Cricket can look complicated from the outside, but the core idea is simple. One team bats and tries to score runs; the other bowls and fields and tries to get the batters out. Then the teams swap. Whichever side scores more runs wins. Everything else, from overs to extras to the many ways of getting out, is detail built on that idea.
The basics: teams, the toss and the pitch
Each team has 11 players. Before the match, the two captains toss a coin, and the winner chooses whether to bat or bowl first. That choice matters more than it sounds: pitch conditions, dew and the weather can all favour batting first or chasing.
Play happens on the pitch, a 22-yard strip in the middle of the field. At each end stands a wicket: three upright stumps topped by two small bails. Painted lines called creases mark where the bowler must deliver from and where a batter is safe. Our guide to reading a pitch report explains why the surface itself can shape a match.
Batting, bowling and the over
The batting side always has two batters on the field, one at each end. The bowling side has all 11 players on the field: one bowler, one wicketkeeper standing behind the stumps, and nine other fielders placed around the ground.
The bowler delivers the ball overarm towards the batter at the other end, usually with a run-up and usually after it bounces. Six legal deliveries make an over. After each over, a different bowler bowls from the opposite end. No bowler may bowl two overs in a row, and in limited-overs cricket each bowler has a cap on how many overs they can bowl in total.
How runs are scored
When a batter hits the ball, both batters can run to the opposite end. Each time they cross and reach the other crease safely, they score one run. They can keep running as long as they think it is safe.
- Four: the ball reaches the boundary rope after touching the ground.
- Six: the ball clears the boundary without bouncing.
- Extras: runs given away by the bowling side, credited to the team rather than the batter. A wide is a ball too far from the batter to hit; a no-ball is an illegal delivery, most often when the bowler oversteps the front crease. Both add a run and must be bowled again. Byes and leg byes are runs taken when the ball misses the bat.
In ODIs and T20Is, the delivery after a no-ball is a free hit: the batter cannot be out in most ways on that ball, so it is a chance to swing hard.
For extras, penalty runs and how to read a scorecard, see our guide to how cricket scoring works.
The main ways a batter gets out
A dismissal is called a wicket. When 10 of the 11 batters are out, the innings is over, because a batter cannot bat alone. These are the dismissals you will see most often:
- Bowled: the ball hits the stumps and knocks a bail off.
- Caught: a fielder catches the ball off the bat before it touches the ground.
- LBW (leg before wicket): the ball hits the batter's body, usually the pad, when it would otherwise have gone on to hit the stumps. It is the most debated rule in the game, with conditions about where the ball pitched and where it struck.
- Run out: the fielding side breaks the stumps while a running batter is still short of the crease.
- Stumped: the wicketkeeper breaks the stumps while the batter has stepped out of the crease and is not attempting a run.
Rarer dismissals include hit wicket, obstructing the field and timed out. In international cricket, teams can challenge an umpire's decision with a limited number of reviews using the Decision Review System (DRS).
Formats: Test, ODI and T20
Cricket comes in three main international formats. A Test match lasts up to five days, with each team batting twice. A One-Day International (ODI) gives each side 50 overs. A T20 gives each side just 20 overs, which is why it rewards aggressive batting and is the format most fantasy contests focus on.
A few rules are worth knowing for T20 in particular:
- Bowling limit: no bowler can bowl more than four of the 20 overs.
- Powerplay: in the first six overs, only two fielders may stand outside the inner 30-yard circle, which makes boundaries easier to find. After that, up to five can go out.
- Ties: in ICC T20Is a tie goes to a Super Over, a one-over shootout per side. If that is tied too, they play another.
- Rain: if weather cuts overs from a match, targets are recalculated using the DLS method.
Watching your first match
Follow the scoreboard in the form runs/wickets, for example 145/6, alongside overs bowled, such as 17.2 overs. The team batting second sees a target, and the key question becomes how many runs they need from how many balls. From there, the rest of the game starts to make sense.
Once the basics click, our how to play guide shows how to turn match knowledge into a fantasy XI, and the fantasy scoring primer explains how runs, wickets and catches become points. For this season's official changes, read our explainer on the 2026 ICC playing conditions.
You do not need to know every law to enjoy cricket. Learn the over, the four main ways to get out and what a target means, and you can follow almost any T20. The finer points, like LBW and the fielding restrictions, become clear the more matches you watch.
Quick questions
How many players are in a cricket team?
Each side fields 11 players. Two batters are on the field at a time, while all 11 players of the bowling side field.
How many balls are in an over?
Six legal deliveries. Wides and no-balls do not count, so they must be bowled again.
How long does a T20 match take?
Each side bats for up to 20 overs, and a full match usually lasts around three to three and a half hours.
Can a batter be out on a no-ball?
Not bowled, caught or LBW. A batter can still be run out, so it pays to stay alert.
What happens if a T20 match is tied?
In ICC T20 internationals a tie is settled by a Super Over: each team bats one over and the higher score wins. If that is also tied, another Super Over is played.
Official sources
The full rules of the game are the MCC Laws of Cricket. International matches are played under the ICC's format-specific playing conditions, published in the ICC Rules and Regulations library.