CRICKET CRAZY 2010

HISTORY OF CRICKET

2010-05-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

1) History of Cricket

The origins of cricket are obscure, and there are several theories on how it started. One is that shepherds used to play it - one would stand in front of the wicket gate to the sheep fold, and another would bowl a stone or something at him, and he would have to hit it with his crook, which was known as a cricket. Other theories are that it derives from a game called club-ball, or a game played in churchyards...

The first reference to cricket being played is thought to be in 1300, between Prince Edward and his friend Piers Gaveston and the first recorded match took place at Coxheath in Kent in 1646. The first match between counties on 29th June 1709, when Surrey played Kent at Dartford Brent.

The earliest known cricket photographs were taken in 1857, by Roger Fenton at the Artillery Ground, when the Royal Artillery played Hunsdonbury.

As well as shepherds' crooks, early bats were clubs and sticks. These gave way to long, thin battes, which looked a bit like straightened-out hockey sticks, because the ball was bowled under-arm, and the batters swung their bats like clubs!!

By the 18th century, the bat had developed into a longer, heavier, curved version of the one we know now, carved out of a single piece of wood.

Today's bat was invented around 1853, with the blade made of willow, and a cane handle, which is layered with strips of rubber, tied with twine, and covered with rubber to make a grip. The 'V' shaped extension of the handle into the blade is the splice. The early balls were stones and other missiles. Rather dangerous really, and not surprising that someone came up with an alternative! They're now made of cork, and covered with hand-stitched leather quarters dyed red.

The wicket - the stumps are the three posts. Originally there were two, and at one point, four. The size has varied too - in the 17th century, were up to two metres wide!! The bails are the two bits of wood on the top, and if they fall off, it's all over!!

ICC WORLD CUP 2011

2010-05-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

The 14^th edition of ICC World Cup cricket tournament will be co-hosted by three South Asian test playing counties: Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. ICC World Cup 2011 kicks off with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur in Bangladesh on 17 February 2011. The same venue will host the opening game of the tournament between Bangladesh and India on 19 February. Out of total 49 matches in the tournament, India will host highest 29 games including a quarter final and the tournament final. Sri Lanka will organize 12 matches including a quarter final as well as a semi final, while Bangladesh will stage 8 games including 2 quarter finals. Except the opening game, India will play all of their group stage matches at home; while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play the group stage matches in front of their home crowd.

India will host its first match on 20 February when Kenya and New Zealand will face each other at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk in Chennai. The first game in Sri Lanka will be held on the same day at Hambantota where Sri Lankan team will take on Canada. Pakistan was one of the co-hosts of the tournament initially, but was stripped off the host status on security ground by ICC. Pakistan will play all of their matches in Sri Lanka unless they reach the semi final. If Pakistan can get into the last four of the tournament, they have to travel to India.

Tournament Venues

All of the 49 matches will be held in 13 different venues across the three countries. Except two new venues in Sri Lanka (Hambantota and Pallekele), the rest of them are test venues including India’s 8 well-known test grounds. Here, I am giving the names of the venues:

India

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai,

Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad,

Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur,

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi,

Eden Gardens, Kolkata,

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore,

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh,

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Bangladesh

Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka

Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

Sri Lanka

Hambantota,

Pallekele,

R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Format of the Tournament

There are 14 teams who will be participating in the tournament including 10 test playing nations and 4 associate member countries. The test playing teams have automatically qualified for the tournament, while the 4 associate members have come through the qualifying tournament held in South Africa earlier this year. The four associate members are: Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Kenya.

The format of ICC World Cup 2011 is not same to that of the previous world cup that took place in West Indies in 2007. All of the 14 teams are divided into two groups of 7 teams each. In the group stage, each team will play against all other group members once in a round robin league system.

Group A	Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya
Group B	India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.

In 2007 world cup, there was a ‘Super Eight’ phase involving 8 teams who qualified through group stage, and four best teams from ‘Super Eight’ progressed to the semi final. However, there is no super eight phase in 2011 world cup. In stead, top four teams from each group in terms of points achieved will qualify for the quarter final. There are four quarter finals scheduled to take place on 23 March, 24 March, 25 March and 26 March. That means knock out stage starts just after the group stage. Four winners of the four quarter finals will get into the semi final of the tournament. The winners of the semi finals will meet each other in the tournament final at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 2 April 2009.

The probable reason behind the format change is perhaps to ensure that each of the participating teams play at least 6 games even if they fail to qualify for the quarter final. Last year, two test playing nations: India and Pakistan- failed to reach the ‘Super Eight’ round and had to go back home, having played only 2 matches. The early exit of the two cricket powerhouses caused huge loss for the TV channels, sponsors as well as for those who bought time slots for TV commercials beforehand to promote their products. That is why, ICC has now ensured that each of the teams will play at least 6 games in the 2011 tournament.

Sl. No.

Date

Teams

Venue

19 Feb

India vs Bangladesh

Dhaka

20 Feb

New Zealand vs Kenya

Chennai

20 Feb

Sri Lanka vs Canada

Hambantota

21 Feb

Australia vs Zimbabwe

Ahmedabad

22 Feb

England vs Netherlands

Nagpur

23 Feb

Pakistan vs Kenya

Hambantota

24 Feb

South Africa vs West Indies

New Delhi

25 Feb

Australia vs New Zealand

Nagpur

25 Feb

Bangladesh vs Ireland

Dhaka

26 Feb

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan

Colombo

27 Feb

India vs England

Kolkata

28 Feb

West Indies vs Netherlands

New Delhi

28 Feb

Zimbabwe vs Canada

Nagpur

1 Mar

Sri Lanka vs Kenya

Colombo

2 Mar

England vs Ireland

Bangalore

3 Mar

South Africa vs Netherlands

Mohali

3 Mar

Pakistan vs Canada

Colombo

4 Mar

New Zealand vs Zimbabwe

Ahmedabad

4 Mar

Bangladesh vs West Indies

Dhaka

5 Mar

Sri Lanka vs Australia

Colombo

6 Mar

India vs Ireland

Bangalore

6 Mar

England vs South Africa

Chennai

7 Mar

Kenya vs Canada

New Delhi

8 Mar

Pakistan vs New Zealand

Pallekelle

9 Mar

India vs Netherlands

New Delhi

10 Mar

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe

Pallekelle

11 Mar

West Indies vs Ireland

Mohali

11 Mar

Bangladesh vs England

Chittagong

12 Mar

India vs South Africa

Nagpur

13 Mar

New Zealand vs Canada

Mumbai

13 Mar

Australia vs Kenya

Bangalore

14 Mar

Pakistan vs Zimbabwe

Pallekelle

14 Mar

Bangladesh vs Netherlands

Chittagong

15 Mar

South Africa vs Ireland

Kolkata

16 Mar

Australia vs Canada

Bangalore

17 Mar

England vs West Indies

Chennai

18 Mar

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

Mumbai

18 Mar

Ireland vs Netherlands

Kolkata

19 Mar

Australia vs Pakistan

Colombo

19 Mar

Bangladesh vs South Africa

Dhaka

20 Mar

Zimbabwe vs Kenya

Kolkata

20 Mar

India vs West Indies

Chennai

23 Mar

First Quarterfinal

Dhaka

24 Mar

Second Quarterfinal

Colombo

25 Mar

Third Quarterfinal

Dhaka

26 Mar

Fourth Quarterfinal

Ahmedabad

29 Mar

First Semifinal

Colombo

30 Mar

Second Semifinal

Mohali

02 Apr

FINAL

Mumbai

CRICKET CALANDER

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Tri-series in Zimbabwe
Date	Match	Venue	Time
May 28	Zimbabwe vs India	Bulawayo	1300 IST
May 30	India vs Sri Lanka	Bulawayo	1300 IST
June 1	Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka	Bulawayo	1300 IST
June 3	Zimbabwe vs India	Harare	1300 IST
June 5	India vs Sri Lanka	Harare	1300 IST
June 7	Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka	Harare	1300 IST
June 9	FINAL	Harare	1300 IST

	India in Zimbabwe T20 series
Date	Match	Venue	Time
June 12	First Twenty20 International	Harare	1330 IST
June 13	Second Twenty20 International	Harare	1330 IST

	Bangladesh's tour of England
Date	Match	Venue	Time
May 27-31	First Test	Lord's	1530 IST
June 4-8	Second Test	Manchester	1530 IST
July 8	First ODI (D/N)	Nottingham	1930 IST
July 10	Second ODI	Bristol	1515 IST
July 12	Third ODI	Birmingham	1515 IST

	South Africa's tour of West Indies
Date	Match	Venue	Time
May 19	First T20 International	Antigua	2330 IST
May 20	Second T20 International	Antigua	2330 IST
May 22	First ODI	Antigua	1900 IST
May 24	Second ODI	Antigua	1900 IST
May 28	Third ODI	Dominica	1900 IST
May 30	Fourth ODI	Dominica	1900 IST
June 3	Fifth ODI	Jamaica	2000 IST
June 10-14	First Test	Jamaica	2030 IST
June 18-22	Second Test	St Kitts	1930 IST
June 26-30	Third Test	Barbados	1930 IST

	Asia Cup 2010
Date	Match	Venue	Time
June 15	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 16	Bangladesh vs India	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 18	Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 19	India vs Pakistan	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 21	Bangladesh vs Pakistan	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 22	Sri Lanka vs India	Dambulla	1430 IST
June 24	FINAL	Dambulla	1430 IST

	Australia's ODI tour of England
Date	Match	Venue	Time
June 22	First ODI (D/N)	Southampton	1900 IST
June 24	Second ODI (D/N)	Cardiff	1900 IST
June 27	Third ODI	Manchester	1515 IST
June 30	Fourth ODI (D/N)	Kennington Oval	1730 IST
July 3	Fifth ODI	Lord's	1515 IST

	Australia vs Pakistan series in England
Date	Match	Venue	Time
July 5	First T20 International	Birmingham	2130 IST
July 5	Second T20 International	Birmingham	2130 IST
July 13-17	First Test	Lord's	1500 IST
July 21-25	Second Test	Leeds	1500 IST

	Pakistan's tour of England
Date	Match	Venue	Time
July 29-Aug 2	First Test	Nottingham	1530 IST
Aug 6-10	Second Test	Birmingham	1530 IST
Aug 18-22	Third Test	Oval	1530 IST
Aug 26-30	Fourth Test	Lord's	1530 IST
Sept 5	First Twenty20 International	Cardiff	2000 IST
Sept 7	Second Twenty20 International (D/N)	Cardiff	2230 IST
Sept 10	First ODI	Chester-le-Street	1445 IST
Sept 12	Second ODI	Leeds	1445 IST
Sept 17	Third ODI	Oval	1445 IST
Sept 20	Fourth ODI (D/N)	Lord's	1900 IST
Sept 22	Fifth ODI (D/N)	Southampton	1900 IST

INDIA

2010-05-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

1) The Indian cricket team is an international cricket team representing India. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the cricket governing body in India. The Indian Cricket Team is currently the highest paid national sports team in the world (in terms of sponsorship)

Though the first match in India was recorded in 1721, when a group of sailors gathered to play in Western India, India's national cricket team didn't play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's. They became the sixth team to play Test cricket. Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 matches they played in their first fifty years.The team gained strength near the end of the 50-year period with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet. The Indian team has continued to be highly ranked since then in Test cricket and One Day Internationals. The team won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 and was runners-up in 2003. It also won the first World Twenty20 in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, who hold numerous cricketing world records.

AUSTRALIA

2010-05-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the equal oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877 (defeating England by 45 runs). The current Australian cricket team is widely regarded as the strongest cricket team in the world.

They are also the first-ranked international one-day cricket team and winners of the last three Cricket World Cups. Australia won the Cricket World Cup 4 times in total; 1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007. As of 28 April 2007 they are undefeated in 29 consecutive World Cup matches. They have led the ICC One-Day International Championship table from its inception through to February 18, 2007, and then again from April 7, 2007. In 2002, they were named World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in recognition of their world record sequence of test match victories.

BANGLADESH

2010-05-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

1) The Bangladeshi cricket team, also known as "The Tigers", is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. It is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. It played its first Test match in 2000 (against India at Dhaka), becoming the tenth Test cricket playing nation.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (known then as the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board) was established in 1972. Soon after, a cricket league commenced in Dhaka and Chittagong. A national level cricket tournament begun in the country in 1974-75. During this time the cricket league started at the district (regional) level. Other tournaments that were organised were aimed school, college, youth and university level.

Bangladesh's first official foray into international cricket came in the 1979 ICC Trophy in England, leaving the tournament with 2 wins and 2 defeats. Seven years later, on March 31 1986, Bangladesh played in its first One Day International match against Pakistan in the 1986 Asia Cup. Cricket has gradually become very popular in urban areas of the country. Although football was the most popular game for a long time, cricket gained a momentum and soon surpassed football, especially after Bangladesh won the ICC Trophy in Malaysia in 1997. By winning the ICC trophy, the Tigers had qualified for the 1999 Cricket World Cup for the first time. Bangladesh performed admirably in the 7th World Cup and caused an upset by defeating Pakistan in a group phase match. In 1997, Bangladesh became a regular ICC member with the right to play one-day internationals. It attained the status of a test playing country on 26 June 2000.

At the end of 2007, Bangladesh had played in 49 Tests, winning only once against a Zimbabwe team crippled by the exodus of its white players. They have lost 43 of their matches, and 29 of these by an innings. Bangladesh's performance has led to repeated calls for them to lose their Test status.

ENGLAND

2010-05-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

1) The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and was previously governed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) since 1903.

England along with Australia were the first team to be granted Test status on 15 March 1877 and gained full membership to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 15 June 1909. They also took part in the first ever One Day International (ODI) against Australia on 5 January 1971. While their first Twenty20 match occurred on 13 June 2005 with their opponents being Australia.

As of December 2007 the England team have won 301 of its 867 Test matches and are ranked fifth in the ICC Test Championship. They have finished runners-up in three Cricket World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992) and are currently ranked seventh in the ICC ODI rankings

Peter Moores was given the job of Head Coach on 1 May 2007 following the resignation of Duncan Fletcher after a poor 2007 Cricket World Cup campaign. He subsequently employed Andy Flower as assistant coach.

NEW ZEALAND

2010-05-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

1) The New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps, played their first Test in 1929-30 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth Test nation. It took the team until 1955-56 to win a Test, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their first ODI in the 1972-73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch.

The current Test captain is Daniel Vettori. He replaces the Black Caps' most successful captain, Stephen Fleming who led New Zealand to 28 Test victories, more than twice as many as any other captain. Vettori lost his first match as captain (vs South Africa) by 358 runs, New Zealand's worst ever defeat by runs.

The New Zealand cricket team became known as the Black Caps in January 1998, after its sponsor at the time, Clear Communications, held a competition to choose a name for the team.

PAKISTAN

2010-05-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

1) The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international cricket team representing Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.

Before the independence of Pakistan, cricket was played well before the first Pakistan national team was granted test match playing status. Documentation and archives show that during the 18th century, cricket was played on the western side of India and many successful Indian cricketers played for the English cricket team.It was not until July 28, 1952 that Pakistan started playing test match cricket. Their first match took place in Delhi against India on October of the same year. Their first international tour was to England during 1954. Over the half century, Pakistan has become one of the most challenging and unpredictable teams in the world, the team won the 1992 World Cup and were runners up in the 1999 World Cup. The country has produced several world-class bowlers such as Fazal Mahmood, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.

SOUTH AFRICA

2010-05-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

Cricket in South Africa was established by the British, and the first tour by a side from England took place in 1888-89. Here South Africa played its first Test match (against touring England at Port Elizabeth), becoming the third Test nation.

In 1970, the ICC voted to suspend South Africa from international cricket indefinitely because of its government's policy of apartheid, a policy which led them to play only against the white nations (England, Australia, New Zealand), and field only white players. This excluded one of the brightest sides the cricketing world has ever seen, containing players such as Graeme Pollock. It would also cause the emigration of future stars like Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, who both played for England, and Kepler Wessels, who initially played for Australia, before returning to South Africa.

The ICC reinstated South Africa as a Test nation in 1991 after the deconstruction of apartheid, and the team played its first sanctioned match since 1970 (and its first ever One-Day International) against India in Calcutta on 10 November 1991.

Since

South Africa

have been reinstated they have achieved mixed success, and hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003. However, it is widely believed the sides containing the likes of Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock, and Hansie Cronje, grossly underachieved, gaining a reputation as chokers, due to them reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup three times, but failing to progress into the finals, with Herschelle Gibbs famously dropping Australian captain Steve Waugh in 1999 in a league game. They have also had bad press for choking in vital matches in other important tournaments including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.

With Donald retiring, Cronje banned for match-fixing and later killed in a plane crash, and Pollock nearing the end of his career, the team has once again changed shape. Due to a racial quota policy, the side now contains black players, unlike the past, it is currently captained by Graeme Smith, although following injuries to Smith and Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince was appointed Test captain on July 12, 2006. At the age of 29, he became the first non-white man to captain the once all-white South African cricket team.

SRI LANKA

2010-05-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

1) The Sri Lankan cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation. The Sri Lankan team transformed themselves from the underdog status to a major cricketing nation during the 1990s. The team went on to take 1996 Cricket World Cup beating Australia in the finals, and becoming the World Champions. Since then, the team continued as a major force in international cricket, with ups and downs in certain periods. The Sri Lanka team did well to reach the finals of 2007 Cricket World Cup but lost to Australia in a rain affected match to becomes the runners up. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya & Aravinda de Silva, backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan & Chaminda Vaas has largely contributed the success of Sri Lankan cricket during the last 15 years. It is administrated by Sri Lanka Cricket. The history of the West Indies cricket team begins in the 1890s, when the first representative sides were selected to play visiting English sides. Administered by the West Indies Cricket Board ("WICB"),and known colloquially as The Windies, the West Indies cricket team represents a sporting confederation of English-speaking Caribbean countries.

The WICB joined the sport's international ruling body, the Imperial Cricket Council, in 1926,[3] and played their first official international match, granted Test status, in 1928.Although blessed with some great players in their early days as a Test nation, their successes remained sporadic until the 1960s, by which time the side had changed from a white-dominated to a black-dominated side. By the 1970s, the West Indies had a side recognised as unofficial world champions, a title they retained throughout the 1980s During these glory years, the Windies were noted for their four-man fast bowling attack, backed up by some of the best batsmen in the world. The 1980s saw them set a then-record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984 and inflict two 5–0 "blackwashes" against the old enemy of England. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, however, West Indian cricket declined, largely due to the failure of the West Indian Cricket Board to move the game from an amateur pastime to a professional sport coupled with the general economic decline in West Indian countries, and the team today is struggling to regain its past glory.

In their early days in the 1930s, the side represented the British colonies of the West Indies Federation plus British Guiana. The current side represents the now independent states of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, the British dependencies of Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. National teams also exist for the various different islands, which, as they are all separate countries, very much keep their local identities and support their local favourites. These national teams take part in the West Indian first-class competition, the Carib Beer Cup (earlier known as the Busta Cup, Shell Shield and various other names). It is also common for other international teams to play the island teams for warm-up games before they take on the combined West Indies team.

WEST INDIES

2010-05-21T07:17:00.001-07:00

1) The history of the West Indies cricket team begins in the 1890s, when the first representative sides were selected to play visiting English sides. Administered by the West Indies Cricket Board ("WICB"),and known colloquially as The Windies, the West Indies cricket team represents a sporting confederation of English-speaking Caribbean countries.

The WICB joined the sport's international ruling body, the Imperial Cricket Council, in 1926,[3] and played their first official international match, granted Test status, in 1928.Although blessed with some great players in their early days as a Test nation, their successes remained sporadic until the 1960s, by which time the side had changed from a white-dominated to a black-dominated side. By the 1970s, the West Indies had a side recognised as unofficial world champions, a title they retained throughout the 1980s During these glory years, the Windies were noted for their four-man fast bowling attack, backed up by some of the best batsmen in the world. The 1980s saw them set a then-record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984 and inflict two 5–0 "blackwashes" against the old enemy of England. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, however, West Indian cricket declined, largely due to the failure of the West Indian Cricket Board to move the game from an amateur pastime to a professional sport coupled with the general economic decline in West Indian countries, and the team today is struggling to regain its past glory.

In their early days in the 1930s, the side represented the British colonies of the West Indies Federation plus British Guiana. The current side represents the now independent states of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, the British dependencies of Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. National teams also exist for the various different islands, which, as they are all separate countries, very much keep their local identities and support their local favourites. These national teams take part in the West Indian first-class competition, the Carib Beer Cup (earlier known as the Busta Cup, Shell Shield and various other names). It is also common for other international teams to play the island teams for warm-up games before they take on the combined West Indies team.

ZIMBABWE

2010-05-21T07:15:00.001-07:00

Zimbabwean Team had the first taste of international Cricket in the third edition of the World Cup of Cricket (1983) in

England

. David Vs Goliath was the term given to their first encounter against

Australia

and eventually the result matched the primitive outcome.

Zimbabwe

scored a victory to remember for ages in their first game. They almost repeated the performance against India in the same edition (which was won by India), however, India scrapped through. They had reasonable outing in the World Cups of 1983, 1987 and 1982, and outstanding performances in matches with the minnow teams before finally getting the test status in the year 1992 against the mighty Indians at the Harare Sports Club. They did well to secure a draw in that game. History of Zimbabwean Cricket, although it has been short, has seen some world class cricketers including Dave Houghton, Kevin Curran, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Heath streak, etc.

Law 1 (The Players)

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1. Number of players

A match is played between two sides, each of eleven players, one of whom shall be captain. By agreement a match may be played between sides of more or less than eleven players, but not more than eleven players may field at any time.

2. Nomination of players

Each captain shall nominate his players in writing to one of the umpires before the toss. No player may be changed after the nomination without the consent of the opposing captain.

3. Captain :

If at any time the captain is not available, a deputy shall act for him. (a) If a captain is not available during the period in which the toss is to take place, then the deputy must be responsible for the nomination of the players, if this has not already been done, and for the toss. See 2 above and Law 12.4 (The toss).

(b) At any time after the toss, the deputy must be one of the nominated players.

4. Responsibility of captains :

The captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit and traditions of the game as well as within the Laws. See The Spirit of Cricket and Law 42.1 (Fair and unfair play – responsibility of captains).

Law 2 (Substitutes and Runners; Runners or Fielder Leaving Field; Batsman Retiring

2010-05-21T06:24:00.001-07:00

Substitutes and runners
(a) If the umpires are satisfied that a player has been injured or become ill after the nomination of the players, they shall allow that player to have
(i) a substitute acting instead of him in the field.
(ii) a runner when batting.
Any injury or illness that occurs at any time after the nomination of the players until the conclusion of the match shall be allowable, irrespective of whether play is in progress or not.

(b) The umpires shall have discretion, for other wholly acceptable reasons, to allow a substitute for a fielder, or a runner for a batsman, at the start of the match or at any subsequent time.

(c) A player wishing to change his shirt, boots, etc. must leave the field to do so. No substitute shall be allowed for him.

2. Objection to substitutes
The opposing captain shall have no right of objection to any player acting as a substitute on the field, nor as to where the substitute shall field. However, no substitute shall act as wicket-keeper. See 3 below.

3. Restrictions on the role of substitutes :
A substitute shall not be allowed to bat or bowl nor to act as wicket-keeper or as captain on the field of play.

4. A player for whom a substitute has acted :
A player is allowed to bat, bowl or field even though a substitute has previously acted for him.

5. Fielder absent or leaving the field :
If a fielder fails to take the field with his side at the start of the match or at any later time, or leaves the field during a session of play, (a) the umpire shall be informed of the reason for his absence.

(b) he shall not thereafter come on to the field during a session of play without the consent of the umpire. See 6 below. The umpire shall give such consent as soon as is practicable.

(c) if he is absent for 15 minutes or longer, he shall not be permitted to bowl thereafter, subject to
(i), (ii) or (iii) below, until he has been on the field for at least that length of playing time for which he was absent.
(i) Absence or penalty for time absent shall not be carried over into a new day's play.
(ii) If, in the case of a follow-on or forfeiture, a side fields for two consecutive innings, this restriction shall, subject to (i) above, continue as necessary into the second innings but shall not otherwise be carried over into a new innings.
(iii) The time lost for an unscheduled break in play shall be counted as time on the field for any fielder who comes on to the field at the resumption of play. See Law 15.1 (An interval).

6. Player returning without permission :
If a player comes on to the field of play in contravention of 5(b) above and comes into contact with the ball while it is in play
(i) the ball shall immediately become dead and the umpire shall award 5 penalty runs to the batting side. See Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). The ball shall not count as one of the over.
(ii) the umpire shall inform the other umpire, the captain of the fielding side, the batsmen and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of the reason for this action.
(iii) the umpires together shall report the occurrence as soon as possible to the Executive of the fielding side and any Governing Body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and player concerned.

7. Runner :
The player acting as a runner for a batsman shall be a member of the batting side and shall, if possible, have already batted in that innings. The runner shall wear external protective equipment equivalent to that worn by the batsman for whom he runs and shall carry a bat.

8. Transgression of the Laws by a batsman who has a runner :
(a) A batsman's runner is subject to the Laws. He will be regarded as a batsman except where there are specific provisions for his role as a runner. See 7 above and Law 29.2 (Which is a batsman's ground).

(b) A batsman with a runner will suffer the penalty for any infringement of the Laws by his runner as though he had been himself responsible for the infringement. In particular he will be out if his runner is out under any of Laws 33 (Handled the ball), 37 (Obstructing the field) or 38 (Run out).

(c) When a batsman with a runner is striker he remains himself subject to the Laws and will be liable to the penalties that any infringement of them demands. Additionally, if he is out of his ground when the wicket is put down at the wicket-keeper's end, he will be out in the circumstances of Law 38 (Run out) or Law 39 (Stumped) irrespective of the position of the non-striker or of the runner. If he is thus dismissed, runs completed by the runner and the other batsman before the dismissal shall not be scored. However, the penalty for a No ball or a Wide shall stand, together with any penalties to either side that may be awarded when the ball is dead. See Law 42.17 (Penalty runs).

(d) When a batsman with a runner is not the striker
(i) he remains subject to Laws 33 (Handled the ball) and 37 (Obstructing the field) but is otherwise out of the game.
(ii) he shall stand where directed by the striker's end umpire so as not to interfere with play.
(iii) he will be liable, notwithstanding (i) above, to the penalty demanded by the Laws should he commit any act of unfair play.

9. Batsman leaving the field or retiring :
A batsman may retire at any time during his innings. The umpires, before allowing play to proceed, shall be informed of the reason for a batsman retiring.
(a) If a batsman retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause, he is entitled to resume his innings subject to (c) below. If for any reason he does not do so, his innings is to be recorded as 'Retired – not out'.
(b) If a batsman retires for any reason other than as in (a) above, he may only resume his innings with the consent of the opposing captain. If for any reason he does not resume his innings it is to be recorded as 'Retired – out'.
(c) If after retiring a batsman resumes his innings, it shall be only at the fall of a wicket or the retirement of another batsman.

10. Commencement of a batsman's innings :
Except at the start of a side's innings, a batsman shall be considered to have commenced his innings when he first steps on to the field of play, provided Time has not been called. The innings of the opening batsmen, and that of any new batsman at the resumption of play after a call of Time, shall commence at the call of Play.

Law 3 (The Umpires)

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Appointment and attendance :
Before the match, two umpires shall be appointed, one for each end, to control the game as required by the Laws, with absolute impartiality. The umpires shall be present on the ground and report to the Executive of the ground at least 45 minutes before the scheduled start of each day's play.

2. Change of umpire :
An umpire shall not be changed during the match, other than in exceptional circumstances, unless he is injured or ill. If there has to be a change of umpire, the replacement shall act only as the striker's end umpire unless the captains agree that he should take full responsibility as an umpire.

3. Agreement with captains :
Before the toss the umpires shall
(a) ascertain the hours of play and agree with the captains
(i) the balls to be used during the match. See Law 5 (The ball).
(ii) times and durations of intervals for meals and times for drinks intervals. See Law 15 (Intervals).
(iii) the boundary of the field of play and allowances for boundaries. See Law 19 (Boundaries).
(iv) any special conditions of play affecting the conduct of the match.

(b) inform the scorers of the agreements in (ii), (iii) and (iv) above.

4. To inform captains and scorers :
Before the toss the umpires shall agree between themselves and inform both captains and both scorers
(i) which clock or watch and back-up time piece is to be used during the match.
(ii) whether or not any obstacle within the field of play is to be regarded as a boundary. See Law 19 (Boundaries).

5. The wickets, creases and boundaries :
Before the toss and during the match, the umpires shall satisfy themselves that
(i) the wickets are properly pitched. See Law 8 (The wickets).
(ii) the creases are correctly marked. See Law 9 (The bowling, popping and return creases).
(iii) the boundary of the field of play complies with the requirements of Law 19.2 (Defining the boundary – boundary marking).

6. Conduct of the game, implements and equipment :
Before the toss and during the match, the umpires shall satisfy themselves that
(a) the conduct of the game is strictly in accordance with the Laws.

(b) the implements of the game conform to the requirements of Laws 5 (The ball) and 6 (The bat), together with either Laws 8.2 (Size of stumps) and 8.3 (The bails) or, if appropriate, Law 8.4 (Junior cricket).

(c) (i) no player uses equipment other than that permitted.
(ii) the wicket-keeper's gloves comply with the requirements of Law 40.2 (Gloves).

7. Fair and unfair play :
The umpires shall be the sole judges of fair and unfair play.

8. Fitness of ground, weather and light :
The umpires shall be the final judges of the fitness of the ground, weather and light for play. See 9 below and Law 7.2 (Fitness of the pitch for play).

9. Suspension of play for adverse conditions of ground, weather or light :
(a) (i) All references to ground include the pitch. See Law 7.1 (Area of pitch).
(ii) For the purpose of this Law and Law 15.9(b)(ii) (Intervals for drinks) only, the batsmen at the wicket may deputies for their captain at any appropriate time.

(b)If at any time the umpires together agree that the condition of the ground, weather or light is not suitable for play, they shall inform the captains and, unless
(i) in unsuitable ground or weather conditions both captains agree to continue, or to commence, or to restart play,
or (ii) in unsuitable light the batting side wishes to continue, or to commence, or to restart play, they shall suspend play, or not allow play to commence or to restart.

(c) (i) After agreeing to play in unsuitable ground or weather conditions, either captain may appeal against the conditions to the umpires before the next call of Time. The umpires shall uphold the appeal only if, in their opinion, the factors taken into account when making their previous decision are the same or the conditions have further deteriorated.
(ii) After deciding to play in unsuitable light, the captain of the batting side may appeal against the light to the umpires before the next call of Time. The umpires shall uphold the appeal only if, in their opinion, the factors taken into account when making their previous decision are the same or the condition of the light has further deteriorated.

(d) If at any time the umpires together agree that the conditions of ground, weather or light are so bad that there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, so that it would be unreasonable or dangerous for play to take place, then notwithstanding the provisions of
(b)(i) and (b)(ii) above, they shall immediately suspend play, or not allow play to commence or to restart. The decision as to whether conditions are so bad as to warrant such action is one for the umpires alone to make. The fact that the grass and the ball are wet and slippery does not warrant the ground conditions being regarded as unreasonable or dangerous. If the umpires consider the ground is so wet or slippery as to deprive the bowler of a reasonable foothold, the fielders of the power of free movement, or the batsmen of the ability to play their strokes or to run between the wickets, then these conditions shall be regarded as so bad that it would be unreasonable for play to take place.

(e) When there is a suspension of play it is the responsibility of the umpires to monitor the conditions. They shall make inspections as often as appropriate, unaccompanied by any of the players or officials. Immediately the umpires together agree that conditions are suitable for play they shall call upon the players to resume the game.

(f) If play is in progress up to the start of an agreed interval then it will resume after the interval unless the umpires together agree that conditions are or have become unsuitable or dangerous. If they do so agree, then they shall implement the procedure in (b) or (d) above, as appropriate, whether or not there had been any decision by the captains to continue, or any appeal against the conditions by either captain, prior to the commencement of the interval.

10. Exceptional circumstances :
The umpires shall have the discretion to implement the procedures of 9 above for reasons other than ground, weather or light if they consider that exceptional circumstances warrant it.

11. Position of umpires :
The umpires shall stand where they can best see any act upon which their decision may be required. Subject to this over-riding consideration the umpire at the bowler's end shall stand where he does not interfere with either the bowler's run up or the striker's view. The umpire at the striker's end may elect to stand on the off side instead of the on side of the pitch, provided he informs the captain of the fielding side, the striker and the other umpire of his intention to do so.

12. Umpires changing ends :
The umpires shall change ends after each side has had one completed innings. See Law 14.2 (Forfeiture of an innings).

13. Consultation between umpires :
All disputes shall be determined by the umpires. The umpires shall consult with each other whenever necessary. See also Law 27.6 (Consultation by umpires).

14. Signals :
(a) The following code of signals shall be used by umpires.

(i) Signals made while the ball is in play
Dead ball - by crossing and re-crossing the wrists below the waist. No ball - by extending one arm horizontally. Out - by raising an index finger above the head. (If not out the umpire shall call Not out.) Wide - by extending both arms horizontally.
(ii) When the ball is dead, the signals above, with the exception of the signal for Out, shall be repeated to the scorers. The signals listed below shall be made to the scorers only when the ball is dead. Boundary 4 - by waving an arm from side to side finishing with the arm across the chest. Boundary 6 - by raising both arms above the head. Bye - by raising an open hand above the head. Commencement of last hour - by pointing to a raised wrist with the other hand. Five penalty runs awarded to the batting side - by repeated tapping of one shoulder with the opposite hand. Five penalty runs awarded to the fielding side - by placing one hand on the opposite shoulder. Leg bye - by touching a raised knee with the hand. New ball - by holding the ball above the head. Revoke last signal - by touching both shoulders, each with the opposite hand. Short run - by bending one arm upwards and touching the nearer shoulder with the tips of the fingers.
(b) The umpire shall wait until each signal to the scorers has been separately acknowledged by a scorer before allowing play to proceed.

15. Correctness of scores :
Consultation between umpires and scorers on doubtful points is essential. The umpires shall satisfy themselves as to the correctness of the number of runs scored, the wickets that have fallen and, where appropriate, the number of overs bowled. They shall agree these with the scorers at least at every interval, other than a drinks interval, and at the conclusion of the match. See Laws 4.2 (Correctness of scores), 21.8 (Correctness of result) and 21.10 (Result not to be changed).

Law 4 (The Scorers)

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Appointment of scorers :
Two scorers shall be appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, number of overs bowled.

2. Correctness of scores :
The scorers shall frequently check to ensure that their records agree. They shall agree with the umpires, at least at every interval, other than a drinks interval, and at the conclusion of the match, the runs scored, the wickets that have fallen and, where appropriate, the number of overs bowled. See Law 3.15 (Correctness of scores).

3. Acknowledging signals :
The scorers shall accept all instructions and signals given to them by the umpires. They shall immediately acknowledge each separate signal

Law 5 (The Ball)

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Weight and size :
The ball, when new, shall weigh not less than 5 1/2 ounces/155.9g, nor more than 5 3/4 ounces/163g, and shall measure not less than 8 13/16 in/22.4cm, nor more than 9 in/22.9cm in circumference.

2. Approval and control of balls :
(a) All balls to be used in the match, having been approved by the umpires and captains, shall be in the possession of the umpires before the toss and shall remain under their control throughout the match.

(b) The umpire shall take possession of the ball in use at the fall of each wicket, at the start of any interval and at any interruption of play.

3. New ball :
Unless an agreement to the contrary has been made before the match, either captain may demand a new ball at the start of each innings.

4. New ball in match of more than one day's duration :
In a match of more than one day's duration, the captain of the fielding side may demand a new ball after the prescribed number of overs has been bowled with the old one. The Governing Body for cricket in the country concerned shall decide the number of overs applicable in that country, which shall not be less than 75 overs. The umpires shall indicate to the batsmen and the scorers whenever a new ball is taken into play.

5. Ball lost or becoming unfit for play :
If, during play, the ball cannot be found or recovered or the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, the umpires shall replace it with a ball which has had wear comparable with that which the previous ball had received before the need for its replacement. When the ball is replaced the umpires shall inform the batsmen and the fielding captain.

6. Specifications :
The specifications as described in 1 above shall apply to men's cricket only. The following specifications will apply to
(i) Women's cricket Weight: from 4 15/16 ounces/140g to 5 5/16 ounces /151g Circumference: from 8 1/4 in/21.0cm to 8 7/8 in/22.5cm
(ii) Junior cricket – under 13 Weight: from 4 11/16 ounces/133g to 5 1/16 ounces/144g Circumference: from 8 1/16 in/20.5cm to 8 11/16 in/22.0cm

Law 6 (The Bat)

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Width and length :
The bat overall shall not be more than 38 inches/96.5cm in length. The blade of the bat shall be made solely of wood and shall not exceed 4 1/4 in/10.8cm at the widest part.

2. Covering the blade :
The blade may be covered with material for protection, strengthening or repair. Such material shall not exceed 1/16 in/1.56mm in thickness, and shall not be likely to cause unacceptable damage to the ball.

3. Hand or glove to count as part of bat :
In these Laws,
(a) reference to the bat shall imply that the bat is held by the batsman.

(b) contact between the ball and either :
(i) the striker's bat itself
or (ii) the striker's hand holding the bat
or (iii) any part of a glove worn on the striker's hand holding the bat shall be regarded as the ball striking or touching the bat, or being struck by the bat.

Law 7 (The Pitch)

2010-05-21T06:21:00.001-07:00

Area of pitch :
The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards/20.12m in length and 10ft/3.05m in width. It is bounded at either end by the bowling creases and on either side by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centers of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 5ft/1.52m from it. See Laws 8.1 (Width and pitching) and 9.2 (The bowling crease).

2. Fitness of the pitch for play :
The umpires shall be the final judges of the fitness of the pitch for play. See Laws 3.8 (Fitness of ground, weather and light) and 3.9 (Suspension of play for adverse conditions of ground, weather or light).

3. Selection and preparation :
Before the match, the Ground Authority shall be responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch. During the match, the umpires shall control its use and maintenance.

4. Changing the pitch :
The pitch shall not be changed during the match unless the umpires decide that it is unreasonable or dangerous for play to continue on it and then only with the consent of both captains.

5. Non-turf pitches :
In the event of a non-turf pitch being used, the artificial surface shall conform to the following measurements:
Length – a minimum of 58ft/17.68m
Width – a minimum of 6ft/1.83m
See Law 10.8 (Non-turf pitches).

Law 8 (The Wickets)

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Width and pitching
Two sets of wickets shall be pitched opposite and parallel to each other at a distance of 22 yards/20.12m between the centers of the two middle stumps. Each set shall be 9 in/22.86cm wide and shall consist of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top.

2. Size of stumps
The tops of the stumps shall be 28 in/71.1cm above the playing surface and shall be dome shaped except for the bail grooves. The portion of a stump above the playing surface shall be cylindrical, apart from the domed top, with circular section of diameter not less than 1 3/8 in/3.49cm nor more than 1 1/2 in/3.81cm.

3. The bails :
(a) The bails, when in position on the top of the stumps,

(i) shall not project more than 1/2 in/1.27cm above them.
(ii) shall fit between the stumps without forcing them out of the vertical.

(b) Each bail shall conform to the following specifications.
Overall length:- 4 5/16 in/10.95cm
Length of barrel:- 2 1/8 in/5.40cm
Longer spigot:- 1 3/8 in/3.49cm
Shorter spigot:- 13/16 in/2.06cm

4. Junior cricket
In junior cricket, the same definitions of the wickets shall apply subject to the following measurements being used. Width:- 8 in/20.32cm
Pitched for under 13:- 21 yards/19.20m
Pitched for under 11:- 20 yards/18.29m
Pitched for under 9:- 18 yards/16.46m Height above playing surface:- 27 in/68.58cm

Each stump
Diameter:- not less than 1 1/4 in/3.18cm
nor more than 1 3/8 in/3.49cm

Each bail
Overall:- 3 13/16 in/9.68cm
Barrel:- 1 13/16 in/4.60cm
Longer Spigot:- 1 1/4 in/3.18cm
Shorter Spigot:- 3/4 in/1.91cm

5. Dispensing with bails
The umpires may agree to dispense with the use of bails, if necessary. If they so agree then no bails shall be used at either end. The use of bails shall be resumed as soon as conditions permit. See Law 28.4 (Dispensing with bails).

Law 9 (The Bowling, Popping and Return Creases)

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The creases :
A bowling crease, a popping crease and two return creases shall be marked in white, as set out in 2, 3 and 4 below, at each end of the pitch.

2. The bowling crease :
The bowling crease, which is the back edge of the crease marking, shall be the line through the centers of the three stumps at that end. It shall be 8ft 8 in/2.64m in length, with the stumps in the center.

3. The popping crease :
The popping crease, which is the back edge of the crease marking, shall be in front of and parallel to the bowling crease and shall be 4ft/1.22m from it. The popping crease shall be marked to a minimum of 6ft/1.83m on either side of the imaginary line joining the centers of the middle stumps and shall be considered to be unlimited in length.

4. The return creases :
The return creases, which are the inside edges of the crease markings, shall be at right angles to the popping crease at a distance of 4ft 4 in/1.32m either side of the imaginary line joining the centers of the two middle stumps. Each return crease shall be marked from the popping crease to a minimum of 8ft/2.44m behind it and shall be considered to be unlimited in length.

Law 10 (Preparation and Maintenance of the Playing Area)

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Rolling
The pitch shall not be rolled during the match except as permitted in (a) and (b) below.

(a) Frequency and duration of rolling
During the match the pitch may be rolled at the request of the captain of the batting side, for a period of not more than 7 minutes, before the start of each innings, other than the first innings of the match, and before the start of each subsequent day's play. See (d) below.

(b) Rolling after a delayed start
In addition to the rolling permitted above, if, after the toss and before the first innings of the match, the start is delayed, the captain of the batting side may request to have the pitch rolled for not more than 7 minutes. However, if the umpires together agree that the delay has had no significant effect on the state of the pitch, they shall refuse the request for the rolling of the pitch.

(c) Choice of rollers
If there is more than one roller available the captain of the batting side shall have the choice.

(d) Timing of permitted rolling
The rolling permitted (maximum 7 minutes) before play begins on any day shall be started not more than 30 minutes before the time scheduled or rescheduled for play to begin. The captain of the batting side may, however, delay the start of such rolling until not less than 10 minutes before the time scheduled or rescheduled for play to begin, should he so desire.

(e) Insufficient time to complete rolling
If a captain declares an innings closed, or forfeits an innings, or enforces the follow-on, and the other captain is prevented thereby from exercising his option of the rolling permitted (maximum 7 minutes), or if he is so prevented for any other reason, the extra time required to complete the rolling shall be taken out of the normal playing time.
2. Sweeping
(a) If rolling is to take place the pitch shall first be swept to avoid any possible damage by rolling in debris. This sweeping shall be done so that the 7 minutes allowed for rolling is not affected.

(b) The pitch shall be cleared of any debris at all intervals for meals, between innings and at the beginning of each day, not earlier than 30 minutes nor later than 10 minutes before the time scheduled or rescheduled for play to begin. See Law 15.1 (An interval).

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of (a) and (b) above, the umpires shall not allow sweeping to take place where they consider it may be detrimental to the surface of the pitch.
3. Mowing :
(a) The pitch
The pitch shall be mown on each day of the match on which play is expected to take place, if ground and weather conditions allow.

(b) The outfield
In order to ensure that conditions are as similar as possible for both sides, the outfield shall be mown on each day of the match on which play is expected to take place, if ground and weather conditions allow. If, for reasons other than ground and weather conditions, complete mowing of the outfield is not possible, the Ground Authority shall notify the captains and umpires of the procedure to be adopted for such mowing during the match.

(c) Responsibility for mowing
All mowings which are carried out before the match shall be the responsibility of the Ground Authority. All subsequent mowings shall be carried out under the supervision of the umpires.

(d) Timing of mowing
(i) Mowing of the pitch on any day of the match shall be completed not later than 30 minutes before the time scheduled or rescheduled for play to begin on that day.
(ii) Mowing of the outfield on any day of the match shall be completed not later than 15 minutes before the time scheduled or rescheduled for play to begin on that day.

4. Watering
The pitch shall not be watered during the match.

5. Re-marking creases
The creases shall be re-marked whenever either umpire considers it necessary.

6. Maintenance of foot holes
The umpires shall ensure that the holes made by the bowlers and batsmen are cleaned out and dried whenever necessary to facilitate play. In matches of more than one day's duration, the umpires shall allow, if necessary, the re-turfing of foot holes made by the bowler in his delivery stride, or the use of quick-setting fillings for the same purpose.

7. Securing of footholds and maintenance of pitch
During play, the umpires shall allow the players to secure their footholds by the use of sawdust provided that no damage to the pitch is caused and that Law 42 (Fair and unfair play) is not contravened.

8. Non-turf pitches
Wherever appropriate, the provisions set out in 1 to 7 above shall apply.

Law 11 (Covering the Pitch)

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Before the match
The use of covers before the match is the responsibility of the Ground Authority and may include full covering if required. However, the Ground Authority shall grant suitable facility to the captains to inspect the pitch before the nomination of their players and to the umpires to discharge their duties as laid down in Laws 3 (The umpires), 7 (The pitch), 8 (The wickets), 9 (The bowling, popping and return creases) and 10 (Preparation and maintenance of the playing area).

2. During the match
The pitch shall not be completely covered during the match unless provided otherwise by regulations or by agreement before the toss.

3. Covering bowlers' run ups :
Whenever possible, the bowlers' run ups shall be covered in inclement weather, in order to keep them dry. Unless there is agreement for full covering under 2 above the covers so used shall not extend further than 5ft/1.52m in front of each popping crease.

4. Removal of covers
(a) If after the toss the pitch is covered overnight, the covers shall be removed in the morning at the earliest possible moment on each day that play is expected to take place.

(b) If covers are used during the day as protection from inclement weather, or if inclement weather delays the removal of overnight covers, they shall be removed promptly as soon as conditions allow.3/8/2006

Law 12 (Innings)

2010-05-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Number of innings
(a) A match shall be one or two innings of each side according to agreement reached before the match.

(b) It may be agreed to limit any innings to a number of overs or by a period of time. If such an agreement is made then (i) in a one innings match it shall apply to both innings. (ii) in a two innings match it shall apply to either the first innings of each side or the second innings of each side or both innings of each side.

2. Alternate innings
In a two innings match each side shall take their innings alternately except in the cases provided for in Law 13 (The follow-on) or Law 14.2 (Forfeiture of an innings).

3. Completed innings :
A side's innings is to be considered as completed if (a) the side is all out

or (b) at the fall of a wicket, further balls remain to be bowled, but no further batsman is available to come in

or (c) the captain declares the innings closed

or (d) the captain forfeits the innings

or (e) in the case of an agreement under 1(b) above, either
(i) the prescribed number of overs has been bowled
or (ii) the prescribed time has expired.

4. The toss
The captains shall toss for the choice of innings on the field of play not earlier than 30 minutes, nor later than 15 minutes, before the scheduled or any rescheduled time for the match to start. Note, however, the provisions of Law 1.3 (Captain).

5. Decision to be notified
The captain of the side winning the toss shall notify the opposing captain of his decision to bat or to field, not later than 10 minutes before the scheduled or any rescheduled time for the match to start. Once notified the decision may not be altered.