Unlike baseball – which cricket closely resembles – the bat used in cricket matches features a flat side. A batsman tries to hit a ball delivered from the bowler. The bat must not be more than 38 inches in length, and the flat portion of the bat cannot exceed 4 ¼ inches wide.

Cricket teams consist of 11 players on each side, the bowling side (defense) and the batsman side (offense). Each team attempts to score more runs than the opposition, while the bowling team attempting to retire the batsman team. When this happens, the two teams change positions.

The bowling team places all 11 of its players in the field. Only the wicket-keeper, who stands behind the batsman, is allowed to wear a glove. One player bowls, or pitches, to the batsman. The other nine players in the field are positioned. The batsman team may have two batsman on the playing field – one to defend the wicket and put the ball in play when it’s bowled; the other, called a non-striker, stands near the bowler.

The International Cricket Council oversees the sport and its major tournaments, including the Cricket World Cup, where champions of the world are crowned. At the highest levels of cricket, coaches are more responsible for managing the game. But coaches at the lower levels work with players on technique and learning the nuances of one of the world’s oldest sports.