Ground (cricket)

In cricket, a ground is a location where cricket matches are played, comprising a cricket field, cricket pavilion and any associated buildings and amenities.

The Sydney Cricket Ground in 2016.

A batter's ground is the area behind the popping crease at their end of the pitch. It is one of the two safe zones that batters run between to score runs.

Location for matches

See also: Category:Lists of cricket grounds

In addition to the cricket field, the ground may include a pavilion, viewing areas or stadium, a car park, shops, bars, floodlights, sight screens, gates, and conference facilities.^[1][2][3]

Parts of the pitch

The white lines (popping creases) and the area in between them are the only part of the field between the two batter's grounds. There is a wicket in each of the grounds, and batters risk being out if a wicket is struck by the ball and they are not in their ground.

A batter's ground is the area behind the popping crease at his end of the pitch. In general, a ground belongs only to the batter who is closest to it, and stays so until the other batter gets closer to it. ^[4]

Whether a batter is in or out of his ground is defined by Law 30 of the Laws of Cricket.^[5] So long as the batter has his body or his bat (that he is holding) touching the ground, he is in it, and is said to have "made good his ground".^[6]

Batters can run between the two grounds to score runs. However, if a batter is out of his ground (which can happen when he enters a ground that another batter is already occupying), he may be dismissed (prevented from further scoring) by being run out or stumped if the fielding team put down the wicket in his ground.

References

1. "Lord's Ground Map". Retrieved 29 July 2019.
2. "Edgbaston - Around the ground". Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
3. "The County Ground, Beckenham". Retrieved 29 July 2019.
4. A batter who is in one ground can be considered to be the same distance away from the other ground as the distance between the grounds.
5. "Law 30, Batter out of his/her ground". Retrieved 29 July 2019.
6. "Cricket - Runs". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-12-13.