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fontEnlarge font  (CNN) -- The world's greatest cricket contest
-- the Ashes -- gets under way on Thursday as Australia host
England in one of the world's oldest sporting series. If you're
one of those who wouldn't know a beamer until it hit you in the
box, then The Briefing Room is here to help.  The laws: Cricket
is played by two teams on a large, round-ish pitch. The main
action takes place in the middle on the "wicket," where two
batsmen attempt to defend the three stumps placed in the ground
behind them as bowlers hurl hard leather balls at their ankles
and sometimes their heads. Batsmen score points every time they
run between the wickets after hitting the ball (hence runs). Or
they can just smash it off the field for a "boundary" -- worth
four or six runs. They are "out" if the ball hits the stumps, if
they're caught by a fielder, if the ball hits their legs in line
with the stump