Cricket game rules. Rules of the game of cricket. Major competitions in this sport

Cricket is one of the most popular games in Asia, UK, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. If you have always wanted to play this game, or if you live in a country where cricket is not very popular, but you wanted to know more about it, then start reading this step by step instructions describing the basics of the game of cricket.

Steps

Part 1

Preparation

Buy equipment. A proper game of cricket requires several pieces of specialized equipment. A minimum of six cricket wicket posts, four crossbars, two cricket bats and one ball are required. Most teams have uniforms and protective equipment for the player guarding the gate (wicket-keeper).

Columns and crossbars are wooden pieces that are used to build wickets, one of the most important objects in cricket. Gate installation is described in more detail at the end of this section.
A cricket bat is a large bat made from willow wood, flat on one side and convex on the other for added strength. The ball must be hit with the flat side of the bat to hit it further.
A cricket ball is similar to a baseball in size and composition, but is sewn in a straight line like tennis ball and consists of two hemispheres connected by a seam. Cricket balls are traditionally red with white stitching; currently for better visibility on major matches sometimes white balls are used.
The cricket uniform includes long trousers, a shirt (short or long sleeve) and shoes. Most cricketers wear cleats (studded shoes) for better grip on the pitch, but this is not required. In matches with a traditional red ball, the kit must be white or white with shades.
The wicket keeper may wear protective equipment similar to that of a baseball catcher: webbed gloves, shin guards, and a face mask. Other players are not allowed to wear protective equipment.

Explore the cricket field. Cricket is played on a large oval field. In the center of the field is a rectangular area called a pitch. The field boundaries must be clearly marked along its outer edge.

Mark up crises. Pitch zones are divided into segments by lines called crises (“folds”). There are four types of crises:

Install gates. The gate is a structure of three pegs, called columns, stuck into the ground, with two crossbars that are threaded through the grooves between each pair of columns (left-center and center-right). In most cases, the batsman whose wicket is knocked off the crossbar by the ball is out, so defending the wickets is an important part of the offense.

Part 2
Concepts and rules
1. Learn the purpose of the game. As with most field games, the goal in cricket is to score more points than the opposing team, which is earned by running from one spot to the next before time is up or you are put out by run-outs by defenders called the “field team.” ". The batting team is called the "batsman".
  
  Learn the basics of gameplay. In cricket, each team consists of 11 players. An additional 12th player may be on the reserve in case of injury, but cannot be used in any other way. At any given time, the fielding team must have 11 players on the field, while the batting team must have two players, called batsmen. To earn points, batsmen try to hit the ball after it is bowled by a field team bowler and then switch places without an out.
2. Study the structure of the game. Cricket, like baseball, uses specialized terms to describe each segment of the game. Depending on the length of the match, the number of innings can be from one to two per team. Each innings can contain any number of "overs", which are a series of innings. The following paragraphs provide a more detailed description of these elements of the game:
  - Each time a bowler bowls, whether or not the striker hits the ball, a score is made. After the bowler bowls the ball 6 times in one direction, an “over” is declared. On an over, the bowler must be replaced by a new bowler. Bowlers may not bowl multiple overs in a row, but they may return after one bowl by another bowler. So, theoretically, two bowlers can change places to bowl for the entire innings. When an over is called, the bowler's position moves from one end of the pitch to the other.
    - This also means that strikers can change between overs, depending on which end of the pitch they are at when the over is called. Strikers also rotate depending on how many runs have been thrown, as the bowler only changes position at an over. For example, if only one run is thrown, the pitch edges of the striker and non-striker are reversed, resulting in the non-striker becoming the striker on the next pitch.
  - At any time when a batsman is declared out, he must leave the field and another player of his team must enter in his place. If the fielding team manages to earn 10 eliminations in an innings, then the innings is declared over as there is no longer a batsman left to stand in the second pitch position. Batsman elimination methods will be discussed later.
  - An innings is a single period of play for the entire batting team. In short varieties of cricket, each team is allowed a certain number of overs per innings; once that number is reached, the innings ends in a tie, even if the fielding team has not earned 10 eliminations. In the most prestigious and professional form of cricket, Test cricket, there is no limit to the number of innings allowed, so most innings usually end after 10 eliminations. At the end of the innings, the fielding and batting teams switch places, and the innings for the fielding (now batsling) team begins.
    - Test matches last a maximum of 5 days and take place for six hours a day. In the shortest and most widespread form of cricket, Twenty20, one innings is allowed per team, and maximum amount overs per innings is 20. Twenty20 matches usually last only a few hours.
3. Learn the importance of gates. Wickets are the central part of cricket. One of the main ways a batsman is put out of play is to knock one or more of the crossbars off his wicket with the ball, which is called "breaking" the wicket. There are several conditions under which this situation will lead to elimination:
  - If the bowler is able to hit the striker's wicket directly with his serve and destroy it, the striker is considered out of service.
  - If the batsman is outside of one of the popping crises on the pitch, then the bowler can destroy his wicket by either hitting it with the ball hand or hitting the ball directly on it. In this case, the batsman is declared out as a result of a run out.
  - Because non-strikers often leave a popping crisis when the bowler is about to pitch (similar to how baseball players walk away from bases waiting for a run to the next base), the bowler can put the non-striker out of the game by stopping the pitch and destroying the basket before he can. will return to the crisis. This also counts as a run-out elimination.
  - If the striker, while attempting to hit the ball, misses it and steps in for a popping crisis, the wicketkeeper may break the wicket by catching the pitch and hitting the wicket with the ball, resulting in an elimination. This type of elimination is also called a "stampd".
  - If the striker intentionally uses any part of his body to block the ball from hitting the wicket, he is out under the foot in front of the wicket rule. The abbreviation LBW (leg before wicket) is usually used for this situation.
  - If the striker accidentally hits his own wicket and destroys it, he is considered out by “wicket-hitting”. Wicket eliminations occur regardless of what broke the wicket, but only happens when the striker has attempted to hit the ball or has hit the ball and is trying to run to the other end of the pitch.
    - On the other hand, if the striker hits the ball and it hits the non-striker's gate, the non-striker is not out. The bowler can still pick up the ball and throw it at the non-striker's wicket to take him out of play.
4. Find out more ways to take the batsman out of the game. Besides the wicket, there are other ways to take the batsman out of the game. Some of them are quite common, while others are rare, and if they occur, then only in games of higher levels. Certain more technical eliminations can only be decided by the umpire, two (or sometimes three) of whom are on the field at any given time.
  - The striker is out on a "cat-out" if a player on the fielding team catches the ball before it touches the ground. This is the most common type of elimination. If the fielder who caught the ball stepped over the line of marking out of bounds, the batsman earns 6 runs. This rule applies if the player catches the ball out of bounds or steps over the line after catching it.
  - If a batsman without a bat touches the ball with his hand without prior permission from the fielding team, he is out for “touching the ball with his hands”. This rule does not apply to the ball hitting the batsman after serving and other accidental touches.
  - If a batsman attempts to kick a ball already in play with his arm or body (usually while defending his wicket), or interferes with the fielding team's attempts to return the ball to the pitch and earn an elimination, he is out for "obstructing the fielder". However, a run in which the batsman is between the fielder with the ball and the batsman's wicket is not prohibited.
  - If the striker hits the ball twice without intending to knock the ball off his wicket, he will be declared out. Kicking the ball twice to confuse field players is strictly prohibited.
  - If a batsman is declared out and a new batsman does not enter the field within two minutes, he is declared out by the time-out rule.
5. Extra points. There are several conditions under which additional wounds may be awarded. They are singled out for the purpose of calculating player averages, but are identical to any other run types for determining a winner. By four additional types relate:
  - When a "no-ball" is declared as a result of an illegal serve, a batsman can be out of the game only as a result of a run-out, touching the ball with his hands, obstructing the field or double hitting the ball. Runs awarded when a no-ball is called are considered extra runs, and each no-ball thrown by the bowler must be made up by another throw in the same over. (Thus, a bowler with a one-time no-ball would need 7 innings to reach the over, not 6.)
    - If no runs were scored in a no-ball event, one run is still added to the team's score.
  - When a bowler bowls a wide ball, the batting team automatically scores one run. As with extra points given for a no-ball, the wides must be reimbursed to the bowler by adding innings to his over.
  - If the striker attempts to hit the ball but misses and the wicket keeper fails to catch the ball, the batsman may attempt to earn playing wounds. Such wounds are called "bays".
  - A "leg buy" occurs when the striker tries to hit the ball with the bat but hits it with his body. Leg buys are otherwise identical to regular buys. Leg buys cannot be earned if the striker has not attempted to hit the ball.

The English have been playing this game for 750 years. What is cricket, what does it mean for the island state, can be fully imagined only after getting acquainted with its history.

National treasure

Cricket is not only a cult English but also a part of the culture and history of Britain, an integral feature of the nation. It is impossible to imagine Churchill without a cigar, Sherlock Holmes without a pipe, and England without cricket and Agatha Christie, whose father was the president of the local club, and many lines of whose works are devoted to this game. What is the phrase from the story "Cards on the Table" that everyone should play their own game of cricket! In terms of sacramentality, it is equal to the Russian saying "We will all be there."

deep roots

You can answer the question "what is cricket" in different ways. Firstly, this is one of the bats, which include both rounders, and baseball, and golf, and croquet (another purely national fun, described, for example, in the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Chapter VII) . The exact time and place of the origin of the game under study is unknown, but it is believed that these are the Middle Ages and the southeast of England. In connection with a similar sport, it is mentioned where locals already in the XIII century they had fun on fresh air with a ball and a bat, instead of which in those distant times a curved shepherd's stick - cric was used. Most likely, this gave the name to the game, although there are other options for the origin of the name, and disputes have not subsided so far.

Specific dates

There are suggestions that in the early Middle Ages the game moved to continental Europe, and only then, in the 17th century, cricket returned to England, where it became a national sport. One way or another, but the first club arose in the county of Hampshire, the city of Hambledon, in the 60s of the XVIII century. Naturally, for decades, the inhabitants of this province were considered the best players England. Then, and this is also natural, the center of cricket moved to the capital, where grounds began to be built, powerful clubs were created, under the influence of which the existing rules of the game changed even for centuries. The current ones are also very confusing and specific. Therefore, you can get an exact answer to the question “what is cricket” at the Marylebone Club in London. It is here that the world center of the game and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are located.

Distribution of the game around the world

Britain had a lot of colonies, and was even known as an empire on which the sun never set. Therefore, the national game of the British has become widespread in the controlled territories. Cricket is incredibly popular in Australia and India. They know what cricket is in New Zealand and Pakistan, in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa. There are national teams of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada and Despite the extensive list of countries, including Olympic sports The sport of cricket did not last long. The motivation for exclusion is the lack of competition. This happened, perhaps because at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 there were only two teams - from England and France, and the victory was won, of course, by the British.

Notable historical moments

However, the history of the development of the national game knows a significant example of rivalry between the national teams of England and Australia. The intensity of passions then was so great that it was reflected both in literature and in cinema. The meeting, which ended with the victory of Australia, marked the beginning of the annual tournament called "Ashes", which is translated from in English means "urn with ashes". This name symbolized the death of English cricket.

The nuances of the game

Like any purely national sport, such as golf, cricket has many rules and subtleties of the game, it has its own, developed over the centuries, unspoken, but indispensable code of conduct.

Players and fans know all these nuances from a young age, not to mention what kind of ball is played in cricket, what players are called, what is acceptable on the field and what is reprehensible, how to welcome new players and so on. The cricket ball is the twin brother of the baseball, although in some countries it is successfully replaced with a tennis ball - it is cheaper, less traumatic, and easier to buy. And although it is almost three times lighter, cricket does not lose from this.

real cricket ball

But traditions are traditions, especially in England, where the cricket ball is always used, which fully complies with the standards set by the ICC - its weight corresponds to 156-163 grams, the diameter varies from 22.4 to 22.9 cm. The color can be more often all red or white, sometimes pink, yellow or orange. What ball is played in cricket depends on weather conditions, time of day of the meeting.

There are several game formats that differ from each other in various ways. The most significant is the duration of the game. Short meetings have 20 overs (6 innings by one bowler) and take only 3.5 hours. Test matches between national teams can last up to 5-6 days, in each of which the game lasts 6 hours.

Making a ball is a very specific process, due to traditions that have developed over the centuries. The ball consists of several layers. The core (for high-quality ones - cork, less often polyurethane or rubber) is very tightly wrapped with special threads, the top layer is leather. In expensive balls, the coating is sewn from three parts - halves and two quarters, and the seams play a special role. The quarters are sewn with an inner seam, and those running in the center are outer, there are 6 of them. This is necessary for the game. Separate words deserve the injury risk of cricket, which, together with football, ranks first in this indicator. The ball for the game weighs 150-163 grams. An experienced player can run it at a speed of 140 km/h. On October 20, 2013, player Darrin Randall died during a match in South Africa from a ball to the temple.

Basic conditions of the game

All the subtleties and nuances of this sport are provided for by the rules established by the ICC. Cricket is a complex, peculiar, slow, long game (matches can last up to 5-6 days) and not everyone's favorite game. Its subtleties are difficult to describe, but the main provisions are possible. The cricket field must be oval in shape and covered with grass. In its center is an earthen pitch - a rectangular area 20.12 m long and about 3 meters wide, at the ends of which gates are installed (wooden pegs driven into the ground and representing an inverted letter "Sh"). All pitches are made on the pitch, along its length. Crises - stripes at the ends of the pitch - separate the playing areas.

There are two teams - 11 people each, the match is led by two referees (at games high level there is also a third referee who is behind the field) and 2 table officials who receive and record the signals of the referees from the field. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible and break the opponent's wicket. A cricketer, or cricketer, may be called a bowler (serving the ball) and a batsman (reflecting it with a bat). The wicket-keeper is called the wicket-keeper, sometimes his role is especially significant.

The main roles of the game

The two leading roles (bowler and batsman) are alternately played by all the players of both teams. The first can carry out no more than six innings, which are collectively called overs. The ball is served by a player of one team and reflected by a representative of the other, both of them are in their own opposite playing areas located at the ends of the pitch. Immediately after the ball is deflected with a bat (non-contact play), the batsman can run to the opposite wicket and touch the ground behind it with something, then you can rush back. Running brings points. But he can stay in place if the reflected ball flies far enough: to the edge of the pitch - 4 points, beyond its border - 6. All players during the match are dispersed throughout the field, and only two representatives of different teams carry out the ball delivery and reception.

Main periods of the game

The goal of the rest is to prevent the opponent from scoring points and defending their own wicket. As soon as it is destroyed, the batsman leaves the game, which continues until the last, tenth player, who hits the serve. This period is called an innings. After it, the teams change places, that is, the bowler of the other team will serve the ball (6 innings each), and the batsmen of the other team will receive the ball.

As noted above, all the subtleties of purely national fun are absorbed by the British with mother's milk. The game of cricket has its sincere fans, and is also a must-see for the elite and members of the royal family, who are assigned special lodges. colorfulness is feature games called cricket. Photos serve as a clear confirmation of this.

The Cricket World Cup is held every four years.

cricket like team game with bats and a ball has been known since the Middle Ages of the last millennium. The game got its name from the Saxon word for "Stick". Historians suggest that this game is based on the old club and ball games.

It is authentically known that the game originated in the southeast of England. In those places a large number of pasture for sheep where low grass grew. On it, the first players rolled a ball made of sheep's wool with shepherd's sticks.

The first historical information about cricket dates back to 1300. The annals of the time of Prince Edward indicate the amount of funds spent on the game of "krieg".

Until the 16th century, mentions of cricket were episodic, but famous personalities are sometimes mentioned among them. So it became known that Oliver Cromwell in youth I was very fond of cricket.

In the eighteenth century an attempt was made to compile the first set of rules for cricket. It was called the "Code of 1744" and determined the various provisions of the game, including the size of the court, bit and ball. After the game began to be played according to the rules, it gained great popularity. Already at the end of the 18th century, the first official English team of the village of Hambledon was created, which subsequently founded the first Cricket Club in England in 1750. Three decades later, in 1787, new rules of the game were developed.

The authors of these rules were members of the Marie-le-Bon cricket club. Through the efforts of the British, the game of cricket spread throughout the English colonies. In 1912, teams from Australia, England and South Africa played the first World Cricket Championship. However, the championship was unsuccessful and did not determine the winner. The matches were canceled due to bad weather.

The World Championships resumed in 1975. Teams from Australia, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa took part in the second championship. Since then, the World Championships have become regular. It is held once every four years and involves the participation of both professional and amateur cricket teams.

Cricket sports equipment includes a ball, bat and protective pads and gloves.

A cricket ball is a ball with a diameter of about 7 cm and a mass of about 170 grams. As a rule, the ball is made of cork wood, which is covered with natural leather dyed white or red. Parts of the skin are sewn together in the center, forming a seam protruding above the surface. This seam is of great importance when serving. The serving player tries to send the ball in such a way that the ball hits the ground with this very seam and changes the flight path, thereby making it difficult for the batter to hit the ball. In some cases, the leather case is filled with compressed sawdust or tow.

cricket bat

The cricket bat has the appearance of a short oar. On one side, the bit is flat, and on the other side there is a triangular protrusion, which gives the bit the necessary rigidity.

The bit handle is cylindrical. In preparation for the game, it is usually wrapped in cloth or rubber. The handle is long enough to allow players to hold it with both hands.

As a blank for the manufacture of bits, a wooden blank from willow is used, from which the bit is cut. The size of the projectile should not exceed 96.5 cm, and the width of the platform should not exceed 10.8 cm. The weight of the bit ranges from 1.1 to 1.4 kg.

The player's protective equipment consists of leather gloves, a pith head helmet, and plastic patch plates. The main task of protective equipment is to protect parts of the player's body from a flying dense ball and prevent injuries.

Athlete's shoes should be light and comfortable on the one hand, and have anti-slip properties on the other. As a rule, leather shoes with a sole in the form of a protector are used.

The clothes of the athletes playing cricket depend on the weather conditions, and the color of the uniform depends on the color of the ball. If the game is played with a red ball, then the color of the uniform is white or cream, and in the case of a white ball, the color of the uniform is dark.

To play cricket, you also need a cap with a large peak or a hat with a wide brim to protect from the sun.

Cricket - command view sport in which the bat and the ball are used.

Story

It is believed that cricket originated in Great Britain in the 15th century. Announcements about cricket matches were placed in newspapers from the beginning of the 18th century. The first recorded county cricket championship was held in 1719. By 1750, the dimensions of the cricket field between the feed lines were established - 20 meters and two-spoke gates - 56 cm high and 15 cm wide. There were no restrictions on the beat, which was very little like the modern one. Pictures from that time depict players dressed in snow-white shirts, breeches and stockings, in various headdresses, in general, in top hats.

An important role in the history of cricket was played by the Wimbledon Club, founded in 1750. The glory of a small village in Hampshire flared up in one moment when her team defeated the rest of Great Britain. Serving the ball at that time was carried out only from below, which soon ceased to be a danger to the defenders.

The Lords' Cricket Ground, which has existed since 1781, has also played a historic role in cricket. In 1814 it was moved to its current location, where the Marylbone Cricket Club set up its headquarters. This club, founded in 1788, has become a trendsetter in cricket. By the beginning of the 19th century, the final dimensions of cricket goals were established: 69 cm by 23.5 centimeters. Batsmen had a huge advantage over bowlers (servers) until the 1940's when rims became popular. The top serve was not recognized outright until 1864.

International cricket began with matches in Australia in 1877, when a British tourist group was defeated by the Australian team. The first international cricket match in Great Britain was played in 1880 and, apart from the war years, international matches have continued since then.

Main Rules

The game is played between 2 teams of 11 players each. The goal of the game is to earn more points (runs) than the opposing team. A match consists of 1 or more parts, any of which is called an innings. In each inning, one team bats and the other team bats once.

Cricket is usually played on grass. The cricket field is a rounded area (pitch), in the center of which is a strip of land 22 yards (20.12 meters) long.

At each end of the platform, three posts are stuck into the ground, on top of which are placed two small wooden beams. This design is called a wicket. At each gate with bats in their hands are the players of the batting team. The player of the serving team, called the bowler (bowler), throws the ball, being next to one of the gates, towards the other, while trying to hit the gate. The player of the batting team, standing next to the wicket, tries to protect it using a bat.

In that case, the kicker hits the ball, he can run to the back gate. A player standing at another gate runs towards him, trying to take the place of the striker. Any such run earns a point for the batting team. The serving team tries to catch the ball and return it to one of the wickets. In that case, the ball hit the gate when at least one of the running players was between the gates (behind the line), then this running player leaves the game, and another player of the kicking team takes his place. The batter is also out of the game if he fails to protect his own wicket from the ball during the service, or the ball is caught by the serving team before it hits the ground.

When 10 players of the kicking team are out of the game, the teams are reversed. In this case, both teams served once, the inning ends. A multi-day match usually consists of 1 or 2 innings (usually 5 days are allotted for two innings). The team with the most runs at the end of the match is declared the winner. In that case, the time allotted for the match ran out before it had time to end, then a draw is declared.

Players

Each team consists of 11 players. A perfectly balanced team will have 4-5 bowlers (players who specialize in serves) and 5-6 batsmen (batsman) who specialize in batting. The most valuable players are the all-rounders - those who serve well and hit back well. Each team has one special player called the wicket-keeper. His task is to catch the served ball, missed by the batter, and try to hit the wicket with the ball, in which case the batter was behind the line.

Match

Before the match, the captains choose 11 players and determine by lot who serves first.

Each inning consists of a series of overs. A series consists of 6 innings served by the same bowler. The same bowler is not allowed to bowl two consecutive runs. During one series, the bowler bowls from one side of the court. The next bowler delivers his series from the other side of the court.

To earn one point for their own team, both players of the attacking team must run to the other gate and touch the ground behind the bat line or at least some part of the body. From time to time, a good hit on the ball allows the attacking team to earn more points, in which case the players manage to run from the gate to the wicket more than 1 time. In this case, the ball bounced over the boundary of the field, the attacking team receives 4 points. In that case, the ball flew out of the field without touching the ground, then the attacking team earns 6 points. Points can also be awarded in case of violations or incorrectly served serves.

The first two players on the offensive team are usually the strongest hitters and score the most points.

Taking the batter out of the game

The batter may bat and score points until such time as he is out of the game. It is possible to remove the batter from the game by one of the following methods:

Catch the ball on the fly.

Knock down the gate when serving.

The ball flying into the wicket hits the batter.

The wicket is knocked down by the ball at the moment when the striker runs between the wickets.

The batsman either deliberately crossed the line after the serve, and the defender of the gate knocked it down.

According to Wikipedia and Cricet.ru

Cricket is a non-contact team sport that is part of a family of games that use a bat and a ball. Cricket originated in the 16th century in the south of England. By the end of the 18th century, the game had become one of the national types sports. The expansion of the British Empire contributed to the spread of the game around the world. The first test matches between national teams were held in the middle of the 19th century. A cricket match involves a competition between two teams, each of which is represented by eleven athletes. The game takes place on a grassy field, which has the shape of an ellipse. In the center of the field there is a rectangular earthen platform - a pitch. The pitch is 22 yards or just over 20 meters long and 10 feet wide or 3 meters wide. At the ends of the pitch are wooden gates. Playing areas at the ends of the pitch are separated from its main space by special stripes, crises.
Teams take turns hitting the ball and playing in the field, trying to score the maximum number of points or, accordingly, prevent the opponent from doing so. Depending on the format of the game, a team may hit the ball once or twice in a row. In cricket, there are two main playing roles - a bowler serving the ball (English bowler) and a batsman (English batsman), reflecting the ball with a bat. A key role in some game episodes is played by the wicket-keeper. The moves in cricket are called innings. The athletes of the team playing in the field are dispersed throughout the space of the field, while the opponents are represented by only two batsmen. Within each innings, the on-field bowler throws the ball to the opposing batsman the full length of the pitch. The batsman attempts to deflect the throw so that the ball reaches the edge of the field or travels far enough away from the opponents to allow the batsman to run to the other end of the pitch. If successful and subject to certain other conditions, the batsman's team earns points, wounds (English run - "run"). At the same time, the fulfillment of some game conditions - catching the ball by the opponent before touching the ground, destroying the batsman's gate, etc. - takes the batsman out of the game. The innings continues until the batting team's ten batsmen have been eliminated, at which point the teams switch roles. Bowlers relieve each other after six innings, a set of which is called an over.
There are several generally accepted formats for professional cricket matches. Different formats can differ significantly from each other in some respects, such as duration. Short games include only 20 overs, which is about 3.5 hours of playing time, while test matches between the top teams can last up to five days of a six-hour confrontation. Game changer is the responsibility of the Marylebone Cricket Club, the world's largest cricket brand. Cricket is regulated globally International Council cricket, now uniting 106 members, only 10 of which have full status.