Cricket Ground

Last Modified Aug 28, 2018 17:53 IST

What is a cricket ground?

The famous game of cricket is played on a ground which is huge in size and is covered with grass. The shape of the ground is usually oval but one can find various shaped fields which may be perfectly circular, slightly longer but oval, and of irregular shapes.

England v Scotland - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

History

Cricket grounds were not necessarily made for playing the game in the early era. Cricket was played on sheep grazed fields and land cleared for other purposes. There wasn't any definite standard and measurements for the ground. If a batsman hits a boundary the spectators were cleared to fetch the ball.

Modern Day Laws and Measurement

Although the size of a cricket ground is not fixed, usually the diameter of the ground changes between 450 to 500 feet in length.

The ground is encircled by a rope which is called the boundary. A square shaped area is prepared close to the centre of the field, where the cricket pitches are usually made.

There are a few laws set by the International Cricket Council to standardize the playing conditions on any cricket field. The gap between the boundary and boundary square of the playing area has to be a minimum 137.16 meters, while the shorter side can reach a minimum of 59.43 meters.

The minimum distance of straight boundaries has to be 64 meters in length with the pitch as the centre. The main objective of the laws is to provide the largest playing area possible, however, it should not exceed 82.29 meters from the centre of the pitch to the boundary.

Pitch

This is the main part of the cricket ground. Located nearly at the centre, it is a rectangular shaped area which is composed of clay and is sparsely covered with short grass. It is 22 yards or 20 meters long in measurement.

There are three wooden sticks linked by two small pieces of wood known as bails. There are two wickets each on opposite side of the pitch. One end of the pitch is occupied by the batsman and other end is for the bowler. There are lines drawn in front of the two wickets which are known as creases.

Other Areas of the Ground

An oval is painted from 27.4 meters of each wicket which is called the circle. The circle distinguishes the infield (anything inside the circle) and the outfield (anything outside the circle). The infield and outfield are used to place fielding norms and rules in the game.

Depending on the batsman (left handed or right handed), the side on which the batsman is holding the bat becomes the offside and the other side is the leg side.

A few fun facts

Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) at Melbourne, Australia is the oldest cricket ground in the world. MCG was built in the year 1853. The first professional game played on the ground was between Australia and England in the year 1877.

The title of the largest cricket ground (in terms of seating capacity) in the world is also snatched by Melbourne Cricket Ground which has a current capacity of 100,024. It is a heritage for anyone who loves cricket and is followed by Eden Garden in Kolkata India which has a capacity of 66,000.

Eden Park, on the other hand, is the smallest cricket stadium. It has been hosting games since 1883 and has a capacity of about 30,000 spectators.

There are a few best cricket grounds all over the world namely Lord's situated in London, Wankhede Stadium in India, The Oval in London and Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

Related Stories

7 Best grounds for batting 7 Best grounds for batting
7 Best grounds for batting
"My sister used to tell me not to use Instagram" - PBKS star's stunning revelation on social media trolls after IPL 2024 auction "My sister used to tell me not to use Instagram" - PBKS star's stunning revelation on social media trolls after IPL 2024 auction
"My sister used to tell me not to use Instagram" - PBKS star's stunning revelation on social media trolls after IPL 2024 auction
Chanderpaul, Athanaze back, left-arm spinner gets maiden call-up as West Indies Test announce squad for 2025 India tour Chanderpaul, Athanaze back, left-arm spinner gets maiden call-up as West Indies Test announce squad for 2025 India tour
Chanderpaul, Athanaze back, left-arm spinner gets maiden call-up as West Indies Test announce squad for 2025 India tour
"One that is sitting outside will always have a question" - Former India batter reacts to Ruturaj Gaikwad's omission from Asia Cup 2025 squad [Watch] "One that is sitting outside will always have a question" - Former India batter reacts to Ruturaj Gaikwad's omission from Asia Cup 2025 squad [Watch]
"One that is sitting outside will always have a question" - Former India batter reacts to Ruturaj Gaikwad's omission from Asia Cup 2025 squad [Watch]
Discarded Team India star flaunts his fit physique on social media, pictures go viral Discarded Team India star flaunts his fit physique on social media, pictures go viral
Discarded Team India star flaunts his fit physique on social media, pictures go viral
3 Indian bowlers to have held the top spot in ICC Men's T20I Rankings ft. Varun Chakaravarthy 3 Indian bowlers to have held the top spot in ICC Men's T20I Rankings ft. Varun Chakaravarthy
3 Indian bowlers to have held the top spot in ICC Men's T20I Rankings ft. Varun Chakaravarthy
17h
3 reasons why India must consider Rajat Patidar for IND vs WI 2025 Tests in October 3 reasons why India must consider Rajat Patidar for IND vs WI 2025 Tests in October
3 reasons why India must consider Rajat Patidar for IND vs WI 2025 Tests in October
"In that glass, there were holes made by air-gun pellets" - Former India batter's stunning revelations from aftermath of 2007 ODI World Cup "In that glass, there were holes made by air-gun pellets" - Former India batter's stunning revelations from aftermath of 2007 ODI World Cup
"In that glass, there were holes made by air-gun pellets" - Former India batter's stunning revelations from aftermath of 2007 ODI World Cup
1d
Star bowler becomes No. 1 for first time as India sweep T20I titles ahead of IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match Star bowler becomes No. 1 for first time as India sweep T20I titles ahead of IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match
Star bowler becomes No. 1 for first time as India sweep T20I titles ahead of IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match
1d
Shubman Gill vs Virender Sehwag - comparing their stats after 19 T20Is Shubman Gill vs Virender Sehwag - comparing their stats after 19 T20Is
Shubman Gill vs Virender Sehwag - comparing their stats after 19 T20Is
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications