A cricket net is a practice net used by batsmen and bowlers to warm up and/or improve their cricketing techniques. Cricket nets consist of a cricket pitch (natural or artificial) which is enclosed by cricket nets on either side, to the rear and optionally the roof. The bowling end of the net is left open. Cricket nets are the cricket equivalent of baseball's batting cages, though fundamentally different, as baseball cages provide complete ball containment, whereas cricket nets do not.