Banner showing cricket equipment and players, promoting a school cricket guide that explains rules, essential protective gear and PE teaching resources to help teachers deliver safe, effective cricket lessons.
Banner showing cricket equipment and players, promoting a school cricket guide that explains rules, essential protective gear and PE teaching resources to help teachers deliver safe, effective cricket lessons.
Banner featuring cricket equipment and players, showcasing a school cricket guide covering key rules, essential safety gear and practical PE resources to help teachers deliver safe, engaging and effective cricket lessons.

Cricket Basics for Schools: Everything You Need to Know

Cricket is a hugely popular sport, but for many PE teachers it can feel challenging to deliver, especially without prior experience or formal training. The rules, formats, and equipment can seem overwhelming at first, which is why this guide is designed to support you every step of the way.

In this Cricket Essentials guide, we will walk you through the basics of cricket and explain how the game works in a simple, PE‑friendly way. We will also outline the protective equipment pupils need as they progress through different formats, helping you introduce the sport safely and confidently.

For teachers who are new to cricket, we also highlight the benefits of using Box Cricket, a simplified and accessible format that makes learning and teaching the game much easier. You will find clear explanations, along with example videos from the Box Cricket team, to help you bring the sport to life in your PE lessons.

Basics of Cricket

Cricket is played between two teams, each taking turns to bat and field. The aim is simple: score more runs than the opposing team. While the full game can be complex, here are the key rules and concepts you need to know:

Teams and Innings

Each team has a batting turn (called an innings) and a fielding turn.

During an innings, two batters are on the pitch at a time, while the fielding team positions players around the field.

An innings usually lasts for a set number of overs (commonly 20, 40, or 50), or ends when 10 wickets have been taken.

The Pitch and Wickets

The game is played on a pitch with a set of stumps (wickets) at each end.

The bowler delivers the ball from one end towards the batter at the other.

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Overs and Bowling

An over consists of six legal deliveries.

After each over, a different bowler takes over from the opposite end.

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Scoring Runs

Runs are scored by batters running between the wickets after hitting the ball.

Hitting the ball to the boundary scores extra:

  • 4 runs if the ball touches the ground before crossing the boundary.

  • 6 runs if it crosses without touching the ground.

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Getting Out

Common dismissals include:

  • Bowled: The ball hits the stumps.

  • Caught: A fielder catches the ball before it touches the ground.

  • Run Out: A fielder hits the stumps while the batter is running.

  • Stumped: The wicketkeeper removes the bails while the batter is out of their crease after missing the ball.

  • LBW (Leg Before Wicket): The batter is out if the ball would have hit the stumps but is blocked by their leg, provided certain conditions are met.

Next Step - Introducing Protective Equipment

As pupils progress into hard‑ball cricket, ensuring they have the right protective equipment becomes essential. Hard balls travel faster, bounce higher, and introduce more risk, so proper protection helps maintain a safe, confident learning environment while allowing players to focus on developing their skills.

For school cricket, the core protective items include helmets, batting gloves, batting pads, and abdominal boxes. Each piece plays a key role in safeguarding students during batting, wicketkeeping, and close‑fielding activities. Providing this equipment not only supports safe participation but also reflects best practice in PE delivery and competitive school cricket.

Helmets

Cricket helmets protect pupils from fast or unpredictable balls when batting or standing close in the field. A well fitted helmet is essential once students begin practising with harder balls or facing bowlers with increasing pace.

Slazenger Cricket Helmet

Slazenger Cricket Helmet

Regular price £30.00
Sale price £30.00 Regular price £30.00
Unit price
per 
Kookaburra Pro 600 Helmet

Kookaburra Pro 600 Helmet

Regular price £52.00
Sale price £52.00 Regular price £52.00
Unit price
per 

Helmets

Cricket helmets protect pupils from fast or unpredictable balls when batting or standing close in the field. A well fitted helmet is essential once students begin practising with harder balls or facing bowlers with increasing pace.

Slazenger Cricket Helmet

Slazenger Cricket Helmet

Regular price £30.00
Sale price £30.00 Regular price £30.00
Unit price
per 
Kookaburra Pro 600 Helmet

Kookaburra Pro 600 Helmet

Regular price £52.00
Sale price £52.00 Regular price £52.00
Unit price
per 

Batting Gloves

Batting gloves shield the hands and fingers from impact, helping pupils grip the bat securely and play shots with confidence. They become especially important as pupils progress into using firmer training balls and eventually hard balls.

Slazenger Apex Cricket Batting Gloves

Slazenger Apex Cricket Batting Gloves

Regular price £12.00
Sale price £12.00 Regular price £12.00
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per 
Kookaburra Ghost 5.1 Batting Gloves

Kookaburra Ghost 5.1 Batting Gloves

Regular price £25.00
Sale price £25.00 Regular price £25.00
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per 
Kookaburra Prism 4.1 Batting Gloves

Kookaburra Prism 4.1 Batting Gloves

Regular price £36.00
Sale price £36.00 Regular price £36.00
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per 

Batting and Wicketkeeping Pads

Batting and wicketkeeping pads provide essential protection for pupils during hard‑ball cricket. These pads are designed to shield the shins, knees and lower legs from fast deliveries, deflections and close‑range impacts. Batters should always wear pads when facing hard balls to stay safe and confident at the crease, while wicketkeepers require specialist pads that offer extra mobility and cushioning for work behind the stumps. Using the correct pads helps pupils move freely, maintain proper technique and stay protected throughout play.

Slazenger Apex Ambidextrous Batting Pads

Slazenger Apex Ambidextrous Batting Pads

Regular price £22.00
Sale price £22.00 Regular price £22.00
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per 
Kookaburra Kahuna 4.1 Batting Pads

Kookaburra Kahuna 4.1 Batting Pads

Regular price From £37.00
Sale price From £37.00 Regular price £63.00
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per 
Slazenger Advance Cricket Wicket Keeping Pads

Slazenger Advance Cricket Wicket Keeping Pads

Regular price £30.00
Sale price £30.00 Regular price £30.00
Unit price
per 
Kookaburra 4.0 Wicket Keeping Pads

Kookaburra 4.0 Wicket Keeping Pads

Regular price £35.00
Sale price £35.00 Regular price £35.00
Unit price
per 

Abdominal Guards

An abdominal box provides essential protection for male pupils during hard‑ball cricket. It’s used inside dedicated underwear or a box pocket and should always be worn during batting or wicketkeeping with a hard ball.

Kookaburra 500 Abdominal Guard

Kookaburra 500 Abdominal Guard

Regular price £3.50
Sale price £3.50 Regular price £3.50
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per 
Grays Abdo Guard

Grays Abdo Guard

Regular price £4.00
Sale price £4.00 Regular price £4.00
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per 

Wicketkeeping Gloves

Wicketkeeping gloves are essential protective equipment for any pupil taking on the role of wicketkeeper in hard‑ball cricket. They are designed to cushion the hands, support clean catching technique and reduce the impact from fast deliveries or deflections. Wicketkeepers should always wear specialist gloves during hard‑ball sessions or matches to ensure safety and confidence behind the stumps. Proper gloves also help pupils develop correct catching shape and hand position while keeping their fingers protected throughout play.

Slazenger Advance Cricket Wicket Keeping Gloves

Slazenger Advance Cricket Wicket Keeping Gloves

Regular price £30.00
Sale price £30.00 Regular price £30.00
Unit price
per 
Kookaburra LC 4.0 Wicket Keeping Gloves

Kookaburra LC 4.0 Wicket Keeping Gloves

Regular price £35.00
Sale price £35.00 Regular price £35.00
Unit price
per 

Box Cricket

If you’re new to teaching cricket, our partnership with Box Cricket gives you the support you need. Box Cricket is an online video resource that makes teaching cricket easy and accessible, guiding teachers step by step through each skill—even if they’ve never taught the sport before.

The videos show how to deliver lessons using common school equipment. While Box Cricket doesn’t include physical equipment, it demonstrates exactly what to use and how to use it.

To complement this, we offer cricket equipment packs created with Box Cricket, featuring the same types of items shown in the videos to help lessons run smoothly.

Together, the Box Cricket online resource and our equipment packs provide a simple, ready‑to‑use solution for teaching cricket confidently in any PE setting.

Box Cricket Pack
Box Cricket Pack Box Cricket Pack

Box Cricket Pack

Regular price £149.00
Sale price £149.00 Regular price £149.00
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Watch Box Cricket in Action

Want a sneak peek at what Box Cricket can bring to your PE lessons? Here are a couple of introduction videos to show you how it works in action.

Box Cricket Teaching Equipment Packs

Our Box Cricket Packs provide all the essential equipment teachers need to deliver cricket lessons using the Box Cricket online resource. While these packs do not include access to the Box Cricket teaching platform, they contain the same bats, balls, cones, and other items demonstrated in the videos—making it easy to run lessons exactly as shown. To simplify decision‑making for schools, the packs are split by Key Stage, helping teachers quickly choose the right option for their pupils. They also include a full range of plastic, soft‑ball, and hard‑ball packs, ensuring every school can select equipment that matches their level and curriculum needs.

Browse the Box Cricket Range

Box Cricket LKS2 Pack
Box Cricket LKS2 Pack

Box Cricket LKS2 Pack

Regular price £256.00
Sale price £256.00 Regular price £286.00
Unit price
per 
Box Cricket UKS2 Pack
Box Cricket UKS2 Pack

Box Cricket UKS2 Pack

Regular price £165.00
Sale price £165.00 Regular price £182.50
Unit price
per 
Box Cricket KS3/4 Hard Pack
Box Cricket KS3/4 Hard Pack

Box Cricket KS3/4 Hard Pack

Regular price £308.00
Sale price £308.00 Regular price £343.00
Unit price
per 

New to Cricket? We're here to help

If you need help selecting the right equipment for your pupils, including guidance on cricket bat sizes, ball types, and key specifications, you can explore our Cricket Size Guide. It provides clear, practical information to help you choose the most suitable kit for your lessons. You can also browse our full cricket range if you are looking to equip your school with everything required to deliver the sport confidently.

New to Cricket? We're here to help

If you need help selecting the right equipment for your pupils, including guidance on cricket bat sizes, ball types, and key specifications, you can explore our Cricket Size Guide. It provides clear, practical information to help you choose the most suitable kit for your lessons. You can also browse our full cricket range if you are looking to equip your school with everything required to deliver the sport confidently.

References:

Allrounder Cricket (n.d.) Junior Cricket Bats Size Guide. Allrounder Cricket. Available at: https://www.allroundercricket.com/guides/junior_cricket_bats/size_guide (Accessed: 21 January 2026).