Can someone explain the scoring system to me? I've never understood what the hell radio announcers in the UK were talking about when announcing results.
Its not too difficult. Just like baseball, you hit the ball, then you run.
Working as a 2-man team with the other batsman, you run back and forth between the wickets (which are spaced 66 feet apart). Running from one to the other is 1 run.
The object of the game is to score as many runs as possible, with the winning team scoring more runs. The job of the fielding side (the other guys) is to prevent the runs from being scored, while trying to get you out.
It's got a bat and a ball and that's all I know.
England currently is in a Test Match with Pakistan. These matches last a maximum of five days. They just finished the second day and it's England 461/9d - Pakistan 119 & 12/0.
Each team gets two innings, has eleven batters and plays two batters at all times. Therefore, when ten men are out, your team is "all out" -- even though one man is not out.
Pakistan was all out in the first innings (yes singular ends in "s") for 119 runs -- a very poor score. Top scorer for Pakistan was Younis Khan with 44. Bowlers for England who did well were Harmison 6/19 and Panesar 3/21. That means Harmison took six wickets (i.e. got six men out) and only gave up 19 runs. If you averaged 19 runs give up per wicket you'd be the best bowler in the world, so 6/19 is outstanding.
England scored 461 runs and only had 9 out -- the "d" means they declared (stopped batting) so that Pakistan would have to bat a bit at the end of today. The lead is so hugh and series that it was good strategery to make Pakistan bat, hoping for a wicket (out) today. Even though there are three days left, if it rains -- no play. Many poor teams have been saved by bad weather.
Cook and Bell scored 127 and 106 runs for England -- both called "centuries" or "tons" (100 runs). Cook outscored Pakistan all by himself.
The 12/0 means Pakistan got 12 runs without losing a wicket. If England can get 10 wickets before Pakistan gets another 330 runs, then the match is over and England doesn't bat again.
Cricket is a lot like baseball in that there are lots of stats.
Getting down to the individual hits off the cricket bat....if the batsman hits what we would call a fly ball over the fence...any direction since there are no fowl lines in cricket you get 6 runs. This is the equivalent of the home run in baseball and is known as hitting for six. If you hit the ball and it manages to roll to the edge of the fence but not over it you get 4. Anything else it's how often you can run between the wickets before the fielders can return the ball to the wickets to prevent further runs...typically this is less then four runs.