Cricket is a captivating sport, that combines speed, precision and endurance. With the long hours spent out on an often scorching field, hard balls being bowled at you at what feels like the speed of light and the consistent focus you need in order to win the game can be overwhelming. However, when it comes to women in cricket, be it the Indian, Australian or South African team – these squads take these challenges in their stride and overcome them with power.
The game of cricket is interesting, as there are different setups for different types of cricket games. This article aims to shed light and focus on the Twenty20 and outline some of the most important rules for you to understand so that you can watch with knowledge, or who knows, even practice to become a player yourself.
Getting into the Game
For a team to find their flow can often take a few overs, however, due to the short format of a Twenty20 game, teams need to perform at their best right from the start as every inning counts, which has caught the eye of many new fans. The rise in popularity of Twenty20 cricket is based on various avenues, such as the shorter game time, the thrill of the fast-paced bowling, and the fact that many are now placing bets on the actions and outcomes of cricket matches. In fact, within the world of betting, sports betting is the highest-grossing stream. There are interesting casino sites for Indian players looking to use their cricket knowledge in a game of luck. Different types of bets can be placed, ranging from micro-bets on small actions to which team will win – the bet places depend on the punter’s preference.
The set up of the Twenty20 format for women is made up of two teams, a single inning, and a maximum of 20 overs. Now, the reason the Twenty20 style is so famous is because it is often the speediest of cricket matches. The aim of this format is for the team who is receiving the ball, to make as many runs as possible in 20 overs. Typically, this means that they need to make as many runs over 120 legal balls or within 20 overs. This can be extremely tough, as mentioned previously, many teams only get into their stride in the first 100 balls and then they really start playing. Twenty20 therefore creates a specific challenge, as players need to start performing right from the get-go.
Teams have been rather smart in terms of creating techniques around how to score the most runs. You see, runs are very simple to understand. It’s simply the act of either running across the pitch or managing to hit the ball across a certain point, which will be further outlined below. The way that teams ensure that they get the most out of their 120 balls of a cricket game is by putting their best batswomen out in front. The first two batswomen that come out are usually the strongest, this means that they know how to bat but they also know how to run. The hope of every team is that these two batswomen do not get bowled out i.e., they do not need to leave the field and can continue playing for as many of the 120 balls as possible. The lower you go down in the batting scale, the less experienced the batter. The batswomen who come out in position eight or nine are usually the most experienced bowler or pitcher. Once a team has their 9th person out on the field and that person is bowled, the game is done as they are not allowed to bring any more people out.
Important Jargon and Vital Rules
Here are some important rules that you might want to understand before watching your next cricket game. You can either hit a zero, two, four or a six. A zero means that you were not able to make any runs, this is often seen as a wasted ball and teams work very hard to avoid this happening too often. A two means that you made it across the pitch and your fellow batter made it to the other side too. In practice, this means that you are now no longer going to hit the ball, your partner is, as the bowler doesn’t change their sides of bowling. If you manage to make a four, it means that you were able to run across the pitch, without causing a sprain from the speed at which they are going and come back to your starting position. This is the act of running the pitch at its full length, twice. A four can also be achieved if you hit the ball and it touches the circle around the circumference of the field. Mostly, batters run nonetheless, as they are not sure if their ball is going to be intercepted on its way to that line, but if it does make it, then the run was essentially for nothing. A six is if you hit the ball so far out that it didn’t bounce or touch the hand of the opposing player and went past the four lines i.e., if you smash it into the crowd.
All Hail Women in Sport
It is clear to see that women in sports are a movement that keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing down. The world welcomes the sight of women in sports as it is clear to see their skill, tenacity and sheer endurance, regardless of which sport they play. Big companies such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok are seeing the potential of women in sports too and are investing in their performance heavily. This investment goes to show that women are going to be around for a long time in professional sports. The community and soul that is fostered within female teams and their supporters is unmatched and the fans that are cheering their favorite female teams on are doing so with gusto as they have waited a long time to see this day coming.
Loves all things female cricket
