Fundamental Skills of Cricket

1.Batting Skills
Given the goals of batting, a batsman must possess good hand-eye coordination, reflexes, strength, running speed, sound
judgment, and of course knowledge of cricket rules and an understanding of cricket strategy and tactics.
 
These basic skills are put to use in specific actions such as:
 
* Preventing the ball from hitting the wicket (which would result in the batsman being out bowled).
* Avoiding being hit in the legs in front of the wicket (which may result in the batsman being out leg before wicket).
* Avoiding hitting catches to any fielders (which would result in the batsman being out caught).
* Avoiding being hit by the ball in a way that might cause injury.
* Hitting the ball with the bat with precise placement, timing, and strength to avoid fielders.
* Judging when it is safe to take a run, and taking the run.
 
Types of batting shots
 
The act of hitting the cricket ball is called a shot or stroke. Batting involves knowledge and skill in several different types
of shot. Good batsmen usually also have what is called "balance", which more or less involves stability of the body with
synchronized movements of the shoulders and feet. There are a variety of shots a batsman can play:
 
Having taken a long stride, a batsman blocks the ball with a forward defensive shot.
2.Bowling Skills

In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player
skilled at bowling is called a bowler.
 
A single act of bowling the ball towards the batsman is called a ball or a delivery. Bowlers bowl deliveries in sets of six,
called an over. Once a bowler has bowled their over, one of their team mates will bowl an over from the other end of the
pitch.
 
There are rules in the Laws of Cricket governing how a ball must be bowled. If a ball is bowled illegally, an umpire will
rule it a no ball. If a ball is bowled too wide of the stumps or high for the batsman to be able to hit it, an umpire will rule it
a wide.
Goals of Bowling
 
In terms of strategic importance in a game, the priorities of a bowler are, in order of importance:
1. Get batsmen out.
2. Prevent batsmen from scoring runs.
3.Wicket Keeping
WICKET KEEPER

The wicket-keeper's major function is to stop deliveries that pass the batsman (in order to prevent runs being scored), but often he
can also attempt to dismiss the batsman in various ways. The most common dismissal effected by the wicket-keeper is for him to
catch a ball that has nicked the batsman's bat, called an edge, before it bounces. Sometimes the keeper is also in the best position
to catch a ball which has been hit high in the air. The keeper can also stump the batsman by using the ball to remove the bails from
the stumps if the batsman has come out of his crease during a delivery. Finally, when the ball is hit into the outfield, the keeper
moves close to the stumps to catch the return throw from a fielder and, if possible, to run out a batsman.

4.Fielding

Fielding in some ways, is the most spontaneous of cricketing skills,  

but it's possible to becomce a good fielder through haard work,  
practice and concentration.

The basic skills required to be a good fielder are that you must  
get your legs, feet and body right behind the ball, accurately judge  
the flight of the ball when going for a catch, keep down and watch  
the batsman. These skills all make you a good fielder but  
sustained good fielding depends on unremmited concentration,  
even when your team's been out in the blazing sun for seven hours or more.

The standard of fielding in a team is of great importance in  

cricket because a good fielding team gives bowlers  
confidence and it's a great support structure to both wicket-keepers  
and bowlers. Nothing spurs a bowler more than a well-held catch,  
an excellent run-out or a throw-in which hits the wicket spot-on. In fact,  
good fielding gives the entire team a drive and dominance over t 
he batting team and puts them under the kind of 
pressure that wins many matches.

Over the years the standard of fielding has become so paramount  

to the winning or losing of matches, that cricket teams can no  
longer afford to keep a slow mover or lazy bender in the team  
simply as a result of his batting or bowling acumen.
Terminology

Aggregate
Refers to the total number of runs made, catches taken or dismissals completed by a player during a season or career.

All Rounder
Refers to a player who is good at both batting and bowling.

Appeal
A plea made to the umpire by the fielding side when they believe a decision is needed to clarify whether a batsman has been
dismissed.

Average
The total figure reached by computation of a batsman’s run scoring performance measured against the number of deliveries faced or
a bowlers performance measure against the number of runs conceded as compared to the number of wickets taken .

Caught Behind
A ball caught by the wicketkeeper after being struck by the batsman.

Follow On
The requirement by the fielding Captain for the batting team to immediately bat again after being dismissed during its first innings
and not having met the total of the opposing side at the close of the first days play.

Infield
The grouping of fieldsman normally placed with 30-40 metres of the batsman.

Innings
The period of time spent batting by a team or individual.

Plumb
When a batsman is standing directly in the line of the stumps.

Selectors
A group of officials appointed for the purpose of picking the players to represent a cricket team.

Walk
Generally used by a batsman to indicate his acceptance of a dismissal without waiting for the decision of an umpire. The physical act
of walking away from the stumps. It was once the usual practice, but is now very uncommon.

Sports Personalities of Cricket

1.Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar is one of the best opening batsmen to have played for India. Sunil Gavaskar surpassed the long-standing record of 29 Test
centuries held by none other that Sir Donald Bradman. Gavaskar went on to score 34 Test centuries before Sachin Tendulkar broke his
record. Furthermore, Gavaskar became the first to cross the 10,000 runs barrier in Test cricket.

2.Kapil Dev

There is no doubt that Kapil Dev (Ramlal Nikhanj Kapil Dev) is the best all-rounder India has produced till date. But his contribution as the
captain of the Indian team has been legendary as well. After all, he led India to its only World Cup victory till date. Kapil`s career, which
lasted, from 1979-1994 saw his break and set a number of records. He overtook Richard Hadlee`s record of 431 Test wickets. He was India`s
leading pace bowler throughout the 80s. His most famous innings came in the 1983 World Cup against Zimbabwe when he played what can
only be described as a captain`s knock amassing 175 after India had crumbled to 5/17.

3. Bishan singh bedi

Bishan Singh Bedi , the Sikh superbowler, was born on September 25, 1946 in Amritsar. This ex-Indian cricketer rose to prominence because
of his fascinating utilisation of the tradition of slow left-arm bowling. He was vital pillar strength for Indian Cricket, in the Test series. In the
1974-75 session of the Ranji Trophy, he created a record by securing 64 wickets

4. Sachin Tendulkar

The pride of Indian cricket Sachin Tendulkar, was the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket,  in a five-day match series
against Australia on the 31st of March 2001. He has scored a world record, 28 hundreds and 50 half-centuries in his 10,000 runs. A
perennial crowd-favorite, he is the only Indian cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour for his
performance in 1997-1998.

5. Sir Donald Bradman

Sir Donald Bradman of Australia was, beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest
cricketer of the 20th century.

Batting and fielding averages

 Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 6s Ct St

Tests 52 80 10 6996 334 99.94 29 13 6 32 0

First-class 234 338 43 28067 452* 95.14 117 69 131 1

First Aid of Sports injuries in Cricket

 Injured Elbow
This injury is commonly caused when the ball hits the outer part of the elbow, even in spite of an elbow guard. Termed epicondylitis, it leads to
inflammation and severe pain. It is similar to tennis elbow or golfer's elbow, except that it is caused by trauma to the elbow bone –and not wear and tear
or inflammation of the tendons. 

Treatment: Treatment usual includes advice to rest, application of ice packs and painkillers to reduce bruising. Neglect, along with overtraining,
could lead to the infamous tennis elbow.

 Pulled Hamstring
The injury would typically be described as a pulled hamstring caused by excessive straining or tearing of posterior thigh muscles, fibers and tissues.
Minute tears in the muscle could also lead to bleeding in the capillaries, leading to a prolonged spasm. This very common sports injury can put an
otherwise fit athlete out of action.

Treatment: The injury is treated with rest, ice application, along with exercise and physiotherapy. Persistent injuries may be investigated using
sonography, and major muscle tears sometimes need surgery.

 Rib Cage Injury

Thisinjury, termed costochondritis, involves a painful inflammation, typically of the middle ribs which are the ones most commonly injured. It can result
from direct blows or from indirect crushing injuries or occasionally due to a violent “pull” of the muscles attached to ribs. 

Treatment: Rest and pain killers are the key to treating such injuries. Local ultrasonic treatment also helps. Prolonged rest may be required in case
of a rib fracture, organ injury or large muscle tear. 

 Finger Fracture

Medically referred to as a phalange fracture, this injury is quite common amongst cricketers. 

Treatment: Generally such fractures are treated by using splints, but complex cases could require surgery. More recently, tiny screws and plates are
sometimes used to treat them. Overall these injuries heal well.
Types of Bowling

 Fast Bowling
 Seam Bowling
 Swing Bowling

 Finger Spin
 Off Spin
 Left-Arm Orthodox

 Wrist Spin
 Leg Spin
 Left-Arm Unorthodox

 Deliveries
 Full Toss
 Beamer

 Fast Bowling
 Bouncer
 Indipper
 Inswinger
 Leg Cutter
 Off Cutter
 Outswinger
 Reverse
 Slower Ball

 Spin Bowling
 Arm Ball
 Chinaman
 Doosra
 Flipper
 Googly
 Leg Break
 Off Break
 Slider
 Teesra
Types of batting

 Block
 Cut
 Drive
 Hook
 Leg Glance
 Paddle Sweep
 Pull
 Sweep
 Reverse Sweep
 Marillier Shot
 Slog
 Slog Sweep

Wicket Keeping

 Wicket Keeper