Cricket guides
The rules, the scoring and how to play, answered in plain English.
Formats
Test, ODI, T20 and The Hundred
Every format of cricket compared: overs, length, and what makes each one different.
How long is a Test match?
Five days, 90 overs a day, sessions, the follow-on and what happens when time runs out.
The Ashes explained
England v Australia: the urn, how the series works, and the 2027 series in England.
Playing
Cricket fielding positions explained
Slip, gully, point, cover, mid-on, fine leg and the rest, with a map.
Rules and scoring
Cricket rules explained
How a match works, how runs are scored and the ten ways to be out, for complete beginners.
LBW explained
Leg before wicket in plain English: pitching in line, impact, and how DRS decides.
The DLS method explained
How rain-affected targets are set in one-day and T20 cricket.
Wides, no-balls and free hits
What counts as a wide or a no-ball, what it adds to the score, and when a free hit follows.
DRS explained
How reviews work, the technology, and what umpire's call means.
How to read a cricket scorecard
245/6, 38.2 overs, 10-1-45-2: every number on the card explained.
Cricket terms explained
Duck, maiden, hat-trick, yorker, nightwatchman and more.