Before a match begins, the two team captains meet on the pitch for the toss (of a coin), with the winner deciding which team will bat first. Two players from the batting side, and all eleven players from the bowling/fielding side, then enter the field, and play proceeds by a member of the fielding team, known as the bowler, delivering (i.e., bowling) the ball from one end of the pitch towards the wicket at the other end, which is guarded by one of the batsmen, known as the striker. The striker’s role is to strike the ball well enough to score runs, if possible, while not being dismissed. The other batsman, known as the non-striker, waits at the opposite end of the pitch near the bowler. The bowling team’s objectives are to prevent the scoring of runs and to dismiss the batsman. A dismissed batsman, who is declared to be “out”, must leave the field to be replaced by a teammate.
The most common forms of dismissal
