Indoor
Cricket is a variation of standard Cricket. It was developed
in Perth, Western Australia, in the late 1970's. Originally
it was intended to be a low-cost sport, suitable for
cricketers and novices alike, and one which could be
played year-round. It meets all those goals to this
day.
Indoor cricket is played on
a rectangular, artificial-grass surfaced court. The
court is enclosed in tightly tensioned netting, including
a 4 metre high 'ceiling'. The pitch and stumps are
exactly the same dimensions as outdoor cricket.
Games consist of two innings.
Each innings lasts for 16 overs. With 8 players per
side, this means each and every fielder bowls 2 overs,
and each pair of batsmen face 4 overs (some centres
play 6 players a side - the slightly different conditions
for these games are covered fully in the Rules section).
Therefore, unlike outdoor cricket, every player bowls
2 overs, and every player bats for 4 overs. And with
the compact size of the court, no player can be banished
to far away on the boundary as some of us have experienced
in outdoor cricket - in indoor, everyone is close
enough to regularly be involved in the game.
One of the many positive aspects
of the game is its suitability for children (and adults
new to any form of cricket). The ball is softer than
a regular cricket ball, everyone is involved to the
same degree (regardless of ability), and you don't
have to be super fit (no running a hundred yards to
collect a b all from near the boundary, and having
to throw it from the same distance). And you don't
have to be able to hit the ball a hundred yards to
be a regular and effective batsman.
Runs are scored in a
variety of ways (none of which require you to hit
a ball a hundred yards), and the team with the higher
score after both innings are completed is the winning
side.