Like its outdoor cousin, indoor cricket involves two batters, a bowler and a team of fielders.

Despite these basic similarities, the game itself differs significantly from its traditional counterpart in several ways, most notably on the field of play and the means by which runs are obtained.

As a minimum, every male player, including the fielders have to wear an abdominal guard (box), with the person bowling the ball as an exception.

As the game speed is usually very fast and the play rigorous, it is a demanding cardiovascular activity.

It is recommended to have a doctor checkup before taking up indoor cricket, especially in advance age and/or with any medical conditions.

Instead, they are collapsible spring-loaded stumps that immediately spring back to the standing position when knocked over.

A batsman can be dismissed in the same ways they can be in conventional cricket – with variations in the case of LBW and mankad (see below) – and with the exception of timed out.

A player can also be "caught" by a ball rebounding off a net, except off a "six", as long as it has not previously touched the ground.

[1] Indoor cricket is officiated by one umpire who is situated outside of the playing area at the strike batters' end of the court.

Those sides have since been joined on the international stage by England (1990), South Africa (1991), Zimbabwe (1998), Namibia (1998), India (2000), Pakistan (2000), Sri Lanka (2002), United Arab Emirates (2004), Wales (2007), France (2007), Guernsey (2007), Singapore (2013), Malaysia (2017).

In Australia, states and territories compete in the Australian Indoor Cricket Championships (as well as the now defunct National League).

[5] The national competition in New Zealand is referred to as the Tri Series and is contested by three provinces – Northern, Central and Southern.

[10] The Indoor Cricket World cup was first held in Birmingham, England in 1995 and has run every two or three years since.

Conceived as a way of keeping cricketers involved during the winter months, various six-a-side leagues were formed throughout England in the first half of the decade, eventually leading to the first national competition held in March 1976 at the Sobell Center in Islington.

Against the backdrop of the upheaval in the conventional game caused by World Series Cricket, torrential rain and a desire to keep their charges active led cricket school administrators Dennis Lillee and Graeme Monaghan to set up netted arenas indoors.

Concurrently, entrepreneurs Paul Hanna and Michael Jones began creating an eight-a-side game that eventually led to the nationwide franchise known as Indoor Cricket Arenas (ICA).

It was not long before hundreds of ICA-branded stadiums were set up throughout Australia, leading to the first national championships held in 1984 at a time where over 200,000 people were estimated to be participating in the sport.

It was founded prior to the 1995 World Cup by representatives from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England.

[14] Such matches are relatively infrequent and come with added complications in the event that the ball makes contact with the roof while in play.