Cricket is a bat-and-ball game that is played between two teams of eleven players on a field, at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre; 66-foot) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. Two players from the batting team (the striker and nonstriker) stand in front of either wicket holding bats, with one player from the fielding team (the bowler) bowling the ball towards the striker's wicket from the opposite end of the pitch. The striker's goal is to hit the bowled ball with the bat and then switch places with the nonstriker, with the batting team scoring one run for each exchange. Runs are also scored when the ball reaches or crosses the boundary of the field or when the ball is bowled illegally.
Consistent performances in the County Championship helped Somerset remain challengers for the competition until the last few weeks of the season, but the batting-friendly pitch at their home ground, the County Ground, Taunton, meant that the county finished with too many draws to claim their first Championship title. Consistency was also key for Somerset's success in one-day cricket, where they remained unbeaten in the group stage of the Friends Provident Trophy, but were eliminated in the first knock-out round, and finished runners-up by one point in the NatWest Pro40. In the Twenty20 Cup, Somerset finished as losing finalists. This meant that they qualified for the Champions League Twenty20, where they progressed into the second group stage of the competition. They failed to win any matches in that phase of the competition, resulting in their elimination.
Since Brabourne hosted its first international match in 1948, 35 Test centuries and 2 ODI centuries have been scored at the ground.
Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in Mumbai, India. It is the home of the Cricket Club of India and has played host to Ranji Trophy matches (including seventeen finals) and Indian Premier League matches, as well as being a Test, One Day International and Twenty20 International (T20) venue. It has a capacity of 20,000 spectators. The ground has hosted eighteen Test matches, the first in 1948 when India played the West Indies. It has also staged nine One Day International matches, the first of which was in 1989 when Australia lost to Pakistan by 66 runs. One T20 International has been played at the ground when India beat Australia by 7 wickets in 2007 (first T20 International to be played in India). Of the nine One Day Internationals played at the stadium, five matches (including the final) were staged during the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006.
The first Test century (100 or more runs in a single innings) scored at the ground was in 1948 by the West Indian Allan Rae in the first innings of the first Test match played at Brabourne Stadium. The first Indian to score a century at the Brabourne was Rusi Modi in the third innings of the same match. In total, 35 Test centuries have been scored at the ground in 18 Test matches. Virender Sehwag's 293, scored against Sri Lanka in 2009, is the highest Test innings achieved at the ground. The highest Test score by an overseas player is 194 by the West Indian Everton Weekes in 1948. Vijay Hazare has scored the most Test centuries at the ground with four. (Full article...)
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India's Rohit Sharma has the most centuries (7) in World Cup matches. He also holds the record for most centuries in a single World Cup tournament having scored 5 centuries in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In cricket, a player is said to have completed a century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The Cricket World Cup is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organized by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and is held once every four years. As of the latest 2023 tournament, a total of 236 centuries have been scored by 135 players from 16 different teams. Players from all the teams that have permanent ODI status have made centuries. In addition, players from four teams that have temporary ODI status have scored centuries. India have scored the most centuries (39), and have the most centurions (17).
Each team selected a squad of up to 15 players, and any changes to that squad due to illness or injury had to be requested in writing and approved by the ICC's Event Technical Committee. Three such replacements were made to the squads, with South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies making a change. England entered the tournament with the top-ranked players in both the ICC's batting and bowling rankings, Claire Taylor and Isa Guha respectively, but Australia were commonly listed in the press as favourites to win the tournament. Taylor finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer, accumulating 324 runs, and her England teammate Laura Marsh was the most prolific wicket-taker, claiming 16 wickets. (Full article...)
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South Africa's Jacques Kallis was the first player to take a five-wicket haul in ICC Champions Trophy. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a significant achievement, and there have been only 10 instances of a bowler taking a fifer in ICC Champions Trophy tournaments. The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International (ODI) tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and is considered the second most significant cricket tournament after the World Cup. Originally inaugurated as the "ICC Knock Out Trophy" in 1998, the tournament has been organised every two or three years since. As of 2 June 2017[update], 11 players from 7 different nations have taken fifers. South Africa's Jacques Kallis was the first to take a five-wicket haul in the tournament, while playing against the West Indies in the final of the inaugural edition. His bowling figures of 5 wickets for 30 runs in the final helped South Africa win the tournament. The figures also secured a place in the "Top 100 bowling performances of all-time", a list released by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002. As of 2013, the South Africans have taken the most fifers with three, followed by the Australians and the New Zealanders with two each. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka each have one, while Bangladesh, England and Zimbabwe are yet to see a player take a fifer in the tournament. Sri Lanka's Farveez Maharoof holds the record for the best bowling figures: 6 wickets for 14 runs – also his career best figures – against the West Indies in the 2006 tournament. Australia's Josh Hazlewood is the most recent player to take a fifer. His figures of 6 wickets for 52 runs came against New Zealand in 2017. (Full article...)
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Trent Bridge hosted Nottinghamshire's debut home match in first-class cricket and remains the club's primary ground. Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 member clubs of the English County Championship, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and also competes in major competitions in other formats of the game. Although there are records of a team competing as Nottinghamshire at an earlier date, the current club was established in 1841 and has competed in first-class cricket from 1841, List A cricket from 1963 and Twenty20 cricket from 2003.[A] Unlike most professional sports, in which a team usually has a single fixed home ground, county cricket clubs have traditionally used different grounds in various towns and cities within or close to the county for home matches, although the use of minor "out grounds" away from the club's main headquarters has diminished since the 1980s. The Nottinghamshire team have played first class, List A, or Twenty20 matches at nine different grounds, although of these only one has hosted Twenty20 games.
The current Nottinghamshire club's debut home game in first-class cricket was played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The ground had been laid out in the 1830s by William Clarke, captain of the All-England Eleven, who was married to the landlady of the Trent Bridge Inn. Trent Bridge also played host to the club's first home fixtures in the other formats of the game; in List A cricket in 1965 against Wiltshire; and in Twenty20 cricket against Lancashire in 2003. The ground has also been used for matches not including Nottinghamshire, including extensively by England. (Full article...)
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Ashwin has taken a pair of five-wicket hauls in a match on four occasions. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, and as of March 2024[update] only 51 bowlers have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers. Ravichandran Ashwin – a right-arm off break bowler – is a Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricketer who represents the India national cricket team. In a 2016 interview, former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan described Ashwin as the "best current Test spinner". As of March 2024[update], Ashwin has taken 36 five-wicket hauls in international cricket; he ranks joint-fifth in the all-time list, and second among his countrymen.
Ashwin made his Test debut in November 2011 against the West Indies. He took nine wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. India won the match and his performance earned him the man of the match honour. His career-best figures of seven wickets for 59 runs came against New Zealand in October 2016; in the process he also became the fifth bowler to take six five-wicket hauls against them. He has picked up ten or more wickets in a match on seven occasions. Ashwin made his ODI and T20I debuts in June 2010 against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, respectively, and is yet to take a five-wicket haul in both formats. His four wickets for 25 runs against the United Arab Emirates in the 2015 World Cup remain his best in ODIs, while his figures of four wickets for 8 runs against Sri Lanka are the fourth-best by an Indian in T20Is. (Full article...)
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The Kensington Oval, where Marshall took four of his five-wicket hauls, the most by any player at the ground Malcolm Marshall, a former right-arm fast bowler, represented the West Indies cricket team in 81 Tests between 1978 and 1992. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, and only 41 bowlers have taken at least 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers. In Test cricket, Marshall took 376 wickets, including 22 five-wicket hauls. The cricket almanack Wisden described him as "one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time", and named him one of their Cricketers of the Year in 1983. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame as an inaugural member in January 2009. Mark Nicholas, a cricket commentator, once wrote that former Pakistancaptain, Imran Khan, "calls Malcolm the greatest of all fast bowlers".
Marshall made his Test debut in December 1978 against India at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, Bangalore. His first five-wicket haul came in March 1983 against the same team at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain; he took 5 wickets for 37 runs. In December 1984, against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, he took a five-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match for the first time. He repeated this feat once more in his career, against India at the Queen's Park Oval in April 1989. Marshall's career-best bowling figures for an innings were 7 wickets for 22 runs against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in June 1988. He took 9 wickets for 41 runs in the match; West Indies won the match by an innings and 156 runs, and he was awarded man of the match for his performance. Marshall was most successful against Australia taking seven five-wicket hauls. He took ten or more wickets in a match on four occasions. (Full article...)
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Wasim Akram, a former Pakistanicricketer, took 31 five-wicket hauls during his career in international cricket. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, and as of 2014 only 41 bowlers have taken more than 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers. A left-arm fast bowler who represented his country between 1984 and 2003, the BBC described Akram as "one of the greatest left-arm bowlers in the history of world cricket", while West Indian batsman Brian Lara said that Akram was "definitely the most outstanding bowler [I] ever faced".
Akram made his Test debut in January 1985, in an innings defeat by New Zealand in Auckland. The following Test, in a man-of-the-match performance, he took ten wickets over the two innings, securing his first two five-wicket hauls but still ended on the losing side. He took another pair of five-wicket hauls in a single match five years later, against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). His career-best figures for an innings were 7 wickets for 119 runs against New Zealand in Wellington, in February 1994. (Full article...)
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England cricketer Stuart Broad took hat-tricks against India at Trent Bridge in 2011, and against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2014. In the sport of cricket, a hat-trick is an occasion when a bowler takes a wicket in each of three consecutive deliveries; although hat-tricks can carry over between innings, meaning a batter can be dismissed twice as part of the same hat-trick, they do not carry over between matches. As of June 2021, this feat has only been achieved 46 times in more than two thousand men's (and three times in women's) Test matches, the form of the sport in which national representative teams compete in matches of up to five days' duration. The first Test hat-trick was recorded on 2 January 1879, in only the third Test match to take place, by the Australia pace bowler Fred Spofforth, nicknamed "The Demon Bowler", who dismissed three Englandbatters with consecutive deliveries at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The most recent hat-trick was taken by South Africa spin bowler Keshav Maharaj against the West Indies in June 2021 at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.
This article relates to men's cricket only. (Full article...)
Pietersen made his Test debut against Australia in July 2005, when he was called into the team to replace Graham Thorpe for the first Test of the 2005 Ashes series. He made his first century during the fifth Test of the series at The Oval; his 158 in the third innings enabled England to draw the match and win the series 2–1. His career best score of 227 also came against Australia in the second Test of the 2010–11 Ashes series at the Adelaide Oval. Pietersen has scored centuries against all Test cricket playing nations, with the exception of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. He is most successful against India, against whom he has scored six centuries. He is joint twenty-third among all-time Test century makers,[A] and second in the equivalent list for England. (Full article...)
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Steyn has taken 26 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Dale Steyn, a South Africancricketer, has taken 29 five-wicket hauls in international cricket. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement, and only 42 bowlers have taken at least 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers. A right-arm fast bowler, Steyn reached 300 Test wickets in fewer matches than any other South African bowler. He was named the ICC's Test Player of the Year in 2008, and the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of their cricketers of the year in 2013.
South Africa women at Taunton, 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 The South Africa women's national cricket team has represented South Africa in international women's cricket since 1960, when they hosted England, contesting four Test matches. Their next officially recognised series was against New Zealand, more than eleven years later. In 1977, they were excluded from competing in international sporting events, when the Commonwealth of Nations signed the Gleneagles Agreement as part of the international campaign against apartheid. Although the men's national team returned to international cricket in 1991, the women's team did not compete again until 1997, when they toured Ireland and England. Since then, the team has played regularly in One Day Internationals (ODI). The introduction of Twenty20 cricket in the early part of the 21st century has all but eliminated Test cricket from the woman's game. South Africa have played five Test matches since their return, and 71 Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) since their first such contest in 2007.
South Africa have played four different sides in women's Test cricket, with England their most frequent opponent, having faced them in six Tests. The only side that South Africa have beaten in Test cricket are the Netherlands, who South Africa have played once, in 2007. South Africa have similarly faced England more times than any other team in women's One Day International cricket, playing 43 matches. As such, England have recorded the most victories against South Africa, beating them 33 times. South Africa have beaten Pakistan more times than any other country, triumphing on 21 occasions against them. In women's T20Is, South Africa have as well played England the most, and lost to them on thirteen occasions. South Africa have recorded the most victories against Ireland, beating them in nine of their meetings. (Full article...)
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Sachin Tendulkar has scored more centuries in Test cricket than any other player. Sachin Tendulkar is a retired Indian cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, he is the most prolific run-scorer in international cricket. Tendulkar has scored the highest number of centuries (100 or more runs) in Test matches and One Day International (ODI) matches organised by the International Cricket Council. His total of 51 centuries in Test matches is a world record for highest number of centuries by a batsman and his 49 centuries in ODI matches are the second highest number of centuries after Virat Kohli. He became the first and only cricketer to score 100 international centuries when he made 114 against Bangladesh in March 2012.
After making his Test debut in 1989, Tendulkar achieved his first century against England at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1990; he made 119 not out. In Test matches, Tendulkar has scored centuries against all the Test cricket playing nations, and is the second batsman to score 150 against each of them. He has scored a century in at least one cricket ground of all Test cricket playing nations, except Zimbabwe. In October 2010, Tendulkar went past Brian Lara's record of 19 scores of 150 or more by hitting his 20th against Australia in Bangalore. He made his highest score in 2004, when he made 248 not out against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. Tendulkar has scored six double centuries and remained unbeaten on 15 occasions. His centuries have come in 30 different cricket grounds, with 27 of them being scored in venues outside India. Tendulkar has been dismissed nine times between scores of 90 and 99. (Full article...)
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Sourav Ganguly scored 16 centuries in Test matches and 22 in ODIs.
Ganguly scored a century on Test debut, against England in Lord's in June 1996. He became the 10th Indian player to perform the feat, and the third player to score a century on debut at the ground. In the next match at Trent Bridge, he made 136 and became the third batsman to make a century in each of his first two innings. He is eighth in the list of leading Test century makers for India. His highest score of 239—his only double century—was made against Pakistan in 2007 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. He made centuries against all Test-cricket playing nations except South Africa and West Indies. His centuries have been scored in fourteen cricket grounds, including eight outside India. He ended up in the nineties on four occasions—including two scores of 99. (Full article...)
Since the team made its first appearance in 2009, 55 women have represented Pakistan in T20I cricket. This list includes all players who have played at least one T20I match and is initially arranged in the order of debut appearance. Where more than one player won their first cap in the same match, those players are initially listed alphabetically by last name at the time of debut. (Full article...)
The following are images from various cricket-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1In men's cricket the ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9 and 163 g) and measure between 8.81 and 9 in (22.4 and 22.9 cm) in circumference. (from Laws of Cricket)
Image 3New articles of the game of cricket, 25 February 1774 (from Laws of Cricket)
Image 4Plaquita, a Dominican street version of cricket. The Dominican Republic was first introduced to cricket through mid-18th century British contact, but switched to baseball after the 1916 American occupation. (from History of cricket)
Image 5Broadhalfpenny Down, the location of the first First Class match in 1772 is still played on today (from History of cricket)
Image 6A wicket consists of three stumps, upright wooden poles that are hammered into the ground, topped with two wooden crosspieces, known as the bails. (from Laws of Cricket)
Image 7A Game of Cricket at The Royal Academy Club in Marylebone Fields, now Regent's Park, depiction by unknown artist, c. 1790–1799 (from History of cricket)
Image 11 First Grand Match of Cricket Played by Members of the Royal Amateur Society on Hampton Court Green, August 3rd, 1836 (from History of cricket)
Image 12Afghan soldiers playing cricket. Afghan refugees in Pakistan brought the sport back to Afghanistan, and it is now one of the most popular sports in the country. (from History of cricket)
Image 13A 1793 American depiction of "wicket" being played in front of Dartmouth College. Wicket likely came to North America in the late 17th century. (from History of cricket)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of cricket, and produces team rankings for the various forms of cricket played internationally.
Test cricket is the longest form of cricket, played up to a maximum of five days with two innings per side.
Matches is the number of matches played in the 12–24 months since the May before last, plus half the number in the 24 months before that. See points calculations for more details.