The Playing Area and Equipment

Cricket is played on a large **oval grass field**. Understanding the layout helps everything else make sense. **Key areas of the field:** - **Pitch:** A rectangular strip at the center of the field, exactly **22 yards (20.12 m)** long. This is where bowling and batting happen. - **Wickets (stumps):** Three wooden **stumps** stand at each end of the pitch, topped with small pieces called **bails**. There is one set of stumps at each end. - **30-yard circle (ring):** A circular boundary marked around the pitch. Fielding rules depend on whether players are inside or outside this ring. - **Boundary rope:** The outer edge of the oval field. Hitting the ball to or beyond this rope scores extra runs. **Key equipment:** - A **bat** used by the batter to hit deliveries. - A hard **cricket ball** bowled by the fielding team. **Two batters** are always on the field at the same time — one at each end of the pitch. The **bowler** delivers the ball from one end, and after every over, bowling switches to the opposite end. Knowing the field layout is the foundation for understanding all the rules.