You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.

There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

Yep, I'd like to be able to say that's just not cricket, but unfortunately it is.

A strange game, a very strange game indeed!!!

So what's the problem? Makes perfect sense to me, hehe...

Which is, what, pretty much baseball except for the bases & bats, right?

Probably....but Cricket was invented before Baseball !! Just like Rugby was around before American Football !!

Gillyharold's blurb isn't entirely correct. The end of the game can be reached if both sides aren't out twice when the end of the allotted playing time (5 days for tests) is reached. In this event the game is drawn.

A draw is completely different to a tie.

Also if the game is a "limited overs" match both teams only go in once and neither have to be all out to have a winner.

Hope this clarifies !

Thanks I needed that.

The best thing about a game of cricket is that when you've all been in and all been out, you can all go out to the inn.

…and what about all those cricket positions!

There's...

Long on (deep mid-on)
Long off (deep mid-off)
Deep extra cover
Deep mid-wicket
Deep square leg
Deep third man
Mid-on
Mid-off
Silly mid-on
Silly mid-off
Silly point
Forward short leg
Backward short leg
Leg slip
Deepfine leg (long-leg)
Deep third man
1st slip
2nd slip
3rd slip
Gully
Point
Cover
Not to mention batsmen bowler and wicket keeper

... and Cow corner (for my prefered shot!)

In a 1975 Test v NZ (?) the entire Austalian team lined up as the slip/gully cordon. i.e. keeper, bowler, 1st-9th slips.

All this was of course a publicity shot for the cover of Dennis Lillee's autobiography.

And not forgetting the great names that lead to great quotes such as: "The batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey".

I don't 'alf miss Jonners.

Mention of Willey reminds me of the entry in the scorecard of the first Test at Perth in 1979:

"Lillee c.Willey b. Dilley 19"

Actually, it was 1977.

no no no actually it was on the 1979/80 tour of Oz.

It occurred on the fourth day of the first test - the 18th December 1979.

aha ! Dalgleish ! I see you mean the 9 slips thing - yes just checked - feb 1977 !!