Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport that is played between two teams of eleven players on a field that has

a wicket at each end made up of two bails balanced on three stumps. The pitch measures 22 yards
(20 metres) in length. The bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this (by keeping the ball from
leaving the field and getting it to either wicket) and dismisses each batter. The batting side scores
runs by hitting the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the
wickets (so they are "out"). Being bowled, having the ball strike the stumps and knock the bails off,
having the ball caught by the fielding side after it has been struck by the bat but before it hits the
ground, or having the ball strike a wicket before the batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket
are all examples of ways to be dismissed. The innings terminate when ten hitters have been retired,
and the teams switch places. In international matches, a match referee and a third umpire assist the
two umpires who officiate the game. They interact with two off-field scorers who keep track of the
game's statistical data.

Cricket is played in a variety of formats, from Twenty20, in which each side bats for a single innings
of 20 overs (each "over" being a set of six fair possibilities for the batting team to score), to Test
matches, which are played over five days. In limited overs cricket, players don club or team colours
instead of the customary all-white uniform. The ball, which is a hard, solid spheroid made of
compressed leather with a slightly raised sewed seam enclosing a cork core coated with tightly
coiled string, can injure players, hence some wear protection equipment in addition to the standard
equipment.

Cricket was first mentioned in South East England in the middle of the 16th century. With the first
international matches played in the latter half of the 19th century, it moved across the globe along
with the British Empire's growth. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which has over 100
members and 12 full members who participate in Test matches, is the authority that oversees the
sport. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London is responsible for upholding the Rules of
Cricket, which govern the game. South Asia, Australasia, the United Kingdom, Southern Africa, and
the West Indies are the regions where the sport is most popular. [1]

Cricket for women, which is organised and played independently, has likewise attained a high level
on the international stage. Australia is the most successful international cricket team, having won
more One Day International titles than any other nation, including five World Cups, and more Test
series victories than any other nation.