How do you play cricket?

The object of cricket is to score runs when batting and to put batters out when fielding. At minimum, the game requires two teams of 11 players, a large open field and a bat and ball.

There are a number of rule variations for cricket, but the traditional version most commonly played professionally is "test cricket." The game begins with one team fielding and the other batting. One member of the fielding team bowls to batters while the others play the field. Batters must score runs by hitting the ball and then running between the ends of the pitch. A batter can be put out if a hit ball is caught or if the bowled ball hits the striking batsman's wickets, among a number of other possibilities.