Cricket Vs Baseball: Timeless Rivalries On The Field
Cricket is a game that I knew nothing about. Last Sunday, I was relaxing in Stanley Park when I came upon an amateur cricket match. I watched from a distance but had no idea what was happening. It’s a very popular sport in many countries, so I wanted to find out why it’s so popular. It looks somewhat like baseball, which I’m familiar with, but it’s not baseball. Both are bat-and-ball games, so they must be similar in other ways, but how? Let’s look at the similarities and differences between cricket and baseball.
A Brief History of Cricket and Baseball
Cricket
Cricket began as a children’s game in southeast England in the late 1500s—at least, that is what history tells us. The first official record of it being an adult game was in 1611, when two men were charged with playing cricket on a Sunday rather than attending church. In the 1700s, formal rules were developed for the game. The first known cricket club, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), was founded in 1787.
England introduced the game to other countries of the British Empire. The USA and Canada were the two teams that participated in the first international match in 1844. The first game of test cricket, which we will discuss later, was in 1877 between England and Australia. The Cricket World Cup was established in 1975. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the worldwide governing body for cricket.
The following table lists the full members of the ICC and their local governing bodies in the order in which they became full members.
| Nation | Governing Body | Full Member Date |
|---|---|---|
| England | England and Wales Cricket Board | July 15, 1909 |
| Australia | Cricket Australia | July 15, 1909 |
| South Africa | Cricket South Africa | July 15, 1909 |
| India | Board of Control for Cricket in India | May 31, 1926 |
| New Zealand | New Zealand Cricket | May 31, 1926 |
| West Indies | Credit West Indies | May 31, 1926 |
| Pakistan | Pakistan Cricket Board | July 28, 1952 |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Cricket | July 21, 1981 |
| Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe Cricket | July 6, 1992 |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Cricket Board | June 26, 2000 |
| Afghanistan | Afghanistan Cricket Board | June 22, 2017 |
| Ireland | Cricket Ireland | June 22, 2017 |
Baseball
Baseball is a much newer game than cricket, possibly based on earlier bat-and-ball games. It was first referred to in 1828 as rounders, which is considered similar to or the same as baseball. In the 1830s and 40s, amateur baseball was played in the eastern United States. However, the first official game took place in Canada. Yes, Canada invented baseball as we know it today, with some adjustments made by New York City Clubs.
These clubs formed the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1858 to be the governing body. The National League was created in 1876, and the American League in 1901. The champions of the two Leagues participated in the first World Series in 1903. A colour barrier existed in both major leagues until Jackie Robinson arrived in 1947. The meaning is that until 1947, only white boys were allowed to play professional baseball. Baseball was an Olympic medal sport from 1992 until 2008.
Baseball is popular in all of North America: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is also popular in much of Asia, especially in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Other countries where it is popular include Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
I remember attending a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome in Japan in about 1994. The fans, especially the young women, were going wild with their noisemakers and encouraging screams for their favourite team. The Japanese most certainly do like their baseball.
Similarities and Differences Between Cricket and Baseball
Field Layout and Equipment
Cricket is played on a large, oval field with a narrow, rectangular pitch in the center. In contrast, baseball fields have a diamond-shaped infield and a spacious outfield. Both games use a ball and a bat. The cricket bat is flat on one side, and the ball is cork-centered. A baseball bat is round, slender, and tapered, and the ball is a little smaller. Protective equipment, such as helmets, is required for batters in both sports. Other protective gear for non-batters in baseball includes protective gloves for catching the hardball. The glove for the catcher has extra padding.
Rules and Gameplay
A cricket match can take from three hours to over five days for a test cricket match to complete. Test cricket is a match between two teams, each representing a different country. It consists of four innings, two per team. A nine-inning baseball game averages about three hours. However, at first glance, the central ideas in cricket and baseball seem similar—pitching (or bowling), batting, fielding, and scoring runs. However, there are significant differences in how each process takes place.
In cricket, the ball is bowled with a straight arm, and the bowler’s action is underhand or overhand with varied spins, resulting in various ball trajectories. Baseball pitchers throw overhand with different pitches—like fastballs, curveballs, and sliders—to confuse the batter.
In both games, one team plays offence at any given time while the other plays defence. Fielding, which is the defensive part of the game, is quite different in each of the two games. Due to a cricket field being oval, the players are spread out more, making strategic placement important. Baseball fields are more structured, with player positions predetermined for the most part. There must be a player on each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bases, a shortstop between the 2nd and 3rd bases, and the catcher covering home plate. Then there are three playing in the outfield.
Scoring
In cricket, two batsmen are on the field, one at each wicket at either end of the center of the pitch. There are three ways to score:
- When the batsman in place hits the ball, each of the two batsmen runs to the opposite wicket and, if arriving successfully, scores a point.
- If the batsman hits the ball out of play (referred to as a sixer), he scores six points.
- If the batsman hits the ball past the boundary of the playing field, he scores four points.
The last two ways of scoring make game scores in cricket much higher than in baseball.
To score a point in baseball, a batter must hit the ball and run around the diamond, touching each of the three bases before arriving at home plate without being tagged out. This only happens in one play if the batter hits a home run, meaning that the batter hits the ball over the fence or can run all four bases without being tagged out. At other times, a batter progresses around the diamond base by base as other batters hit the ball.
When the Teams Change from Offence to Defence
Cricket teams change from offence to defence when ten batsmen are taken out. The three most common ways to have a batsman dismissed are:
- When a batsman hits the ball, and an opposing team member catches it before it touches the ground.
- An over: when the bowler knocks a “bail” off the wicket behind the batsman, the batsman gets only six more throws.
- When a fielder gets the ball and knocks the “bail” off the opposite wicket before the batsman gets to it.
In a regular baseball game, there are nine innings during which each team takes a turn at playing offence and defence. Three batters on the team must go out to change from offence to defence. A batter can be out in three different ways:
- The batter can strike out, meaning they swing and miss three times at balls pitched by the pitcher.
- The batter hits the ball, and an opposing team member catches it before it touches the ground.
- The batter is tagged out while trying to run from one base to another.
Conclusion
That is my brief comparison of two team sports, which are very popular in different parts of the world for playing and as spectator sports. Writing this was much harder than I anticipated because I was starting with zero knowledge about cricket. Hence, the terminology was completely foreign to me. I hope you learned something as I did. However, you will have to go into much more detail than I have given you, even to appreciate watching a cricket match, or a baseball game, for that matter.
The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.
Vocabulary
- amateur – adjective; an art or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession; does not get paid (relative to sports)
- similarities – noun, plural; the state or fact of being similar; like something else; almost the same
- official – adjective; properly authorized; organized
- adjustments – noun; regulate esp. by a small amount; minor changes
- professional – adjective; engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation; gets paid (relative to sports)
- pitch – noun; the central strip of a cricket field between the two wickets (in this context)
- spacious – adjective; covering a wide are; a large space
- tapered – adjective; gradually becoming thinner or smaller in diameter
- gear – noun; equipment for a special purpose; another word for equipment (in this context)
- bowled – verb (bowl); the way the ball is thrown as in bowling or cricket
- trajectories – noun, plural; the path described by a projectile flying; the path of the ball when thrown (in this context)
- strategic – adjective; of or serving the ends of strategy; plans for winning
- predetermined – adjective; determined or decreed beforehand; decided in advance
- wicket – noun; the three wooden stumps at either end of the cricket pitch defended by the batsman
- bail – noun; two small pieces of wood that sit on top of the wicket in cricket
- spectator – noun; a person who looks on at a show, game, incident, etc.; someone who watches rather than participates
- anticipated – transitive verb, past tense; foresee and deal with ahead of time; realize or understand (in this context)
- terminology – noun; the system of terms used in a particular subject; vocabulary specific to a topic
Comprehension Questions
- In what year did the first international cricket match take place?
(a) 1744, (b) 1844, (c) 1944, or (d) 2044 - Which two teams participated in the first international cricket match?
- In what year was the Cricket World Cup established?
(a) 1945, (b) 1955, (c) 1965, or (d) 1975 - What is the International Cricket Council (ICC)?
- In what year was the first World Series in baseball?
(a) 1903, (b) 2003, (c) 2013, or (d) 2023 - In what year were Blacks first allowed to play professional baseball in the United States?
(a) 1927, (b) 1937, (c) 1947, or (d) 1957 - Has baseball ever been an Olympic sport?
Yes or No - Which of the two games mentioned in this essay has a bowler and a batsman?
(a) cricket, or (b) baseball - How many wickets are there in cricket
(a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, or (d) 4 - How many bases are there in baseball?
(a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, or (d) 4
Resources
- Wikipedia
And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment
Buddy Holly was one of the early pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll. Unfortunately, he was killed in a small plane crash on February 3, 1959, at the age of 22. So what does this have to do with the game of cricket? Nothing really. The link for me is that the name of his backup group was the Crickets. Here is Buddy Holly and the Crickets with their hit song “Oh, Boy!” The lyrics are not much, but this is true rock ‘n’ roll.
Oh, Boy!
performed by Buddy Holly and the Crickets (1957)
written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, and Norman Petty
All of my love, all of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a-missin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
All of my life, I've been a-waitin'
Tonight there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
Stars appear and shadows are fallin'
You can hear my heart a-callin'
A little bit a-lovin' makes everything right
And I'm gonna see my baby tonight
All of my love, all of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a-missin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
Dum de dum-dum, oh boy
Dum de dum-dum, oh boy
All of my love, all of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a-missin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
All of my life, I've been a-waitin'
Tonight, there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
Stars appear and shadows are fallin'
You can hear my heart a-callin'
A little bit a-lovin' makes everything right
And I'm gonna see my baby tonight
All of my love, all of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a-missin'
Oh boy (oh boy)
When you're with me, oh boy (oh boy)
The whole world can see that you were meant for me
