Cricket is a bat and ball game played between two teams on a field, at the centre of which is a rectangular pitch. One team bats, trying to defend the wicket and scoring as many runs as possible. The other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limiting the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an inning.
