History and Sports: The

story of cricket

Made By;- Anmol PantClass;- 9th CRoll No. 29Admn. No. 2789

Introduction Cricket is a very old game

and it grew in England.

By the 17th century it became very popular.

Till mid 18th century the cricket bat was like hockey stick.

Cricket grew into a modern game and it has a history of its own.

It developed in England and reached to the various colonies of England.

The historical development of cricket as a game of England

The game of cricket was shaped into its unique character due to the existing social and economic conditions of 18th and 19th centuries of England.

One such peculiarities of test cricket is that it goes on for five days and can still end into a draw.

Another peculiarity is the length of the pitch. It is specified-22 yards but the size and shape of the ground is not specified.

The first written ‘Laws’ of cricket were drawn in 1744.

The world’s first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760’s and the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) was founded in 1787.

In 1788 MCC became the guardian if cricket’s regulations.

History

Cricket was first played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had developed into the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire  led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held.

LAWS OF CRICKET

The first written Laws of Cricket were drawn up in 1744. They stated:

The gentlemen present two umpires who shall absolutely decide all disputes.

The stumps must be 22 inches high and the bail across them six inches.

The ball must be between 5 and 6 ounces

The two sets of stumps 22 yards apart.

World’s First Cricket ClubThe world’s first cricket club was

formed in Hambledon in the 1760s.

Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC)

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787.

In1788, the MCC published its first revision of the laws and became the guardian of cricket’s regulations.

Revision Of Laws by MCC

Pitching the ball through the air, rather than roll it along the ground.

Replacement of the curved bat with the straight one.The weight of the ball was limited to between 5.5

to 5.75 ounces.The width of the bat was limited to four inches.The first leg-before law was published.Three days had become the length of a major

match.The creation of the first six-seam cricket ball.

Cricket and Victorian England

Amateurs: The rich people who played for pleasure.

Professionals: The poor people who played for a living.

The wages of the professionals were paid by subscription.

The game was seasonal and did not offer employment the year round.

The amateurs were called the ‘Gentlemen’ and the professionals were called the ‘Players’.

The amateurs tended to be batsmen, making the professionals do the hardworking aspects of the game such as fast bowling and fielding.

The captain of the team was traditionally an amateur owing to his social superiority.

1930: The English team was led by a professional named Len Hutton from Yorkshire.

Cricket glorified the amateur’s belief of playing not for victory or profit, but for the spirit of fair play.

The Spread of Cricket

Cricket was established in the British colonies.

Playing cricket became a sign of superior social and racial status.

White elite dominated the game, while the blacks played informal cricket.

1950: The West Indies won its first Test series against England.

1960: Frank Worell, a black player, led the West Indies team for the first time.

1932: A national team of India was given the right to represent India in a Test match.

Cricket, Race and Religion

Cricket in India was organized on the principles of race and religion.

1792: The Calcutta Cricket Club was established as the first Indian club.

18th century: Cricket in India was played by the British military men and civil servants in all-white clubs and gymkhanas.

Bombay was the origin of cricket in India. 1848: The Paris founded the first Indian cricket

club, the Oriental Cricket Club in Bombay.

1889: A Parsi team beat the all-white club, Bombay Gymkhana.

1890s: Hindus and Muslims started gathering funds and support for a Hindu Gymkhana and an Islam Gymkhana.

Cricket Quadrangular tournament was played by four teams- the Europeans, the Paris, the Hindus and the Muslims.

A fifth team named the ‘Rest ‘comprised of all the communities left over, like the Indian Christians; this team also joined the tournament later.

THE MODERN TRANSFORMATION OF THE GAME

1932: C.K. Nayudu became India’s first Test captain.

1877: Test cricket originated and contests were organized between different parts of the British Empire.

Decolonization and Sport

The regulations of international cricket were laid down by the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC).

1965: The Imperial Cricket Council was renamed as International Cricket Council.

The ICC was dominated by its founding members, England and Australia.

1989: Privileged positions were scrapped in favor of equal membership.

South Africa practiced a policy of racial segregation.

With political pressure from the newly decolonized countries of Asia and Africa, the English cricket authorities were forced to cancel a tour by South Africa in 1970.

Commerce, Media and Cricket Today 1971: First one-day international was played between

England and Australia in Melbourne. 1975: First cricket world cup was played. 1977: Cricket celebrated 100years of Test matches. An Australian television tycoon, Kerry Packer staged

unofficial Tests and one-day internationals under the name of World Series Cricket.

Colored dress, protective helmets, field restrictions and cricket under lights, became a part of cricket.

Satellite television created a global market for cricket. The ICC headquarters shifted from London to Dubai.

Cricket and the Caribbean Countries

Leaders like Forbes Burnham and Eric William saw in the game of cricket a chance for self respect.

West Indies won the 1st test series against England in 1950’s.

Frank Worrell

The first time a black player led the West Indies Test team was in 1960 when Frank Worrell was named captain.

First Indian Club

The first Indian Club, The Calcutta Cricket Club was established in 1792.

Oriental Cricket Club The Parsis founded the First Indian Cricket Club,

the Oriental Cricket Club in 1848. They were funded and sponsored by Tatas and

Wadias. They got no help from the whites.

Quadrangular And Pentangular

Ranji Trophy was initially named Quadrangular because it was played by 4 teams:

EuropeansParsisHindusMuslimsLater it was named Pentangular when

a fifth team was added that was Rest(Indian Christians).

The origin of Indian Cricket The first Indian

Community to start playing cricket was Zoroastrian Community .

They founded first cricket club in India in1848 at Bombay.

Parsis built their own gymkhana to play cricket

By 1890’s the Hindu and the Muslims also started dreaming for their gymkhanas

The British government encouraged such racial activities.

India’s First Test Captain

C.K. Nayudu was the first India’s test captain. He was an outstanding batsman of his time. He played his first test match against England in 1932.

First Test Match The first test was played between England and

Australia when Australia was a white settler colony.

International Cricket Council (ICC)

The regulations of International cricket were in the hands of Imperial Cricket Conference(ICC).

It was renamed International Cricket Conference in 1965.

It was dominated by England and Australia.They had the Veto powers.

Transformation of Early Cricket

In 1970’s cricket was transformed .In 1970, South Africa was excluded

from International cricketIn 1971, the first one day

international was played between Australia and England in Melbourne.

In 1977, the game changed forever, not by a player but by a businessman .

Kerry Packer Kerry Packer was an

Australian tycoon. he saw the money making potential of cricket as a televised sport .

He signed world’s leading cricketers for 2 years

He started unofficial tests and one day matches under the name of world series cricket.

He bought the innovations to make cricket more attractive to television audience and changed the nature of the game.

Packer drove home the lesson that cricket was a marketable game , which could generate huge revenues.

Cricket boards became rich by selling television rights to companies

Continuous television coverage made cricketers celebrities .

They made commercials for a huge range of products and made a lot of money.

Shifting of the ICC headquarters

As India had the largest viewership. The ICC headquarters was shifted to Asia.

Presently it is in Dubai.

Pakistan’s bowling style

Pakistan pioneered 2 great advances in bowling: the ‘Doosra’ and the ‘reverse swing.’

Doosra Reverse Swing

Today, the global marketplace has made Indian players the best-paid, most famous cricketers in the game, men for whom the world is a stage.

Indian Cricket Team

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