Know About Innings In Cricket

Innings in Cricket: A Complete Insight
Cricket is a bit of a difficult game, and the first important concept to know is that of an innings. This article gives an insight into the world of innings, talking about what innings are, how many balls can be played within an innings, and how it comes to a close.

What is an Innings in Cricket?
An innings is the time a team or individual batsman spends batting. For instance, a team innings is the total time a cricket team spends batting. Similarly, an individual innings refers to the time a single batsman spends at the crease.

How Many Balls Are There in an Innings?
The number of balls in an innings varies depending on the type of cricket:

- First-Class Cricket: There is no restriction on the number of deliveries bowled within an innings. A team can bat for over 1,500 deliveries if they are capable enough.
- 50-Over Cricket: Both teams will get a total of 50 overs (300 deliveries) for batting.
- 20-Over Cricket: Both teams will get a total of 20 overs (120 deliveries) for batting.

How Many Innings Are in Test Cricket?
In Test cricket, both teams get to bat twice, making it four innings in total. However, this is not always the case because weather conditions or a team's decision to enforce the follow-on can cut the number of innings played.

How is an Innings Ended?
An innings can be ended in several ways:

- Innings of an individual: A batsman's innings is completed if he is given out by the umpire, retires hurt due to sickness or injury, his team gets bowled out, or if the game reaches its end.
- Innings of a team: A team's innings is completed if it gets bowled out, if its captain decides to declare, or if the game reaches its end.

Longest Innings Ever
The longest team innings ever played in international cricket was held by England against Australia in 1938, lasting 335.2 overs. Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan batted the longest for an individual innings: 970 minutes, or 16 hours, against the West Indies in 1958.

In conclusion, understanding innings is important to learning the basics of cricket. This comprehensive guide is for both an old-time cricket fan and someone new to the sport, allowing you to further your knowledge to enjoy the game more.