Basketball and cricket are popular sports played globally at amateur and professional levels. Both are similar because they’re team sports with two opposing sides and involve a ball. However, how do the two games differ in their rules and how they’re played?
Basketball is played on a rectangular court with two suspended baskets at each edge. The teams aim to shoot the ball through the other team’s basket to score. Conversely, cricket is played on an oval pitch, with teams focusing on scoring by hitting the ball and running between two sets of wickets.
If you’re considering learning either sport, read on to find a comprehensive comparison between the two games.
Key Differences Between Basketball and Cricket
Below is a table summarizing the main differences between basketball and cricket:
| Key Features | Basketball | Cricket |
| Focus | Shooting the ball into the opponent’s hoop to score points. | Hitting the ball and running to the opposite side of the pitch before the fielders catch you. |
| Teams | 5 players per team | 11 players per team |
| Components of the Game | DribblingPassingShootingRunning and jumpingDefending | BattingFieldingBowling |
Focus
The focus in basketball is to bounce and pass the ball while running toward the other team’s court. The team scores two points if a team player shoots the ball through the opposing team’s ten feet-high (3.05 m) hoop in the three-point arc. If the player scores behind the three-point arc, the team scores three points.
On the other hand, cricket teams play in turns. When one team bats and scores runs, the other bowls and fields to restrict the batting team from scoring runs. The focus of the batting team is hitting the ball and scoring the highest number of runs between the wickets.
Team
Each basketball team consists of 12 to 15 players. However, only five team members play on the court. The others sit on the benches waiting for substitution. So, the number of players on the court is always ten.
A cricket team consists of 11 players. When a team is batting, only one member gets into the pitch at a time. All bowling team members get into the pitch, with one bowling to get batsmen out and the other ten fielding.
Components of the Game
Every basketball team member must be successful in the following to increase the chances of winning:
- Dribbling or bouncing the ball as they run or walk up and down the court.
- Passing the ball to other players to move it up or down the court.
- Shooting to aim precisely at the scoring hoop.
- Running and jumping to keep up with the game’s fast pace.
- Defending to intercept passes and block scores.
On the other hand, cricket requires players to possess the following skills:
- Bowling: This involves propelling the ball over arms toward the batsmen’s stumps which are 22 yards (20.12 m) away.
- Batting: It involves hitting the ball with a bat and running back and forth between the wickets to score runs.
- Fielding: This involves helping the bowler to run out the batsman by catching the ball.
Final Thoughts
Basketball and cricket are unique games with different rules and techniques. Basketball leans heavily on agility and teamwork, and cricket leans on strategy, skills, and endurance. Both sports are enjoyable to watch and play, but basketball is the more popular sport.