The innings (ending with ‘is’ in both singular and plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side. In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an “innings” can end before they all do so.
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings a piece. The term “innings” is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman’s contribution.
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be “out” and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed, then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen “in”. This batsman is termed “no out”.
