The
Game of Cricket
Cricket
is a bat and ball sport, played between two teams of eleven
players each. A cricket match is played on a grass field
(which is usually roughly oval), in the centre of which
is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called
a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set of wooden stumps,
called a wicket. A player from the fielding team (the bowler)
propels a hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball from
one wicket towards the other.
The ball
usually bounces once before reaching a player from the
opposing team (the batsman), who defends the wicket from
the ball with a wooden cricket bat. The batsman, if he
or she does not get out, may then run between the wickets,
exchanging ends with the other batsman (the "non-striker"),
who has been standing in an inactive role near the bowler's
wicket, to score runs. The other members of the bowler's
team stand in various positions around the field as fielders.
The match is won by the team that scores more runs.
Cricket
has been an established team sport for hundreds of years.
It originated in its modern form in England and is popular
mainly in the present and former members of the Commonwealth.
In the countries of South Asia, including India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, cricket is the most popular
sport. It is also a major sport in places such as England
and Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Bermuda, and the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean,
which are collectively known in cricketing parlance as
the West Indies.
There
are also well established amateur club competitions in
countries as diverse as the Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya,
Nepal, and Argentina.
The sport
is followed with passion in many different parts of the
world. It has even occasionally given rise to diplomatic
outrage, the most notorious being the Basil D'Oliveira
affair which led to the banning of South Africa from sporting
events. Other examples include the Bodyline series played
between England and Australia in the early 1930s, or the
1981 underarm bowling incident involving Australia and
New Zealand.
The
aim of the batting team is to score as many runs as possible.
A run is scored when both batsmen successfully move to
their respective opposite ends of the pitch (wicket). (The
batsmen will usually only attempt to score runs after the
striker has hit the ball, but this is not necessary). The
aim of the bowler's team is to get each batsman out (this
is a wicket, or a dismissal). Dismissals are achieved in
a variety of ways.
The most
direct way is for the bowler to bowl the ball in such a
way that it evades the batsman's guard and hits the stumps,
dislodging the bails. While the batsmen are attempting
a run, the fielders may attempt to knock the bails off
either set of stumps with the ball before the batsman nearer
to that set of stumps has reached the crease with his bat.
Other ways for the fielding side to dismiss a batsman include
catching a struck ball before it touches the ground. Once
the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs,
the ball is "dead" and is bowled again (each
attempt at bowling the ball is a ball or a delivery).
Once out, a batsman
is replaced by the next batsman in the team's lineup. The
innings (singular) of the batting team will end when the
tenth batsman is given out, since there always must be
two batsmen on the field. When this happens, the team is
said to be all out. At the end of an innings, the two teams
exchange roles, the fielding team becoming the batting
team and vice versa.
The game is divided
into overs of six (legal) balls. At the end of an over,
the batting and bowling ends will be swapped, and the bowler
replaced by another member of the fielding side. The two
umpires also change positions at this time, and sometimes
the fielding positions are rearranged.
The team that
has scored more runs at the end of the completed match
wins. Different varieties of the game have different definitions
of "completion", for instance there may be restrictions
on the number of overs, the number of innings, and the
number of balls in each innings. A draw is not an uncommon
result, and can occur if the team that is last to bat has
not scored enough runs to win, but has not been dismissed
before the end of play.
Results
If the team that bats last has all of its batsmen dismissed before it can reach
the run total of the opposing team, it is said to have lost by (n) runs (where
(n) is the difference between the two run totals). If however, the team that
bats last exceeds the opposing team's run total before its batsmen are dismissed,
it is said to have won by (n) wickets, where (n) is the difference between
the number of wickets conceded and 10.
If, in a two-innings-a-side
match, one team's combined first and second innings total
fails to reach its opponent's first innings total, there
is no need for the opposing team to bat again and it is
said to have won by an innings and (n) runs, where (n)
is the difference between the two teams' totals.
If all the batsmen
of the team batting last are dismissed with the scores
exactly equal then the match is a tie; ties are very rare
in cricket, particularly in matches of two innings a side.
If the time allotted for the match expires before either
side can win, then the game is a draw.
If the match has
only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of
deliveries for each innings is often imposed. In this case
the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number
of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind
of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then
a complex mathematical formula known as the Duckworth-Lewis
method is often used to recalculate a new target score.
A one-day match can be declared a No-Result if fewer than
a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by
either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption
of play impossible - for example, an extended period of
bad weather.
Laws
of cricket
The game is played in accordance with 42 laws of cricket, which have been developed
by the Marylebone Cricket Club in discussion with the main cricketing nations.
Teams may agree to alter some of the rules for particular games. Other rules
supplement the main laws and change them to deal with different circumstances.
In particular, there are a number of modifications to the playing structure
and fielding position rules that apply to one innings games that are restricted
to a set number of fair deliveries.
Players
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 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.
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 and valuable
players; most players focus on either their batting or
their bowling.
Umpires
Two on-field umpires preside over a match. One umpire (the field umpire) will
stand behind the wicket at the end from which the ball is bowled, and adjudicate
on most decisions. The other (the square leg umpire) will stand near the
fielding position called square leg, which offers a side view of the batsman,
and assist on decisions for which he or she has a better view. In some
professional matches, they may refer a decision to an off-field third umpire,
who has the assistance of television replays. In international matches
an off-field match referee ensures that play is within the laws of cricket
and the spirit of the game.
Scorers
Two scorers are appointed, and most often one scorer is provided by each team.
The laws of cricket specify that the official scorers are to record all
runs scored, wickets taken and (where appropriate) overs bowled. They are
to acknowledge signals from the umpire, and to check the accuracy of the
score regularly both with each other and, at playing intervals, with the
umpires. In practice scorers also keep track of other matters, such as
bowlers' analyses, the rate at which the teams bowl their overs, and team
statistics such as averages and records. In international and national
cricket competitions, the media often require notification of records and
statistics, so unofficial scorers often keep tally for broadcast commentators
and newspaper journalists. The official scorers occasionally make mistakes,
but unlike umpires' mistakes
The
playing field
For more details on this topic, see Cricket field.
The cricket field consists of a large circular or oval-shaped grassy ground.
There are no fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually varies
between 450 feet (137 m) to 500 feet (150 m). On most grounds, a rope demarcates
the perimeter of the field and is known as the boundary.
Placements
of players
The team batting always has two batsmen on the field. One batsman, known as the
striker, faces and plays the balls bowled by the bowler. His or her partner stands
at the bowling end and is known as the non-striker.
The fielding team has
all eleven of its players on the ground, and at any particular
time, one of these will be the bowler. The player designated as
bowler must change after every over. The wicket-keeper, who generally
acts in that role for the whole match, stands or crouches behind
the wicket at the batting end. The captain of the fielding team
spreads his or her remaining nine players — the fielders — around
the ground to cover most of the area. Their placement may vary
dramatically depending on strategy. Each position on the field
has a unique label.
The
toss
The two opposing captains toss a coin before the match, and the captain winning
the toss chooses either to bat or bowl first. This decision will be based on
whether the team's bowlers are likely to gain immediate advantage from the
pitch and weather conditions (these can vary significantly), or whether it
is more likely that the pitch will deteriorate and make batting more difficult
later in the game.
Overs
Each innings is divided into overs, each consisting of six consecutive legal
(see "Extras" for details) deliveries bowled by the same bowler.
After completing an over, the bowler must take up a fielding position and
let another player take over the bowling.
After every over, the
batting and bowling ends are swapped, and the field positions are
adjusted. The umpires swap so the umpire at the bowler's end moves
to square leg, and the umpire at square leg moves to the new bowler's
end.
End of an innings
An innings is completed if:
Ten out of eleven batsmen
are 'out' (dismissed) — the team are all out.
The team has only one batsman left who can bat (the others being incapacitated
either through injury, illness or absence) — again, the team are all
out.
The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match.
The predetermined number of overs are bowled (in a one-day match only, usually
50 overs).
A captain declares his team's innings closed (this does not apply to one-day
limited over matches).
Playing
time
Typically, two innings matches are played over three to five days with at least
six hours of cricket being played each day. One innings matches are usually
played over one day for six hours or more. There are formal intervals on each
day for lunch and tea, and shorter breaks for drinks, where necessary. There
is also a short interval between innings.
The game is only played
in dry weather. Additionally, as in professional cricket it is
common for balls to be bowled at over 90 mph (144 km/h), the game
needs to be played in daylight that is good enough for a batsman
to be able to see the ball. Play is therefore halted during rain
(but not usually drizzle) and when there is bad light. Some one-day
games are now played under floodlights, but, apart from a few experimental
games in Australia, floodlights are not used in longer games.
Professional cricket
is usually played outdoors. These requirements mean that in England,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe the game is usually
played in the summer. In the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and Bangladesh games are played in the winter. In these countries
the hurricane and monsoon season coincides with their summers.
Batting
Batsmen strike the ball from the batting crease, with the flat surface of a
wooden bat. If the batsman hits the ball with his bat, it is called a shot
(or stroke). If the ball brushes the side of the bat it is called an edge
or snick. Shots are named according to the style of swing and the direction
aimed. As part of the team's strategy, he may bat defensively, blocking
the ball downwards, or aggressively, hitting the ball hard to empty spaces
in order to score runs. There is no requirement to run if the ball is struck.
If the batsman manages
to hit the ball over the boundary ropes, he automatically scores
runs. A ball that reaches the boundary on the full (without touching
the ground) automatically scores six runs. A ball that reaches
the boundary after having touched the ground automatically scores
four runs.
Batsmen come in to bat
in a batting order, decided by the team captain. The first two
positions, the "openers", face the most hostile bowling,
from fast bowlers at their freshest and with a new ball. After
that, the team typically bats in descending order of batting skill,
the first five or six batsmen usually being the best in the team.
Then follow the all-rounders — bowlers or wicket-keepers
who can bat decently — and finally the pure bowlers who rarely
score well. This order may be changed at any time during the course
of the game.
Bowling
A bowler delivers the ball toward the batsmen, using what is known as a bowling
action: the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may
not straighten out during the action. If the elbow straightens, it is an
illegal throw and the delivery is called a no-ball. Under new cricketing
law, after consultation with health experts, the bowler is allowed to straighten
his arm 15 degrees or less; if the bowler straightens his arm more than
15 degrees it is called a "no ball".
Usually, the
bowler pitches the ball so that it bounces before reaching the
batsman. Some part of the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride
(that is, the stride when the ball is released) must be behind
the popping crease to avoid a no-ball (although the bowler's front
foot does not have to be grounded). The ball must also be delivered
so it is within the batsman's reach; otherwise it is termed a wide.
A wide cannot be called if the batsman hits the ball. A wide or
no-ball results in an extra run being added to the batting team's
score, and an extra ball being bowled in the over.
The bowler's
primary goal is to take wickets; that is, to get a batsman out
or dismissed. If a bowler can dismiss the more accomplished batsmen
on the opposing team he reduces the opportunity for them to score,
as it exposes the less skilful non-specialist batsmen. The bowler's
secondary task is to limit the numbers of runs scored per over
bowled. This is known as the Economy rate. There are two main kinds
of bowlers: pace bowlers, who attempt to bowl the ball too quickly
for the batsman to properly react, and spin bowlers who bowl slower
deliveries that bounce and curve in unpredictable ways.
Dismissal of a batsman
There are ten ways in which a batsman may be
dismissed. Once a batsman is dismissed, he leaves the field to
be replaced by another batsman. When the tenth batsmen are out
the remaining not-out batsman has run out of partners, at which
point the side is "all out", and the innings is over.
Many modes of
dismissal require the wicket to be "put down". The wicket
is put down if a bail is dislodged from the top of the stumps;
or if a stump is struck out of the ground either by the ball, or
by a fielder using his hand which is holding the ball. Of the following
ten modes of dismissal, the first six are common, while the last
four are technicalities which rarely occur. Briefly, the ten modes
are:
Caught — When
a fielder catches the ball before the ball bounces and after the
batsman has struck it with the bat or it has come into contact
with the batsman's glove while it is in contact with the bat handle.
The bowler and catcher are both credited with the dismissal. (Law
32)
Bowled — When
a delivered ball hits the stumps at the batsman's end, and dislodges
one or both of the bails. This happens regardless of whether
the batsman has edged the ball onto the stumps or not. The bowler
is credited with the dismissal. (Law 30)
Leg before wicket (lbw) — When
a delivered ball misses the bat and strikes the batsman's leg,
pad or body, and the umpire judges that the ball would otherwise
have struck the stumps. The laws of cricket stipulate certain
exceptions. For instance, a delivery pitching outside the line
of leg stump should not result in an lbw dismissal, while a delivery
hitting the batsman outside the line of the off stump should
result in an lbw dismissal only if the batsman makes no attempt
to play the ball with the bat. The bowler is credited with the
dismissal.
Run out — When
a fielder, bowler or wicket-keeper removes one or both of the
bails with the ball by hitting the stumps whilst a batsman is
still running between the two ends. The ball can either hit the
stumps directly or the fielder's hand with the ball inside it
can be used to dislodge the bails. Such a dismissal is not officially
credited to any player, although the identities of the fielder
or fielders involved is often noted in brackets on the scorecard.
Stumped — When
the batsman leaves his crease in playing a delivery, voluntarily
or involuntarily, but the ball goes to the wicket-keeper who
uses it to remove one or both of the bails through hitting the
bail(s) or the wicket before the batsman has remade his ground.
The bowler and wicket-keeper are both credited. This generally
requires the keeper to be standing within arm's length of the
wicket, which is done mainly to spin bowling. (Law 39)
Hit wicket — When
the batsman accidentally knocks the stumps with either the body
or the bat, causing one or both of the bails to be dislodged,
either in playing a shot or in taking off for the first run.
The bowler is credited with the dismissal. (Law 35)
Handled the ball — When
the batsman deliberately handles the ball without the permission
of the fielding team. No player is credited with the dismissal.
(Law 33)
Hit the ball twice — When
the batsman deliberately strikes the ball a second time, except
for the sole purpose of guarding his wicket. No player is credited
with the dismissal. (Law 34)
Obstructing the field — When
a batsman deliberately hinders a fielder from attempting to field
the ball. No player is credited with the dismissal. (Law 37)
Timed out — When
a new batsman takes more than three minutes to take his position
in the field to replace a dismissed batsman (If the delay is
protracted, the umpires may cause the match to be forfeited).
This rule prevents the batting team using time limits of the
game to unfair advantage. No player is credited with the dismissal.
(Law 31)
Additionally, a batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. For instance,
if he is injured or taken ill, this is known as retired hurt or retired
ill. The batsman is not out; he may return to bat later in the same innings
if sufficiently recovered. Also, an unimpaired batsman may retire, in which
case he is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited
with the dismissal.
Batsmen cannot
be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped, or hit wicket
off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket,
or hit the ball twice off a wide.
Some of these
modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery.
The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if
he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can
be out obstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed
out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all
other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per
ball bowled.
Fielding
and wicket-keeping
Fielders assist the bowlers in preventing runs, either by taking catches to
dismiss a batsman, or by intercepting the ball and returning it to the pitch.
The wicket-keeper is the only fielder permitted to wear gloves. A fielder may
stop the ball with any part of their body.
The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the batsman's wicket
throughout the game. His primary job is to gather deliveries that the batsman
fails to hit, to prevent them running into the outfield, which would enable
batsmen to score byes. To this end, he wears special gloves (he is the
only fielder allowed to do so) and pads to cover his lower legs. Due to
his position directly behind the striker, the wicket-keeper has a good
chance of getting a batsman out caught off a fine edge from the bat; thicker
edges are typically handled by the "slips" fieldsmen. The wicket-keeper
is also the only person who can get a batsman out stumped.
History
A basic form of cricket can be traced back to the 13th century, but it may have
existed even earlier than that. The game seems to have originated among children
of the farming and metalworking communities in the Weald between Kent and Sussex.
Written evidence exists of a game known as creag being played by Prince Edward,
the son of Edward I (Longshanks), at Newenden, Kent in 1300.
In 1598, a court case
referred to a sport called kreckett being played at the Royal Grammar
School, Guildford around 1550. The Oxford English Dictionary gives
this as the first recorded instance of cricket in the English language.
A number of words are
thought to be possible sources for the term cricket. The name may
derive from a term for the cricket bat: old French criquet (meaning
a kind of club) or Flemish krick(e) (meaning a stick) or in Old
English crycc (meaning a crutch or staff). (The latter is problematic,
since Old English 'cc' was palatal in pronunciation in the south
and the west midlands, roughly ch, which is how crycc leads to
crych and thence crutch; the 'k' sound would be possible in the
north, however.) Alternatively, the French criquet apparently derives
from the Flemish word krickstoel, which is a long low stool on
which one kneels in church and which resembles the long low wicket
with two stumps used in early cricket.
During the 17th century,
numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east
of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised
activity being played for high stakes and it is likely that the
first professionals appeared in that period. We know that a great
cricket match with eleven players a side was played for high stakes
in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest reference we have to
cricket in terms of such importance.
The game underwent major development in the 18th Century and had become the
national sport of England by the end of the century. Betting played a major
part in that development and rich patrons began forming their own "select
XIs". Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds
flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The Hambledon Club
was founded in the 1760s but its team was already playing first-class matches
in 1756. For the next 20 years until the formation of MCC and the opening
of Lord's in 1787, Hambledon was the game's greatest club and its focal
point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of
the Laws of Cricket.
The 19th Century saw underarm replaced by first roundarm and then overarm bowling.
Both developments were accompanied by major controversy. The concept of
a "champion county" arose in the 1820s and then, starting with
Sussex CCC in 1839, county clubs were founded and these ultimately formed
a County Championship.
In 1859, a team of England
players went on the first overseas tour (to North America) and
18 years later another England team took part in the first-ever
Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia.
The legendary W G Grace
started his long career in 1864. It can fairly be said that he
revolutionised the sport and did much to ensure its massive popularity.
The last two decades before
the First World War have been called the "Golden Age of Cricket".
It is almost certainly a nostalgic idea based on the sense of loss
brought about by the war, but even so the period did produce some
great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition
at county and Test level developed.
The inter-war years were
dominated by one player: Don Bradman, statistically the greatest
batsman of all time. It was the determination of the England team
to overcome his incredible skill that brought about the infamous
Bodyline series in 1932/33.
Cricket entered an epochal
era in 1963, when English counties modified the rules to provide
a variant match form that produced a certain result: games with
a restricted number of overs per side. This gained widespread popularity
and resulted in the birth of One-day International (ODI) matches
in 1971. The governing International Cricket Council quickly adopted
the new form and held the first ODI Cricket World Cup in 1975.
Since then, ODI matches have gained mass spectatorship, at the
expense of the longer form of the game and to the consternation
of fans who prefer the longer form of the game.
As of the early 2000s,
however, the longer form of cricket is experiencing a growing resurgence
in popularity but a new limited overs phenomenon, Twenty20, has
made an immediate impact.
Forms
of cricket
There are many different types and grades of cricket; those played professionally
at an international level are Test cricket, one-day cricket and Twenty20.
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of international cricket started in 1877 during the
1876/77 English cricket team's tour of Australia. The first Test match began
on 15 March 1877 and had a timeless format with four balls per over. It ended
on 19 March 1877 with Australia winning by 45 runs.The Test cricket series
between England and Australia is called The Ashes.
Since then,
over 1,800 Test matches have been played and the number of Test
playing nations has increased to ten with Bangladesh, the most
recent nation elevated to Test status, making its debut in 2000.
Test matches are two innings per side, over a period nowadays of
up to a maximum of five days - although matches are sometimes completed
early when one side wins well within the time allotted (e.g. in
three or four days). In the past, Tests have been played over 3,
4, or 6 days, and some have been 'Timeless' - played to a finish.
Tests that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn.
One-day cricket
Limited overs matches, also known as one day cricket or instant cricket, were
introduced in the English domestic season of 1963 due to the growing demands
for a shorter and more dramatic form of cricket. One-day, single-innings, matches
often took place before this, but the innovation was the limiting of each side's
innings to an agreed number of overs (nowadays usually 50). The idea was taken
up in the international arena in 1971, during England's tour of Australia,
when a match was played on the scheduled fifth day of the rained-off third
Test.
The one-day
game has since become a crowd-pleaser and TV-audience-generator
across the globe, hastened in part by the success of the inaugural
World Cup in 1975. The abbreviations ODI (One-day International)
or sometimes LOI (Limited Overs International) are used for international
matches of this type. Innovations have included the introduction
of coloured clothing, distinct tournaments, and "day-night" matches
(where play extends into the night under floodlights); together
with frequent nail-biting finishes and the impossibility of either
side opting to play for a draw, these have seen ODI cricket gain
many supporters.
Twenty20 Cricket
Twenty20 Cricket was first played in English domestic cricket in 2003 to popularise
first-class cricket and attract more spectators to the game. Now it has spread
to many other countries. A "Twenty20 Game" consists 20 overs per
each side, a free-hit after a no-ball is bowled, short boundaries, batting-friendly
pitches, and other rules designed to attract crowds that would not usually
wish to sit through the slower paced one day games or test matches. The first
men's Twenty20 international was between Australia and New Zealand in 2005,
the first women's Twenty20 international having been between England and New
Zealand in 2004.The ICC announced after its Executive Board meeting in March
2006 that beginning from 2007 to 2015, the Twenty20 World Championship would
be held on an biannual basis and the first ever Twenty20 World Championship
in South Africa in September 2007.[1]
First-class matches
A first-class match is generally defined as a high-level international or domestic
match that takes place over at least three days on natural (as opposed to artificial)
turf. First-class games are two innings per side. Like Test matches, if the
game is not completed over the allotted time then it is drawn. Games where
the teams have only one innings each are not first-class (including one-day
internationals).
A two-innings
match of at least three days duration is granted first-class status
only if both teams have first-class status. For example, Test matches,
other games between two Test nations, games between two domestic
teams deemed first-class in countries holding full membership of
the ICC, and games between a Test nation's national side (or a
team drawn from a national touring squad) and a first-class domestic
team from a Test nation, are usually deemed to be first class.
Matches between Kenya, one of the leading associate members of
the ICC, and another team adjudged first-class are usually granted
first-class status, but domestic matches in Kenya are not.
Among cricket
statisticians, first class cricket is variously deemed to have
started in 1660, 1772, 1801, 1815 or 1864. This ongoing controversy
is described in the main article. The limited overs equivalent
of first-class status is list A status.
International
structure
ICC member nations. Orange are the (highest level) Test playing nations; green
are the associate member nations; and purple are the affiliate member nations.The
International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body for cricket.
It is headquartered in Dubai and includes representatives of each of the ten
Test-playing nations, as well as an elected panel representing non-Test-playing
nations.
Each nation has a national
cricket board which regulates cricket matches played in their country.
The cricket board also selects the national squad and organises
home and away tours for the national team.
Nations playing
cricket are separated into three tiers depending on the level of
cricket infrastructure in that country. At the highest level are
the Test-playing nations. They qualify automatically for the quadrennial
World Cup matches. A rung lower are the Associate Member nations.
The lowermost rung consists of the Affiliate Member nations
Cricket. (2007, January 15). In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:28, January 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cricket&oldid=100838940
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