Bat-and-ball games.

Bat-and-ball games

Bat-and-ball games (or safe haven games to avoid confusion with the club games like golf and hockey) are field games played by two teams. The teams alternate between "batting" roles, sometimes called "in at bat" and "out in the field", or simply in and out. The fielding team defends, so only the batting team may score, but they have equal chances in both roles. The game is counted rather than timed.

A player on the fielding team puts the ball in play with a delivery whose restriction depends on the game. A player on the batting team attempts to strike the delivered ball, commonly with a "bat", which is a club governed by the rules of the game.

After striking the ball, the batter may become a runner trying to reach a safe haven or "base". While in contact with a base, the runner is safe from the fielding team and in a position to score runs. Leaving a safe haven places the runner in danger of being put out. The teams switch roles when the fielding team puts the batting team out, which varies by game. In modern baseball the fielders put three players out; in cricket they retire all players but one.

Some games permit multiple runners and some have multiple bases to run in sequence. Batting may occur, and running begin, at one of the bases. The movement between those "safe havens" is governed by the rules of the particular game.

Globally, cricket and baseball are the two most popular games in the family.

List of bat-and-ball games

    Baseball
    Bat-and-Trap
    British baseball - four posts
    Brännboll - four bases
    Corkball - four bases (no base-running)
    Cricket - two wickets
        Test cricket
        First-class cricket
        Blind cricket
        Catchy Shubby
        Club cricket
        French cricket
        Gilli-danda
        Kilikiti
        One Day International
        Kwik cricket
        List A cricket
        Pro40
        Indoor Cricket
        Limited overs cricket
        Short form cricket
        Single Wicket
        Twenty20
    Crocker (sport);
    Danish longball
    Extreme Baseball a.k.a. Double Diamond Baseball
    Fuzzball
    Indian ball
    Lapta - two salos (bases)
    The Massachusetts Game - four bases
    Oina
    Old Cat (One old cat, Two old cat, etc.) - variable
    Over-the-line - qv
    Pesäpallo - four bases
    Rounders - four bases or posts run anti clock wise
    Scrub baseball - four bases (not a team game per se)
    Softball - four bases
    Stickball - variable
    Stool ball - two stools
    T-Ball
    Town ball - variable
    Vigoro - two wickets
    Wiffle Ball
    Wireball

Striking the ball with a "bat" or any type of stick is not crucial. These games use the foot or hand. Otherwise their rules may be similar or even identical to baseball. The first two use a large (35 cm) soft ball.

    Kickball - four bases, sometimes called soccer baseball, or a different variation would be crazy kickball
    Matball - kickball with gym mats for bases
    Punchball - four bases, sometimes called volleyball-style baseball or slug