1. The popular english sport
Dasha Artamonova
5A

2. Cricket
Cricket is a bat and ball sport played
between two teams, usually of eleven
players each. A cricket match is played
on a grass field (which is usually roughly
oval), in the centre of which is a flat strip
of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called
a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set
of three parallel wooden stakes (known
as stumps) driven into the ground, with
two small crosspieces (known as bails)
laid on top of them. This wooden
structure is called a wicket. A player from
the fielding team (the bowler) bowls a
hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball
from one wicket towards the other.

3. The ball usually bounces once
before reaching a player from the
opposing team (the batsman), who
defends the wicket from the ball
with a wooden cricket bat. The
batsman, if he or she does not get
out, may then run between the
wickets, exchanging ends with the
other batsman (the "non-striker"),
who has been standing in an
inactive role near the bowler's
wicket, to score runs. The other
members of the bowler's team
stand in various positions around
the field as fielders. The match is
won by the team that scores more
runs.

4. Cricket has been an
established team
sport for hundreds of
years. It originated in
its modern form in
England and is popular
mainly in the present
and former members
of the
Commonwealth.
In the countries of
South Asia, including
India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Sri
Lanka, cricket is the
most popular sport.

5. It is also a major sport in
places such as England and
Wales, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Bermuda, and
the English-speaking
countries of the Caribbean,
which are collectively
known in cricketing
parlance as the West
Indies.
The sport is followed with
passion in many different
parts of the world.