn of the game the bowling team, becomes the batting team and the batting team becomes the bowling team. During the game, the runs of each team are counted. The team winning the greater number of runs is proclaimed winner. 

Now, the game of cricket has earned world-wide popularity. The game is played professionally in most of the country of the world. It has been popular in our country too.