A beginner's guide to cricket
What would you do if I asked you to throw me a googly, bouncer or yorker? And if I asked you to stand at silly mid on, forward point, or fine leg? Whether you're talking the language of or , it can seem like there's an impossible amount to learn about cricket.
However, the basics of the game are pretty simple - and if there was ever a time to learn more about the gentleman's sport, it's now. After winning the recent series against India 4-0, England have just been named the world's . That's right - England are now officially the best team in the world! So if you'd like to get started in this most British of games, here are the sites that can help.
First of all, why not get an idea of the rules? of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport site has a fantastic overview, and I suggest you start which outlines the aim of the game. The site explains what an innings is (each time a team bats) and how a team wins a game of cricket (basically, score more than the other team!). You can find out why players need to protect their wicket, how batsmen get called 'out' and how players score sixes and fours (or a single, for that matter) to tot up runs which can win them the game. There's also this useful page from .
To follow the latest cricket results, the is a great start. Whether you'd like to follow international cricket or the county game, the site has the latest scores, fixtures and even offers the chance to listen to the Test Match Special podcast - which offers wit and analysis from Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott.
There's other great sites too. has a cricket section which gives you great videos, feature articles and from greats of the game, like former England captain Mike Atherton. There's also the official website of the , and the very good cricket sections of newspaper websites such as , and .
Following the game is one thing, but to really understand cricket and fall in love with it, why not pick up a bat and actually play? The ECB's bills itself as the "official source of all information and statistics on club cricket for all cricketers and supporters." By going into the directory search on the left side of the page, you can either search for a specific club (if you know who your nearest club is) or search for the contact details for your local county board (mine is Middlesex) who can tell you who your nearest club is.
I hope this gives you a great start in a game that's not only synonymous with the sound of leather on willow, long summer days and the ideal of sportsmanship, but also a game that right now, we seem to be pretty good at - and it's not often you can say that!
Read Charlie's pick of footballing websites.
Watch cricket training videos from GCSE Bitesize.
Play the from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport.
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Charlie is a journalist and scriptwriter specialising in articles and films featuring deaf culture and sign language. He has written for The Guardian online and has contributed to programmes for Radio 4, while his films have won international awards. He also works in the arts, helping to make theatre accessible for deaf people.
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