Difference Between Cricket vs Baseball
Though they are both incredibly popular sports, the difference between cricket and baseball is sometimes very difficult to understand by those who cast a fleeting glance over them on the television.
Today we want to make sure that you don’t have any further questions about each of these sports varieties going forwards by presenting you with the exact definitions of each game in conjunction with a quick reference table that’s easily accessible for a quick refresh whenever it’s needed.
Definition of Cricket
The definition of cricket is: “A type of bat and ball game played with two teams of 11 players and making use of a flat edged wooden bat.”
Realistically, even if we don’t dive into the extensive rules of each game, there are some very simple elements we can call upon to immediately define the difference between baseball vs cricket. Visually, these elements come in the form of both team size and bat type.
The bat used for cricket is a flat edged wooden stick whereas in baseball it is instead a solid wooden or metal shaft shaped into a club to provide added weight when striking the ball. A cricket side (or team) comprises of 11 players too, whereas in baseball, each side is only 9 players.
There are other slight visual differences too including the appearance of the ball in each game. In cricket, the appearance of the ball is white for a one-day international game and red for test plays. In baseball, the ball appearance is always white with red stitching. Both balls are created out of a blend of rubber and cork with either material featuring to varying degrees depending on the brand.
It’s in the rules that we start to see further separation as the order of batsmen for cricket is entirely random whereas in baseball it is determined before the game even begins. In cricket, you can score a maximum of six runs (or points) whereas in baseball you can only score four runs in the form of bases.
Definition of Baseball
The definition of baseball is: “A bat and ball game featuring a wooden or metal shaft and opposing teams of nine players.”
The cricket vs baseball comparison carries with it several other elements as well as those mentioned in the cricket section, too. The size of the pitch is also a giveaway metric when it comes to discerning which sport is which easily.
In cricket, the pitch size is 66 feet from bat to bowl position whereas it’s 60 feet between pitchers in baseball. The use of wooden wickets is also exclusive to cricket as they are simply not featured in baseball.
Protective equipment is also very similar for each game too and is almost identical, though there is often additional padding for the legs in cricket when compared to baseball due to the higher impact risk from low-travelling balls.
Main Differences Between Cricket vs Baseball
The difference between baseball and cricket can be summarized in the table below:
| Basis of Comparison | Cricket | Baseball |
| Bat used | Flat and wooden | Club like shaft that is made out of wood or metal |
| Players per side | Eleven | Nine |
| Size of pitch | 66 feet | 60 feet |
| Maximum points per run | Six | Four |
| Ball color | Flat white or red | White with red stitches |
| Use of wickets | Yes | No |
Difference Between Cricket and Baseball: Conclusion
As you can see, it’s fairly easy to summarize the key variations between these two games when we dive into the visual differences alone, but when you throw in the separate rules and team size it finally becomes a very straight forward comparison.
In summary just remember that if you don’t pay attention to any other details about each game at all, the bat used for each game or sport is so dramatically different that this alone reveals which game you’re witnessing.
Though almost all countries widely broadcast cricket, it’s safe to say that baseball remains a largely American phenomenon (though other countries are certainly starting to adopt it too), which also helps to separate one from the other. Use our quick reference table if you ever need a refresh.
