Claim: Cricket has players.

In the sport of cricket , batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one 's wicket . A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman , while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke . The term specialist batsman is also used generically to describe players who specialise in batting -LRB- as opposed to e.g. bowlers who specialise in bowling -RRB- , and the term bowler is also used in this context . The latter term can , however , refer to any player during their turn at bat . In women 's cricket , the term batswoman is sometimes encountered , as is batter , but the `` male '' form is widely used in both men 's and women 's cricket . Cricketers have to adapt to various conditions when visiting international pitches ; this is because the type of pitch usually changes . Therefore , batsmen have to also have a good sense of decision making .   During an innings two members of the batting side are on the pitch at any time : the one facing the current delivery from the bowler is denoted the striker , while the other is the non-striker . When a batsman is out , he is replaced by a teammate . This continues until the end of the innings or until 10 of the team members are out , where upon the other team gets a turn to bat .   Batting tactics and strategy vary depending on the type of match being played as well as the current state of play . The main concerns for the batsmen are not to lose their wicket and to score as many runs as quickly as possible . These objectives generally conflict -- to score quickly , risky shots must be played , increasing the chance that the batsman will be dismissed , while the batsman 's safest choice with a careful wicket-guarding stroke may be not to attempt any runs at all . Depending on the situation , batsmen may forget attempts at run-scoring in an effort to preserve their wicket , or may attempt to score runs as quickly as possible with scant concern for the possibility of being dismissed .   As with all other cricket statistics , batting statistics and records are given much attention and provide a measure of a player 's effectiveness . The main statistic for batting is a player 's batting average . This is calculated by dividing the number of runs he has scored , not by the innings he has played , but by the number of times he has been dismissed .   Sir Donald Bradman set many batting records , some as far back as the 1930s and still unbeaten , and he is widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time .