Continuing our series, comparing baseball, the American game, and cricket the sub-continental game hailing from England:

Why baseball is like rugger, and cricket is a gentleman's game!

Running plays a much larger role in baseball because of the low scoring and because baserunners can advance to the next base before the ball is hit again (steal the base) as soon as the ball is live. Base stealing often requires sliding, in which the runner throws himself to the ground to avoid a tag.

The runner may also deliberately slide into the fielder at the base he is trying to steal to keep him from catching the ball or to disrupt a double play. At home plate the runner often will simply, and legally, run into a catcher who is blocking the baseline but who does not have the ball (a player without the ball may not impede the runner).

The equivalent in cricket is almost impossible because the bowler is next to the runner, and can mankad him if he strays out of his crease. Tactical running in cricket rarely strays beyond the consideration of "can I make it to the other end before the ball does", while in baseball, steals, sacrificial running, forces, double plays, intimidation, and physical contact enter into the equation.

Making contact with a fielder, as baserunners often do, would be unsportsmanlike in cricket, and unnecessary, as play stops when a single wicket is taken. Occasionally a cricket runner will dive over the crease, but in baseball this is a regular occurrence, as players are frequently forced to run even when their chances are slim.

Since a team almost always scores fewer runs in a baseball game than its number of outs (indeed, it will have fewer runners than its number of outs), a baserunner will frequently take risks attempting to advance an extra base or score a run, resulting in close plays at a base. In cricket, since the number of runs scored is much greater than the number of wickets taken in a match, a batsman would be very foolish to risk getting run out in an attempt to score an extra run without a very high expected chance of success.

Strategy

A wide array of factors affect both games (from composition of the pitch or field soil to weather conditions, wind, and moisture) and numerous strategies in both games can be employed to exploit these different factors.

Other than the bowler, cricket places very few restrictions on fielding placement, even for the wicket-keeper, and its variety of bowling styles, 360 degrees of open field, wide bowling area (target zone), and so on provide for strategic play. Baseball has very specific rules about the positions of the pitcher and the catcher at the start of each play.

The positioning of the other seven fielders is as flexible as cricket, except that each one must start the play positioned in fair territory. The fielders are otherwise free to position themselves anywhere on the playing field, at their discretion based on the game situation.

Batting first or last

In cricket, the team that wins the coin toss has the choice of batting first or last. This is comparable to games such as American football, in that the team winning the toss may have a variety of reasons for wanting to take the "offensive" or "defensive" position first.

Playing conditions and the specific talents of the respective teams figure into the decision. In baseball, the "home" team always bats last. This was not originally the case. In the early years, the winner of a coin toss could decide whether to bat first or last. By the late 1800s, the rule was fixed. At a "neutral" site, the "home" team may be decided by coin toss, but that "home" team must bat last.

Fielding strategy

In baseball, though only the positions of pitcher and catcher are prescribed by the rules, fielders' positions are dictated closely by custom, and shifts in fielders' positions according to circumstance are less dramatic; the strike zone and smaller angle of fair territory limit the usefulness of some strategies which cricket makes available to batters.

The chief occasion on which fielding placement differs markedly from the usual is the presence of a pull, or dead-pull, hitter at bat (such hitters almost never, except on the rare occasion of a fluke or mishit, hit the ball in any direction except towards the same side of the field as they stand at the plate, i.e. a right-handed pull hitter hits everything toward left field).

In such case the fielders will move so far in the direction of the pull that one half of the field is almost completely unprotected. This is called an overshift. A six-man infield has also been used when circumstances warrant.

For the great majority of batters, however, the traditional lineup is used, with minor changes in position to accommodate the batter's power or bat-handling ability, the location of runners, or the number of outs. (For example, with a base runner the importance of fielders being able to throw quickly to home plate on a bunt is increased, and the infielders will play closer to home plate.)

In cricket, coaches cannot intervene or direct gameplay; the captain must make all the calls once the players are out on the field, and the coach is reduced to a mere spectator. In baseball, by contrast, managers and coaches will often direct the players (through hand signals) to carry out a play (such as a stolen base or hit and run), or to field at a particular depth.

Strategy over the course of the game

Baseball's strategy varies with the game situation; pitcher, batter and fielders all play far differently in the late innings of a close game (e.g., waiting for walks, trying for stolen bases or the squeeze play to score a decisive run) than they do early, or when one team has already scored many more runs than the other (where batters will be likely to swing at many more pitches and try for home runs).

The number, speed, and position of baserunners, which have no equivalent in cricket, all dramatically change the strategies used by pitcher and batter. In leagues which do not allow designated hitters, strategic thinking also enters into substitutions.

For example, substitutions of pitchers often are combined with substitution of another player who takes the pitcher's traditional spot in the batting order so that the pitcher will come to bat later (pitchers are almost uniformly poor hitters). Since players may not return to the game after being substituted for, a manager cannot take lightly the decision when and if to substitute a better-fielding but worse-hitting player if his team is ahead.

First-class cricket also has a number of strategic elements not found in baseball simply because the maximum time duration of the game is fixed (which can be up to five days for Test cricket) and a match not completed by the end of the time duration results in a draw regardless of the relative score.

By contrast, baseball games are played to completion regardless of the time duration and there is no possibility for a tie or draw (outside of exhibition games). There are no equivalents in baseball, for example, of deciding when to declare or to make your opponent follow on.

Strategy based on the playing surface

The condition of the playing strip (the pitch) in cricket is of vital significance as, unlike baseball, the ball is deliberately bounced on the pitch before reaching the batsman. While in baseball, playing conditions between different stadia are much the same (except for perhaps small differences in the dimensions of the field and whether the outfield is fast or slow), the physical characteristics of the cricket pitch can vary over the course of the game, or from one field to another, or from one country to another.

On the Indian subcontinent, for instance, pitches tend to be dry, dusty and soft. These pitches offer less assistance to fast bowlers because the ball tends to bounce lower and lower, where most fast bowlers rely on bounce and speed to defeat the batsman. On the other hand, spin bowlers prefer this surface because it gives greater traction to the ball and will result in the ball breaking or turning more when it hits the surface. Such a pitch is usually called a "turner".

Conversely, pitches in Australia tend to be hard, true surfaces, called "batting wickets" or "roads" because the ball bounces uniformly and thus batsman find it easier to score runs, although these wickets suit fast bowlers more than spinners. Accordingly, teams are generally much harder to beat in their own country, where both their batters and bowlers are presumably suited to the types of pitches encountered there.

On any given pitch, however, conditions will become more suitable for spinners as time progresses and the pitch becomes softer and worn through use, making the spin bowler something of a cricketing "closer".

Baseball parks are not completely uniform, however. Stadiums with retractable roofs, for example, usually play differently with and without the roof. For example, with the roof open the wind will affect how far the ball carries.

Against a running team the basepaths may be heavily watered. Many stadiums have idiosyncratic features - for example, the short left field and high left field wall (called the Green Monster) at Fenway Park, the hill and flagpole in the outfield (Tal's Hill) at Minute Maid Park, or numerous "porches" (parts of the grandstands hanging over the outfield) which allow short home runs.

The altitude of the stadium can also impact the distance a batted ball travels. The baseball behaves differently in those stadiums with artificial turf as well. The amount of moisture in the dirt on the basepaths can also affect the behavior of ground balls and the ease with which players may steal bases; some teams are known to alter the amount of watering done to the dirt depending on the skills of the home and visiting team.

On the whole, though, these variations do not produce effects as great as variations in cricket pitches.

Strategy based on batting order

The batting order in baseball must be declared before the game begins, and can only be changed if a substitution occurs. Batting out of turn is a rule violation resulting in a penalty.

When a manager makes a substitution, the new player must occupy the same place in the batting order as the old one. To allow more complicated changes in batting order, managers may use the double switch, substituting for two players simultaneously. This is typically used to replace the pitcher but put the new pitcher in a spot in the batting order that will not come up to bat soon, previously occupied by another fielder.

Unlike baseball, the batting order in cricket is not fixed, and can be changed at any time, provided each player bats at most once. This gives rise to the "pinch hitter" in cricket - a non-specialist batsman promoted up the order to get quick runs -, and the "night watchman". This latter is typically a non-batsman promoted up the order at the end of the day to avoid a better batsman having to make two cold starts, a particular risk.

The roles of individual players in the batting order are strikingly similar. In both sports, the players near the top of the batting order are considered superior batters or batsmen. The initial batters or batsmen generally specialize in avoiding making outs, while the third through fifth batters and batsmen are considered their team's best at providing runs.

After that, the talent generally drops off, with the pitchers and bowlers generally being the worst at batting. However, since in baseball a batter who puts the ball in play does not get another at-bat until the entire batting order is cycled through, the opposing team may pitch around a skilled batter, walking him or otherwise relying on getting other batters out. In cricket, a batsmen remains at the pitch until he is out (or the team is all out or declares), and the other team must bowl to him until he is out.

Game length

Baseball games are much shorter than cricket games. Most Major League Baseball games last between two-and-a-half and four hours. Minor league and amateur games tend to be shorter due to fewer innings being played and/or the lack of television commercial breaks. Test Cricket games can last up to five days. The shorter version of the game (termed one-day games) lasts for anything from a couple of hours to 8 hours especially when the game is close.

A new form of cricket, called Twenty20 for its two innings of twenty overs each, has recently and successfully debuted in domestic and international competitions. The average time it takes to play an individual game of Twenty20 cricket is similar to the amount of time it takes to play a game of baseball, around two-and-a-half to three hours.

Equipment

Baseball players use thin, round bats and wear gloves to field, while cricketers use wide, flat bats and field barehanded (except for the wicket-keeper, who wears gloves and protective leg pads). In cricket a batsman wears protective gear such as pads, gloves, thigh pads, helmet, an arm pad and a centre pad (which is used to protect the groin area), whereas the only required protective gear for baseball batters is an unsecured helmet; many batters also use elbow, shin, or ankle protectors, and almost all use batting gloves to aid grip.

Another difference between the two sports involves the condition of the ball as a match progresses. In cricket, if a ball is hit into the stands, the spectators must return it to the field. Also, a ball that is scuffed or scratched will continue in use; a ball must be used for a minimum number of overs (currently 80 in Test cricket) before it can be replaced.

If a ball is damaged, lost, or illegally modified, it is replaced by a used ball of similar condition to the old one. Finally, cricketers are allowed to use natural substances (e.g. saliva and sweat) to modify the ball, and may polish it on their uniforms, although they cannot deliberately scratch the ball.

In Major League Baseball, a ball that is hit into the stands is not returned to play even if caught by a fielder before it touches the ground; spectators are free to keep any balls that come into their possession (although local tradition, rather than the rulebook, may provide for a ball to be thrown back).

Because baseball hitting is extremely difficult, baseball rules prohibit the deliberate scratching or scuffing of a ball, or the application of any foreign substance that could conceivably affect the flight or visibility of a ball. Balls that are deliberately made harder to hit by foreign substances are known as spitballs. Both spitballs and those that become scuffed or scratched due to normal game play are immediately removed from play and never reused.

The current rules regarding the condition of baseballs did not come into effect until 1920 due to the death of Ray Chapman after being hit with a spitball. However these rules were not consistently enforced for several decades afterwards; before then, they were far closer to those still present in cricket.

Because of financial or practical limits on the supply of fresh balls, enforcement of these rules is much more limited in minor league and amateur baseball games, where balls become worn and scuffed in the course of play; even so, use of the spitball is universally forbidden.