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Cricket for Americans

How a match works, the formats, the words that sound like nonsense, and why people love it.

Listen with headphones. When it asks a question, answer out loud before it tells you.

The bowler: the pitcher, arm straight, ball bounces once, and the batter can hit it 360 degrees
Four and six: boundary rope after a bounce is four runs, over the rope on the full is six
Wicket and over: a wicket is one out, ten outs end an innings, and an over is six balls
Reading a score: 185 for 6 means runs first, then wickets lost
Three formats: T20 is about three hours, one-day is fifty overs, Test is up to five days
Four teams: India (reigning T20 champions), Australia, England (inventors), Pakistan (the big India rivalry)

Powerplay: the first six overs of a T20, thin field, big early hitting
Death overs: the last few overs, hard swinging, and the yorker aimed at the feet
Run rate: runs per over, and the required run rate for the chasing team
Wicketkeeper: the catcher behind the stumps, who can also get a batter stumped
Extras: wides and no-balls are free runs, they get re-bowled, and a no-ball brings a free hit
Review: a team can challenge the umpire using Hawk-Eye, and umpire's call means the original decision stands

The bowler bounces it, and the batter can hit it anywhere, 360 degrees
Four is the rope after a bounce, six is over the rope on the full
A wicket is an out, ten end the innings, and scores read runs first, then wickets
T20 is about three hours, one-day is fifty overs, Test is up to five days
Powerplay, death overs, run rate, wicketkeeper, extras, review: India are the champions, Pakistan is the big rival, and the Ashes is England against Australia

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