What is Cricket?Cricket was invented in the vast fields of England, supposedly by shepherds who herded their flock. Later on this game was shown appreciation by aristocrats and now cricket has the stature of being England's national game. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and thus earning itself a high standing all over the world.

After almost a century now, cricket stands in the international arena, with a place of its own.

Cricket involves two teams with 11 players on each side. The captain who wins the toss decides whether his team bats or bowls first. If they bat first, their aim is to score a lot of runs and make sure the other team does not reach that score.

Cricket is played in many formats, but the most popular are TEST CRICKET and ONE DAY cricket. In TEST cricket game goes on for 5 days, with each team batting twice - if time permits

It is one of the most popular games in countries like Australasia, England, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies and Southern Africa. Besides this, cricket is practiced in practically every country.

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Evolution of Cricket

Origin

No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many generations before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century. Playing on sheep-grazed land or in clearings, the original implements may have been a matted lump of sheep’s wool (or even a stone or a small lump of wood) as the ball; a stick or a crook or another farm tool as the bat; and a stool or a tree stump or a gate as the wicket.

Cricket moves out of England

Cricket was introduced to North America via the English colonies in the 17th century, probably before it had even reached the north of England. In the 18th century it arrived in other parts of the globe. It was introduced to the West Indies by colonists and to India. It arrived in Australia almost as soon as colonization began in 1788. New Zealand and South Africa followed in the early years of the 19th century.

International Cricket BeginsThe first ever international cricket game was between the USA and Canada in 1844. The match was played at the grounds of the St George's Cricket Club in New York.

In 1859, a team of leading English professionals set off to North America on the first-ever overseas tour and, in 1862, the first English team toured Australia.

Between May and October 1868, a team of Australian Aborigines toured England in what was the first Australian cricket team to travel overseas.

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In 1877, an England touring team in Australia played two matches against full Australian XIs that are now regarded as the inaugural Test matches. The following year, the Australians toured England for the first time and were a spectacular success.

Different Forms of Crickets and Their Rules

The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.

Rules of different forms of cricket:-

i. Each team is made up of 11 players. ii. The bowler must bowl 6 legal deliveries to constitute an over.

iii. A game must have two umpires stood at either end of the wicket. The umpires then must count the number of balls in the over, make decisions on whether the batsmen is out after an appeal and also check that the bowler has bowled a legal delivery

iv. International games will have a further two umpires known as the third and fourth umpire. These are in place to review any decisions that the on field umpires are unable to make.

Different forms of cricket include:-

1. Test Matches2. One Day International 3. Twenty20

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Test Match:

i. This is played for a period of Five days, including a rest day (usually after 2nd

or 3rd day of match)ii. Both the teams play two innings each, meaning each team gets two

chances to bat, alternatively.iii. There is no restriction on no. of overs bowled by the bowler.iv. If the team batting second, scores very less runs in their first inning

compared to the team who has batted first, then the first team can give ‘Follow On’ to the second team. ‘Follow – On’ means that second team gets chance to play their second inning right after they finish their first inning.

v. If during any inning any either team scores exceptionally high runs, the team can declare the inning. ‘Declare’ means that the remaining players of the team will not bat.

vi. The results are obtained only when both teams have batted in stipulated five days. The team who scores maximum runs wins the game

vii. Many times the two teams are not able to complete their two innings in five days, then the result of match is draw (neither team wins!)

viii. ‘Follow-On’ and ‘Declare’ are strategically used by playing teams to avoid Draws and get Results

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One Day International:

i. One Day cricket in played with 50 over. Each team has 50 over to bat and bowl before swapping and doing the previous discipline.

ii. An ODI is contested by 2 teams of 11 players each.

iii. The Captain of the side winning the toss chooses to either bat or bowl first.

iv. The team batting first sets the target score in a single innings. The innings lasts until the batting side is "all out" or all of the first sides allotted over are completed.

v. Each bowler is restricted to bowling a maximum of 10 overvi. During the first 10 overs of the 50 overs innings only two fielders are

allowed in the outfield (a 15 yards radius circle drawn from where the batsman stands).

vii. Power Play are the blocks of Five overs, wherein only three fielders can be deployed in outfield.

viii. The team scoring maximum runs in allotted 50 overs wins the match.ix. Only in the rare case when two teams scores exactly the same runs does

the match ends in ‘Tie’.

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Twenty 20:

i. This is the shortest form of Cricket and is becoming increasingly popular due to certainty of result and excitement associated as the players put in their best in the limited playing time

ii. As the name suggests, each team bats only for twenty overs each or till the batting side lasts.

iii. Each of the bowlers can bowl a maximum of only one-fifth of the total over i.e. 4 over in a total of 20 overs.

iv. Due to limited no. of overs available for batting, the batsman starts hitting out from the very first ball. The spectators are delighted by continuous action on the field.

v. No more than five fielders can be on the leg side at any time.

vi. During the first six overs, a maximum of two fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle (this is known as the power play).

vii. After the first six overs, a maximum of five fielders can be outside the fielding circle

viii. If the fielding team does not start to bowl their 20th over within 75 minutes, the batting side is credited an extra six runs for every whole over bowled after the 75-minute mark; the umpire may add more time to this if he believes the batting team is wasting time

ix. The team who scores most in the allotted twenty overs wins, irrespective of no. of players declared out.

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Types of MatchesCricket is a multi-faceted sport with multiple formats based around playing standard and level of formality and the desired time that the match should last. A pertinent division in terms of professional cricket is between matches limited by time in which the teams have two innings apiece, and those limited by number of overs, in which they have a single innings each.

There different types of matches:

1. Test Cricket2. Limited Overs3. First-Class Cricket4. Club Cricket

Test cricket

Test cricket is the highest standard of first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of the ICC.

Test cricket is believed to have begun with two matches between Australia and England in the 1876–77 Australian seasons. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved Test status: South Africa (1889) which was the third country to have gained Test status, West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1929), India (1932), Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982),

Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000).

Test cricket remained the sport's highest level of standard throughout the 20th century but it had its problems, notably in the infamous "Bodyline Series" of 1932–33 when England’s Douglas Jardine used so-called "leg theory" to try and neutralize the run-scoring brilliance of Australia's Don Bradman.

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Limited OversStandard limited overs cricket was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs.

Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations including the use of multi-colored kit and floodlit matches using a white ball. A "one day match", named so because each match is scheduled for completion in a single day, is the common form of limited overs cricket played on an international level.

The main objective of a limited overs match is to produce a definite result and so a

conventional draw is not possible, but matches can be undecided if the scores are tied or if bad weather prevents a result. Each team plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs, usually a maximum of 50.

First-Class Cricket

First-class cricket includes Test cricket but the term is generally used to refer to the highest level of domestic cricket in those countries with full ICC membership, although there are exceptions to this.

First-class cricket in England is played for the most part by the 18 county clubs which contest the County Championship.

Australia established its national first-class championship in 1892–93 when the Sheffield Shield was introduced. In Australia, the first-class teams represent the various states. New South Wales has won the maximum number of

titles with 45 to 2008.

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Club Cricket

Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are always observed.

Club cricket is frequently organized in a league or cup format. Games are limited by either time or overs. Limited overs games usually last between 20 and 60 overs per innings. A less common, but more traditional, format is limiting the game by time only. Games can range from a few hours in the evening to two days long.

A modern innovation is the introduction of Twenty20 competitions, both as a format in the existing leagues and new leagues solely based on Twenty20, such as Last-Man-Standing.

Standards of play can vary from semi-professional to occasional recreational level and club cricket is often enjoyed as much for the social element as for the competition. Most clubs have their own ground to play on regularly, often including a field and pavilion or club house.

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Women’s CricketTill the late eighteenth century, sports and vigorous activities were not encouraged for women. In England, where cricket had originated, rivalry games were not included in a girl’s education. Instead, elegant and graceful games were encouraged which did not include any rigorous activity.

Croquet is a sport that involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded in a grass playing court. Croquet was a slow-paced game that did not require any rough action, it was a relaxed and it was considered suitable for women, especially of the upper class. The attire of the women who played croquet also suggested the character

of the sport. The attire included frilled gowns and fancy hats. Croquet is still practiced among both men and women.

However, as the society evolved and modernized, so did the general prejudice that women shouldn’t get involved in rough activities. By the early nineteenth century and in some countries much before the nineteenth century, women started participating in cricket. The first known women's cricket club was formed in 1887 in Yorkshire, named the White Heather Club. In 1958 the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC) was formed to co-ordinate women's cricket around the world.

Women's cricket has been played internationally since the inaugural women's Test match between England women and Australia women in December 1934.

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