GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — The playoffs for the inaugural Major League Cricket season start Thursday with all games being played in Grand Prairie culminating with Sunday’s championship.
The renovated minor league baseball stadium saw sellout crowds for regular season games and is the finest cricket facility in the United States. Yet, many North Texans probably do not know the first thing about the sport and its rules. Here is a quick breakdown so you can follow the action.
Like baseball…… kind of
Much like baseball, the goal of the two games is similar: Each team gets a certain number of outs to try and score more runs than their opponent. Whereas in baseball, teams get 3 outs in each of 9 innings, Major League Cricket teams get 10 outs in 1 inning. But note, this is just one form of cricket used to keep MLC games concise. Other formats of the sport used internationally could see a single competition last several days with more innings.
Positions and gameplay
Another similarity to baseball is action begins with a pitcher, called a “bowler” in cricket, throwing the ball towards a batter. But instead of a strike zone, the pitcher is trying to hit an object made up of 3 poles called the “wicket” while the batter tries to protect the wicket by swatting the ball. Fielding teams in cricket are made up of 11 defenders strategically positioned across the field and, unlike baseball, the entire field is in-play so there is no such thing as a foul ball.
Scoring
There are two offensive players on the pitch at the same time, the batter and the non-striker. They each start play in front of a wicket sitting 22 yards from each other. When the batter hits the ball, he and the non-striker attempt to swap spots, running across the pitch to the opposite safety crease (think of it as the base in baseball). Each time they switch places counts as 1 run. If the batter is able to hit the ball to the perimeter of the field before the defenders can stop it, it counts as 4 runs. The grandest hit of them all is cricket’s version of a home run called a “six.” If the batter hits the ball in the air beyond the perimeter and into the stands, it counts as six runs.
Outs
Outs, called wickets or dismissals, in cricket are much harder to come by than they are in baseball. However, there are some similarities in how a defense can get a batter out. Here are the most common ways:
-If a ball is caught in the air without touching the ground, the batter is out.
-If the bowler’s throw makes it past the batter and hits the wicket, the batter is out.
-If the defense is able to retrieve the ball and hit the wicket before the batsman or non-striker can make it across the pitch to the safety crease, the batter is out.