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About This Quiz
Cricket has been around for centuries, originating in a part of Britain and then being exported around the world, mostly to former colonies that punished England appropriately by then beating them at it constantly. Cricket is the parent of rounders and baseball, as well as still being a very popular sport in its own right. Matches between nations take entire days, while even a regular game can take a full day to play.
Cricket has one of the great advantages in Britain of being a sport that is very popular with people whose families have been there for centuries as well as those whose families came more recently from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and beyond. This means it is very common to see players of color appearing in local clubs all over Britain, even in areas that are still overwhelmingly white - and, of course, people who play together become friends, meaning cricket is a terrific way for people to bond.
Cricket is also very cheap to play - you need one bat, one ball, and a couple sticks, which makes it very democratic. It is played from the slums of Kolkata to the prestigious home of cricket itself, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London, where the top players on the planet come together to compete for the Ashes, Test matches, and the World Cup itself.
What is "hit for six"?
It means you got hit with a pitch
It means you got hit by the ball after it was hit
It means you hit the ball out of bounds
Six means the batter hit the ball out of bounds and scored six runs
It means you are surprised
What color do the players wear?
Blue
Green
White
Players play in white. The ball is therefore red to ensure that it is visible against the players.
Red
What is a wicket?
It's a little door
It's what a player is called
It's a trio of sticks with two little wooden pieces that the batter defends
A wicket is also called "the stump" and is the wooden totem-like piece the batter protects. If the two little wooden pieces fall off when the bowler hits the stump, the batter is out.
It's the bowler
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What is the difference between a baseball bat and a cricket bat?
Cricket bats have a flat front
A cricket bat is flat at the front and swung vertically, while a baseball bat is round and is swung horizontally.
Cricket bats are longer
Cricket bats are heavier
Cricket bats are hollow
Who is Imran Khan?
A notable Pakistani captain
Imran Khan is a Pakistani national hero and former captain who then went into politics, which cost him much of his popularity.
A notable Indian captain
Highest scorer ever
Lowest professional scorer ever
How long is set between stumps?
50 yards
42 yards
22 yards
A run is 22 yards so you score one by running back and forth that distance.
19 yards
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What is the person in charge of deciding whether something was within the rules called?
Referee
Umpire
The fellow who referees the game is called an umpire. There are two on the pitch and one on the sidelines.
Judge
Caller
What is a single?
It's when you hit but don't score
It's when you're left on but your partner is out
It's when you score a single run from a single bat
A single is when you score one run, perhaps by hitting the ball far enough that you managed to run the 22 yards but then didn't get any further.
It's when one fielder is left on the field
What is a century?
100 runs
A century means one batter scores 100 runs on his own in a single game
10 runs
How long a game takes
How long it feels like a game takes
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What is a half-century?
10 runs
20 runs
50 runs
It's 50 points scored by a single player in a single game.
It's an inning
What is a Test match?
It's between two nations with Test status
Nations with Test status as conferred by the International Cricket Council or ICC play Test matches. These are international games that typically last five days and are the pinnacle of the sport.
It's when a nation qualifies for the World Cup
It's a league that only Commonwealth countries can be in
It means a nation has to re-qualify for its international rank after being bumped due to cheating
What are the people on the bowler's team called who stand far out on the field and catch the ball?
Fielder
Fielders are the ones on the bowler's team who try to catch the batter out.
Line back
Defender
Outside defender
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What did commentator Brian Johnston famously say that caused the entire game to stop while everyone collapsed in giggles?
Cor blimey that's a big one!
The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey
The bowler really was named Holding and the batsman really was named Willey, and Johnston waited all season for them to be lined up and playing against each other while he was commentating - so that he could say this hilarious quote.
I say matron, what a pair of jugs
Oh my goodness, I've split my trousers
What is French cricket?
Cricket where instead of a wicket, you protect your legs
French cricket is a garden party sport in which you have a cricket bat (or a tennis racket if you are a child or otherwise less able to play) and must stand still. The goal is to defend your legs below the knee from the other players, who bowl to try to hit you there - and as they bowl from wherever the ball lands, you can't simply avoid hitting it, since then they will be very close and will ​definitely beat you. Whoever catches you out, takes your turn. Playing this with a cricket ball is enormously painful, which is why it is recommended to use a tennis ball.
Cricket where you run away when they throw the ball at you
Cricket, but in France
Cricket with a baseball bat
When is the cricket season in England?
April to September
It's like summer, but not as an American would know it, with pleasant temperatures of about 60 degrees F to 74 degrees F. It's rainy, sure, but otherwise very nice.
July to December
All year
January to June
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In what country was cricket invented?
Britain
England
Since England and Scotland did not join into the U.K. until 1646, cricket was invented in England. Britain is technically the name for the island they're both on (along with Wales), and is not the entirety of the U.K.
The United Kingdom
Scotland
What is the fastest pitch in cricketing history?
92 mph on the nose
97.5 mph
100.2 mph
Yep, 100.2 mph, which is faster than the eye can see. As a cricket pitch bounces before it is hit, however, it sometimes loses some momentum and the batter has a fighting chance.
96.1 mph
Why does the bowler sometimes rub the ball on his leg before throwing it?
To make it swing
A bowler may legally rub the ball to make one side smoother which makes the ball swing.
It's just a nervous twitch
To make it faster
To clean it
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In which science fiction franchise was cricket considered a very tasteless satire on the worst wars in galactic history?
Terminator
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker series included a planet called Krikkit which launched the bloodiest war in the history of the galaxy. Earth was considered to be a place in very poor taste for having made a joke of it.
Doctor Who
The Matrix
What do they call a point in cricket?
A run
It's the same as baseball - or rather, since cricket came first, baseball borrowed the idea of a run.
A score
A point
A strike
What's notable about English player Wilfred Rhodes?
He remains the highest scorer in a single game, ever
He played until he was 52
Rhodes played from 1899 to 1930, an astonishingly long time in any professional sport.
He played better when too drunk to drive
He was actually Spanish but lied about his nationality to get onto a better team
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How can you score four runs?
You can't
Hit the ball inside the boundaries
Hit the ball out of bounds with a bounce
You get four points if the ball goes out of bounds after touching the ground.
Miss the ball but still get a run
What country has the highest number of professional cricketers?
Pakistan
India
Cricket is the most popular sport in India, which has a population of more than 1 billion people and the highest number of professional cricket teams.
England
South Africa
What is the Wisden 100?
A list of top players
The Wisden 100 is an annual list of the top cricketers in the sport in various areas like bowling, batting, etc.
The top 100 scorers of all time
The top fielders of all time
The fastest bowlers of all time
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What is one pitch called?
Pitch
Ball
One throw of the ball from bowler to batsman is a ball, as in, "The bowler has thrown 50 balls."
Throw
Strike
What food is traditionally eaten at a cricket match?
Burger
Strawberries
Strawberries are the staple food of cricket matches as they are in season at the right time
Nothing
Kebab
Who won the first-ever Test?
Australia
Australia beat England by 45 runs.
Pakistan
South Africa
England
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Which player is the only Indian Test player ever to be knighted?
Maharaja of Vizianagaram
Yes, this fellow was an honest to goodness Maharajah, which is a kind of Indian prince - so a knighthood was a step down, really.
Asif Karim
Lala Amarnath
ML Jaisimha
When did India win its first World Cup?
1989
1971
1952
1983
India won its first World Cup in 1983 and its second in 2011, and it also won its first Test at Lord's in 1986 and 2014.
When was cricket first invented?
1646
Cricket may have been around longer than this, but history has it first recorded in 1646, making it older than almost any other professional sport.
1037
1912
1727
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How long was the longest professional cricket game in history?
14 days
This game simply wouldn't end! In cricket, the game doesn't end until everyone on a single team is out, so as long as you keep scoring or at least not being caught out, you're in!
12 days
eight days
two days
Who is widely agreed to be the best cricketer of all time?
Shane Warne
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is probably the best player in history.
Ian Botham
Don Bradman
What is "not out"?
It means you are still in
It means you weren't out at the end of the game when your final teammate is out
Since in cricket you bat with a partner, you can't bat solo. So once your last teammate has been bowled out, you're left standing on your own, and are thus called "not out" at the end of the game.
It means you hit the ball inside the field​
It means your leg was inside the batting area
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You Got:
/33
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