The Ashes
is a five match series of Test Cricket between England and Australia, held every 1.5 - 2.5 years in one of the two countries, during the northern or southern hemisphere spring and summer. This edition will be played on five pitches in Australia, beginning on November 21 in Perth. Because Australia is west of the International Date Line, Play should begin around 9:20 PM on Thurday night, Eastern Standard Time.
Test Cricket is a fascinating sport. Each match can last as long as five days, with seven hours of play per day, weather permitting.
The team which scores the most runs doesn't necessarily win a Cricket Match, as the goal is to score the most runs while dismissing the opposition side twice, usually by taking ten wickets in each of the two innings.
Cricket batsmen and bowlers always work in pairs, with balls bowled from one end of the pitch for each six ball over, before switching to a different bowler at the opposite end. A bowler cannot bowl two consecutive overs in the same innings. At least one of the eleven batsmen is 'not out' at the end of a batting side's innings, because there would be no one left for a partnership.
If the batsman scores an odd number of runs on the last ball of an over, he will retain the striking position at the start of the next over, otherwise the other batsman in the partnership will be the striker at the start of the next over.
The same ball will usually be used for a minimum of 80 overs/ 480 deliveries. If the ball is lost, it's replaced with a ball from a different match with a similar condition. In some cases, the fielding team may wish to use a ball for more than 80 overs.
Throughout the match the condition of the central area, ("the pitch"), and the ball are constantly deteriorating, both from the batsmen running between the creases to score runs, and from the ball bouncing on the pitch in front of the batsman.
With a new ball, the fast bowlers will often attempt to create cracks in the ground near the batting crease, and late in the match, spin bowlers will try to hit the cracks, to create unpredictable bounce angles.
Among the fielders, only the wicket keeper is allowed to wear a glove, but he wears them on both hands, making it difficult for him to throw accurately.
Ideally, the bowler wants his bounced ball to deviate from the expected angle by approximately 3 degrees, which is about the difference between a batsman hitting the ball with the middle of his bat, or barely nicking the ball with the side edge - those are the balls most often caught by a fielder standing behind him.
is a five match series of Test Cricket between England and Australia, held every 1.5 - 2.5 years in one of the two countries, during the northern or southern hemisphere spring and summer. This edition will be played on five pitches in Australia, beginning on November 21 in Perth. Because Australia is west of the International Date Line, Play should begin around 9:20 PM on Thurday night, Eastern Standard Time.
Test Cricket is a fascinating sport. Each match can last as long as five days, with seven hours of play per day, weather permitting.
The team which scores the most runs doesn't necessarily win a Cricket Match, as the goal is to score the most runs while dismissing the opposition side twice, usually by taking ten wickets in each of the two innings.
Cricket batsmen and bowlers always work in pairs, with balls bowled from one end of the pitch for each six ball over, before switching to a different bowler at the opposite end. A bowler cannot bowl two consecutive overs in the same innings. At least one of the eleven batsmen is 'not out' at the end of a batting side's innings, because there would be no one left for a partnership.
If the batsman scores an odd number of runs on the last ball of an over, he will retain the striking position at the start of the next over, otherwise the other batsman in the partnership will be the striker at the start of the next over.
The same ball will usually be used for a minimum of 80 overs/ 480 deliveries. If the ball is lost, it's replaced with a ball from a different match with a similar condition. In some cases, the fielding team may wish to use a ball for more than 80 overs.
Throughout the match the condition of the central area, ("the pitch"), and the ball are constantly deteriorating, both from the batsmen running between the creases to score runs, and from the ball bouncing on the pitch in front of the batsman.
With a new ball, the fast bowlers will often attempt to create cracks in the ground near the batting crease, and late in the match, spin bowlers will try to hit the cracks, to create unpredictable bounce angles.
Among the fielders, only the wicket keeper is allowed to wear a glove, but he wears them on both hands, making it difficult for him to throw accurately.
Ideally, the bowler wants his bounced ball to deviate from the expected angle by approximately 3 degrees, which is about the difference between a batsman hitting the ball with the middle of his bat, or barely nicking the ball with the side edge - those are the balls most often caught by a fielder standing behind him.
