May will be a big month for Irish cricket.
First there’s a one-off match against the might of England on Friday 3 in Malahide, followed by a Tri-Nation Series for Cricket Ireland against the West Indies and Bangladesh in Malahide and Clontarf from May 5-17.
Then in August and September, Dublin is one of six host cities of the new Euro T20 Slam tournament, along with Belfast and venues in Scotland and the Netherlands.
But how much do you know about the sport? Here’s a quick primer:
It’s really old
Cricket’s origins are vague, but a form of the game is believed to have been played in parts of south-east England during medieval times. The first dictionary definition came in 1611.
The Laws of cricket were first written way back in 1744 – though at that time the ball was generally rolled along the ground, and the bat was usually shaped with a curve like a modern hockey stick. Overarm bowling wasn’t legalised until 1864.
It’s a simple game with some strange rules
There are 11 players on each team, and the aim of the game is to score more runs than your opponent. Each team takes it in turns to score runs with the bat, and to try to stop them by bowling the ball at them and fielding.
Bowlers in cricket are like strikers in soccer – when they get a batsman out, it’s called a wicket. There are hat-tricks too – in cricket, that’s when a single bowler takes three wickets in successive balls.
Matches are divided into overs – an over is a set of six balls bowled by one player.
There are 10 different ways for batsmen to get out. The most common are bowled, caught, leg before wicket, run out and stumped.
It was exported throughout the British Empire during the 19 century
As a result, every major cricketing nation today was once ruled by Britain. Australia, India and England themselves are the traditional powerhouses.
A match can last up to five days
Test cricket – international matches played over three to five days – is the pinnacle of the game. Ireland finally attained this status in 2017, and our boys played their first ever test match in a defeat to Pakistan in May 2018.
The Ashes is a five-match Test series that takes place between Australia and England every two years. The trophy is a small urn which reputedly contains the ashes of a wooden cricket bail. Australia have won the series 33 times to England’s 32, and there have been five draws.
The other forms of cricket that are most popular are limited overs – one innings per team, usually between 40 and 60 overs, played during a full day – and the action-packed Twenty 20 – just 20 overs per innings.
The England captain is from Dublin
Several Irish players have represented England, most famously the current limited-overs captain, Dubliner Eoin Morgan. This is because Ireland were unable to offer Test cricket at the time, and the eligibility rules make it possible.
Bray’s Ed Joyce and Derryman Boyd Rankin both had brief England careers before returning to play for Ireland.
Ireland have had some good results in the men’s and women’s World Cups
The World Cup is a 50-over format, with matches played in a single day. Australia has had most success with five wins. England have lost in the final three times but never won it.
Ireland have qualified for the World Cup three times and taken some major scalps, beating Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011. However, after a reduction in the number of teams they failed to qualify for this summer’s tournament in England and Wales.
Women's international cricket was first played in 1934, when a party from England toured Australia and New Zealand. The Women’s World Cup has been held 11 times since 1973 – two years before the first men’s tournament! Australia lead the way with six wins.
The Irish women’s team’s best performance was in 1997 when they reached the quarter finals.
