Law 1 · Law 13 · Law 17 · Law 16

Basics of cricket

Two teams take turns to bat and to bowl. The batting side scores runs; the fielding side tries to get the batters out. The side with more runs wins.

What you need to know

Each side bats in an innings. A match is one innings each or two innings each, agreed before it starts.
Two batters are on the pitch at a time. The one facing the bowler is the striker; the other is the non-striker.
The bowler delivers the ball in overs of 6 valid balls, from each end in turn.
Batters score runs by running between the wickets or by hitting a boundary.
A batter is out if a fielder appeals and the umpire agrees they were dismissed — bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped and so on.
An innings ends when the side is all out, runs out of overs, or declares.

Team A bats first and scores 156. Team B then scores 157 for 6 wickets.

Team B wins by 4 wickets — the side batting last wins by the number of wickets it still had left.

MCC Laws of Cricket · 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026)

Law 1 — The players

Clauses 1.1

Official source

MCC Laws of Cricket · 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026)

Law 13 — Innings

Clauses 13.1, 13.3

Official source

MCC Laws of Cricket · 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026)

Law 17 — The over

Clauses 17.1

Official source

MCC Laws of Cricket · 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026)

Law 16 — The result

Clauses 16.2, 16.7

The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026). Summary in Inswing's own words — follow the link for the official text.

Law 1 · Law 13 · Law 17 · Law 16

Two teams take turns to bat and to bowl. The batting side scores runs; the fielding side tries to get the batters out. The side with more runs wins.

Each side bats in an innings. A match is one innings each or two innings each, agreed before it starts.
Two batters are on the pitch at a time. The one facing the bowler is the striker; the other is the non-striker.
The bowler delivers the ball in overs of 6 valid balls, from each end in turn.
Batters score runs by running between the wickets or by hitting a boundary.
A batter is out if a fielder appeals and the umpire agrees they were dismissed — bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped and so on.
An innings ends when the side is all out, runs out of overs, or declares.