Beach

Whilst loosely based upon the game of cricket, many aspects are improvised: the playing ground, the rules, the teams, and the equipment. Quite often there are no teams at all; the players take turns at batting and there is often no emphasis on actually scoring runs. The bat can be anything, as long as it can hit the ball and can be suitably held in the hands. However, usage of a bat is necessary (otherwise it wouldn't really be cricket). A ball is the other essential item. Tennis balls are often used due to the fact that they are less likely to inflict injuries than a cricket ball. They are also much cheaper and more readily available than a leather cricket ball and is easier to hit due to it having a slower air-speed and being relatively light. The pitch can be any stretch of ground that is reasonably flat. The wicket may be any convenient object - a cardboard box, a rubbish bin, case of beer, telegraph pole, tree or a drawing on the wall. Often, the wicket is by no means close to the official size, but it is used anyway. A wicket at the non-striker's end is generally a single stump if proper stumps are available and in the absence of larger objects may be just a hat or a shoe. Its main purpose is to mark the bowler's crease, but most of the time you can get run out by it. There are no footwear requirements for backyard cricket: they vary from trainers to sandals to high heels to just plain bare feet.