Cricket is a ball and bat sport played between two teams, generally each composed of eleven players. Cricket is played on an oval patch of grass in the center of which is a flat strip of ground called a cricket pitch. A wooden wicket is placed at each end of the pitch.
To play cricket, a member of the fielding team known as a bowler throws a hard ball from near one wicket towards the other wicket. The batsman from the opposing team defends the wicket by playing the ball with a cricket bat. The fielding team's other players are positioned around the cricket field and must field the ball to keep the batter from scoring, or to get the batter out. The batsman may run between the wickets, exchanging ends with a second batsman (the non-striker). Each change of ends between the non-striker and the batter constitutes one run. The game is won by the team with the most runs at the end of play.
Cricket enjoys immense popularity, particularly in commonwealth nations. By some measures, it is the second most popular sport in the world, second only to football (soccer) in its global reach and appeal. Cricket matches between rival nations frequently take on an added political dimension.