Rules / Regulations
RULES OF THE GAME
These are the rules as promoted by the Australian Indoor Cricket Federation, and as such are the rules under which almost every game of indoor cricket in Australia is played. Officially sanctioned International matches are also played under these rules.
A lot of the rules are irrelevant to someone wanting to learn the game. Rules concerning how many points a centre is to allocate for a win etc are of little interest to most players and umpires. Those interested in all these "extra" rules should contact the Australian Indoor Cricket Federation site, or, if they play, their local centre. The rules presented here are those directly relevant to players, umpires, and those seeking to inform themselves of the game.
All the rules below are included in the "official" AICF rulebook. For cross-referencing ease, I have arranged and numbered the rules below to match the AICF rule-book. However, to help fully explain them, they are all in my own words. That is, they are my interpretation only, and the attached comments and tips are also my interpretation only. I have clearly identified where I believe my interpretation differs from the "official" one. I should add I am an AICF-trained and qualified Level 4 umpire, having officiated over National Open championships and international matches. I am also AICF-qualified to train umpires up to Level 4.
Note: a couple of terms which will crop up often in the following pages may need explanation.
"Off" side and "On" side - definitely not to be confused with the football terms.
The Off, or Leg side (not to be confused with leg-side wides either) is the side of the pitch behind the batsman when the batsman is standing ready to receive the bowled ball. That is, if a right-handed batsman looks down the pitch toward the bowler, the Leg or Off side is the half of the court to the batsman's left of the pitch.
The On side is the other side of the court.
So a batsman playing a shot "to leg" is hitting the ball into the left side of the court. If he plays an "on" drive, he has hit the ball to the right side. For left-handed batsmen, the reverse applies.
And one other little point - indoor cricket is played by both males and females. Therefore the term batsman as a general term is inaccurate. However, "batters" play softball and baseball, and I'm talking about cricket. Therefore, I ask the female reader's indulgence and tolerance when I use the male form when describing aspects of the game. "He/she" is clumsy, "batters" just plain wrong, and "bats people" too silly for words. If this is too much to bear, I will seriously consider, when I have a little more time, going through and making some examples relevant to male players (he does this, the batsmen do this) and some relevant to females (she does this, the batswomen do that). But until then, indulge and tolerate? .....
