Cricket is considered to be the national sport of summer in New Zealand. There are a number of countries out there that enjoy playing cricket, and they compete in something known as test match cricket (four innings games are played over 5 days). Cricket is a game that involves using a bat and ball, and is played with two teams of 11 players. Similar to baseball, players have to hit the ball and attempt to score runs. They take turns (switching when 10 batters have gone “out”), and each turn is known as an innings. The difference is, instead of using a baseball diamond, the field is the center of a 22 yard long pitch. You run from the batting area to the other end of the pitch to score a run. It helps to watch practices and games in order to better understand the ins and outs of the sport, especially because the way that innings are calculated can be confusing.