You can watch most games on Sky Sports 2 at websites like http://www.time4tv.com (don’t visit without an ad-blocker or a HOSTS file)

Often, the BBC will run audio coverage on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, but this is sometimes blocked to non-UK regions.

On this week’s Panel
Bup
Mel
Imitanis
Gyme
Brock

I can’t even… I’m taking the week off.

A cricket team is eleven men.
The fielding team occupies the field in a variety of positions with the intention of preventing scoring and catching batsmen out.
Two batsman from the batting team occupy the crease, in the middle (where they bat).

Two batsman occupy the crease, facing each other from opposite ends at the same time.
Each batsman bats until he gets out (which can happen in several ways).
When a batsman gets out, he is replaced by the next batsman on the list.
When a batsman gets out and there is no one left to replace him, the innings is over.
The batsman must protect his wicket from the ball.
The batsman must hit the ball (in any direction) with the intent of scoring runs.
A run is scored when the batsman cross in the middle of the crease and reach the opposite end.
If the ball rolls or bounces over the boundary rope, 4 runs are automatically scored.
If the ball goes clean over the boundary rope, 6 runs are automatically scored.

Bowlers bowl at the batsman.
Bowlers want to get the batsman out. They do this mostly in four ways:
- by hitting the wicket and dislodging the bails
- by the batsman hitting the ball and a fielding player catching it before it hits the ground
- by the ball hitting the batsman’s pads when it would have gone on to hit the wicket
- by a player hitting the stumps with the ball when the batsman is out of his crease
Bowlers bowl from alernating ends of the crease. They bowl six balls (called an ‘over’), and then the next bowler bowls.

In a game of test Cricket, each team gets two innings to bat.
The captain who wins the coin toss may choose whether to bat or field.
Both teams must complete their innings for the game to have a result.
The game is played over five days. Days lost to inclement weather are not made up.
Consequently, there are occasionally tactical reasons to play defensively, occupying the crease safely rather than making runs dangerously (it is often easier to block rather than to try and score).
A test day is played from roughly 0900 until dusk, with breaks at lunch (an hour) and tea (about half an hour).
Further very short occasional breaks (~5 minutes) are taken every hour for drinks.

Now you know MORE than enough to watch or listen to Cricket and understand what is going on!

YOU WIN. Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get your codes forwarded over to you. Enjoy!

What the hell… I want a copy of Civilization 5 and The Gods and Kings DLC.