Many people would be thinking that what is the difference between Baseball and Cricket. Here’s How is cricket different from baseball ?

How is cricket different from baseball ?

Baseball and cricket may seem similar in the fact that they both require players using a “bat” to hit a ball while trying to score points, but the games are very different from one another.

Baseball has long been known as America’s pastime and has been a staple of American sports since it was invented in the 1800’s.

While baseball, and the rules as we know them, was not invented until around 1846 in New York, it derived its ideas from games like cricket and stickball played in other cultures.

So, while American’s might thing that they were the ones that came up with the idea of two teams hitting a ball with a stick, they would be mistaken.

Here’s How is cricket different from baseball  :

  • The first major difference is the locations at which the games are played. Cricket is played in the whole world, mostly in England, Australia, South Asia, Africa. But, baseball is played in many less locations, namely the USA, Japan and China.
  • Secondly, the points or scoring system. In cricket, you score runs either by running the length of the ‘wicket’ or by hitting the ball over the boundary rope. In baseball, teams score by running around the bases or by hitting the ball beyond the designated fielding area.
  • Another main difference is the design of the field, the baseball grounds are in a triangular shape, the cricket field is an ‘oval’.
  • The wicket is in the centre in the cricket field, and the whole game is revolved around in the center area, the batsmen runs between the wicket and the bowler also bowls from here to the batsmen. Whereas, in baseball, the field is situated so that the batter, standing at the home-plate, is located at the apex of the triangular field.

Difference in how players bat

In cricket, the maximum number of times a batsmen can bat is two times, only in Test matches, as there are two innings for each side. In the case for ODI and T20 matches, a batsmen in Cricket mostly bats just once in a match.

Although, in baseball, each batter can bat up to 9 times per game. The main reason for this is because, each team has 9 innings per game. Within each innings, a team bats until the pitching side achieves three outs.

But, a cricket batsmen will bat more as compared to a baseball batsmen in terms of time.

Pads and Protective Equipment

In baseball players are allowed certain types of protective equipment when playing in the field. Gloves on the non-throwing hand used for catching the ball are the main form of protection used on defense.

Catchers are allowed to have helmets with face guards, shin guards and a chest protector in order to help protect them from the balls being pitched at upwards of 100 miles per hour.

How is cricket different from baseball ?

When batting, baseball players are allowed to wear helmets that can also have face guards, as well as shin guards and elbow guards to help protect them from being hit by a pitch, although the only required piece of a equipment while batting is the helmet.

In cricket body pads and helmets are worn by the batsman only, however the fielders playing very near the batsman are allowed to wear protective gear as well.

Difference in Bats

In baseball the bats are made of wood and are round and tapered towards the handle.

They can be no more than 2.625 inches in diameter on the barrel and no longer than 42” long. In cricket, the bat is shaped more like a paddle.

There is a round handle with a flat bottom, known as the blade. The blade on the bat can be no wider than 4.25 inches and the bats weigh anywhere from 2.5 to 5 lbs.

Difference in balls

Although, there is no major difference in the material, the balls are made up of cork, twine and leather. However, they have different weights and sizes.

A baseball ball is typically bigger than a cricket ball, but cricket one is are more heavier.

Cricket balls are made up with a cork in centre which is wrapped into hemispheres of leather and bound with twine.

How is cricket different from baseball ?

The Twine is which forms the seam, which lies across the circumference of the ball. Baseball balls are made up of cork or rubber centre, which is wrapped in yarn. This is then covered in two peanut-shaped pieces of leather and bound with a thick thread.

Difference in Scoring

Where cricket is concerned, every run will count towards the team total, a batting pair are able to travel between the wickets while the ball is in play, they will score towards their total.

Meanwhile, in baseball, the batting team only scores when the batter rounds home plate. The batters don’t get anything for just hitting the ball and making it to any of the three bases if they don’t then go on to make it back to home plate.

Similarities 

  • Both the games are considered summer sports, there are numerous similarities. In the United States, the professional baseball season runs from March until October. This is not unusual to the cricket season in the United Kingdom, which runs from April till September.
  • The two games are heavily dependent on the weather. If rain interrupts play, the matches are stopped and are continued after the rain.
  • With the summer vibe on, the two sports are associated with sitting in the sun, mugging up a beer and having a blast of sporting spectacle.

How is cricket different from baseball ?

While there are many differences between baseball and cricket that we did not cover in this article, this will give you a good idea as to how different the two games are. Each sport has its own little nuances in scoring, batting, pitching, and fielding, but the main differences lay in the equipment that’s used, the field dimensions, and scoring.

The best way to learn the game of cricket or baseball is to start watching matches wherever you can find them. Cricket is extremely popular across many countries in the world where baseball is popular in far less, but there are many ways to watch both sports and many resources for learning all of the different rules and types of play.

By Rishabh

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *