Q&A for How to Play Cricket

By doing practice drills for front foot shots. Front foot shots should only be played to full or good length balls.

Place a cone on your head during practice and ensure it stays on your head.

Instead of moving back and across, plant the front foot forward and swing a pull shot.

This is a difficult task. You anticipate the yorker, step out of your crease so that the ball will be a full toss, and hit it.

You can refer to this article: How to Reverse Swing a Cricket Ball.

Let go of the ball before your arm reaches your ear. It will go further in flight before the bounce.

Six ball series simply means six overs match. It is normally played in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong has the smallest ground, which is the most suitable for this.

Not always, but if the ball hits the legs before the wicket, it is out, hence called LBW.

The batsman gets out if a fielder hits the wickets with the ball before the batsman gets to the other wickets.

With spinners, many of the facing batsmen with try to smash it for six, usually over the spinner's head. Try placing a fielder at deep mid-on or deep mid-off. When the batsman mistimes the shot, the fielder can take a nice, easy catch into the bread basket. Also, place fielders deep if the batsman smashes it elsewhere (e.g., deep square leg, fine leg, point and cover). Don't place all of your fielders near the boundary, scatter some up close near the wicky because the batsman could block some and take easy singles, and, every once an awhile the spinner bowls the perfect ball and the batter nicks the ball to the slips or silly mid-on and that gives you many wickets for your team.

If a shot is rolled to the boundary, it counts as 4 runs. If the ball lands over the boundary without a single bounce, it's a 6.

While mid-wicket is in the inner circle, deep mid-wicket is on the boundary roughly 90 degrees east from a batting stance.

No, cricket does not have any bases. The batsman runs from one side of the pitch to the other.

Yes, you can play without a wicket keeper, but try to get one if you can. Wicket keepers are extremely important to the game as they are closest to the wicket.

The area to the left of a right-handed batsman (from the batsman's point of view – facing the bowler) is called the leg side or on side, while that to the right is the off side. If the batsman is left-handed, the leg and off sides are reversed and the fielding positions are a mirror image of those shown.

The three key steps are the position, the shot and the follow-through. Relax your body and assume a balanced stance. Raise your bat with a high bat swing to gain enough momentum to play the shot. Take a step toward the pitch of the ball and bend your front knee, keeping your head behind the point of contact.

They should be together, fingers spread so there is more chance of you catching the ball; your fingers should be pointing down. When the ball comes, close your hands around it, then cushion the ball by taking your hands to your stomach.

A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers. A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare, as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.

If the striker hits his own wicket by accident and breaks it, he is out “hit wicket.” Hit wicket outs happen no matter what struck the wicket, but only happen if the striker was attempting to hit the ball, or has hit the ball and is attempting to run to the other end of the pitch.

Yes, while batting a team can declare their innings if they feel they have enough runs.

Balance your body, come on your front foot with a straight bat and time the ball.

Keep the seam position of the ball in hand such that the right side of the seam of the ball faces outside and bowl keeping in mind the bowl hits the ground according to how you held the bowl.

If you are good player you can go anytime, but normally players join a cricket club at 20 to 21 years old.

Sure, but you shouldn't. There are too many chances for injury in cricket, so taking basic safety precautions is smart.

Practice and do exercises. Increase the strength in your hand and your swing.

Hit the ball at a direction where ball is coming from. Focus on the ball is necessary and then hit the six or four.

This is when a shot is thrown with a backspin in the style of the yorker. If thrown correctly it should land like a yorker and bounce up to meet the top of the wicket.

Shine the ball using your clothes, tilt the seam facing the first or second slip, and put your fingers on the ball normally (still making sure that the seam is facing the slips). Cock your wrists back, and bowl the ball. It will take some practice, but is good when it is achieved.

Official cricket is played with a white, red, or pink ball; however, one can play cricket with a tennis ball, although that would be unofficial.

Try to hit the ball up and away to the boundary, as you can't get out. Hit it with a lot of force, since there is no pressure on you.