The document provides a detailed history of the origins and evolution of cricket from its beginnings as an English folk game in the 16th century to its modern form. Some key points covered include:
- Cricket began as a folk game in England in the 16th century and evolved into a distinct game by the 17th century.
- The Marylebone Cricket Club was founded in 1787 and became the guardian of cricket's laws.
- Cricket spread through the British empire to countries like the West Indies, India, Australia, and South Africa.
- The game was initially divided between amateur "gentlemen" players and professional working class players.
- Television coverage in the late 20th century,
2. THE BEGINNING
Cricket grew out of many stick-and-ball games played
in England 500 years ago, under a variety of different
rules.
The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that simply
means stick or club.
By the seventeenth century, cricket had evolved
enough to be recognizable as a distinct game and it
was very popular.
The game was expected to represent all that English
valued- fair play, discipline and gentlemanliness.
6. A BRIEF HISTORY
Earlier cricket used to thrive greatly as a gambling game.
People used to place huge amounts of bets in matches and thus
the game started to get recognition. Cricket was in fact a major
gambling sport towards the end of the 17th century .
By the 17th century the game was quite popular as a rough
rural pastime, but in the following century the leisure classes
took up the sport, particularly in Sussex, Kent, and London.
In the year 1787, the Marylebone Cricket Club also known
MCC was created. The MCC has since then gone on to become
one of the most prominent bodies in world cricket .
Late18th century was a very crucial phase for the development
of the game, both within and outside Britain. The game was
spread far and wide mainly due to England’s imperialism
7. INTRODUCTION OF LAWS
The first written Laws of Cricket were drawn up in
1744.They stated the following rules:-
1. The principals shall choose from amongst the gentleman
present two umpires who shall absolutely decide all
disputes.
2. The stumps must be 22 inches and the bail across them
six inches.
3. The ball must be between 5 and 6 ounces and the two
sets of stumps 22 yards apart.
4. But there were no limits on the shape or the size of the
bat. About 40 notches or runs were viewed as a very big
score, probably due to the bowlers bowling quickly at
shins unprotected by pads.
8.
9. In 1889 the immemorial four ball over was
replaced by a five ball over and then this was
changed to the current six balls an over in
1900. Subsequently, some countries
experimented with eight balls an over. In 1922,
the number of balls per over was changed
from six to eight in Australia only. In 1924 the
eight ball over was extended to New Zealand
and in 1937 to South Africa. In England, the
eight ball over was adopted experimentally for
the 1939 season; the intention was to
continue the experiment in 1940, but first-
class cricket was suspended for the Second
World War and when it resumed, English
cricket reverted to the six ball over. The 1947
Laws of Cricket allowed six or eight balls
depending on the conditions of play. Since the
1979/80 Australian and New Zealand seasons,
the six ball over has been used worldwide and
the most recent version of the Laws in 2000
only permits six ball overs.
10. Changes occurred in 19th Century
The rule about wide balls was applied
The exact circumference of the ball was
specified
Protective equipment like pads and
gloves became available
Boundaries were introduced where
previously all shots had to be run and,
most importantly, over-arm bowling
became legal.
11. World’s First Cricket Club
The world’s first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the
1760s.
12. MARYLEBONE CRICKET CLUB
The world’s first cricket club was formed The Marylebone
cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787. In 1788, the
MCC published its first revision of the laws and became
the guardian of Cricket regulations.
During the 1760 and 1770 it became common to pitch the
ball through the air, rather than roll it along the ground.
This change gave bowlers the options of length, deception
through the air and increased the pace.
13. PECULIARITY
A test match can go on for five days
and still end in a draw. No other team
sport takes even half as much time to
complete.
A curious characteristic of cricket is
that the length of the pitch is specified-
22yards-but the size or shape of the
ground is not.
14. Equipment
The bat, the stumps and the bails
are made of wood .
The ball is made with leather,
twine and cork.
15. Pads and protective gloves are made of rubber.
Helmets are made of metals and synthetic light wear material.
16. The division of cricket between the rich and the poor
The rich who could afford it to play were called
amateurs. They played it for 2 reasons:
they considered sports a kind of leisure.
there was not enough money in the game for
the rich to be interested
The poor who played the cricket were known as
professionals.
They played it to earn for a living.
17. Cricket’s most important tools are all made of natural, pre-industrial
materials. The ball is made with leather, twine and cork. Even today
both bat and ball are handmade, not industrially manufactured. The
material of the bat changed slightly over time. Once it was cut out
of a single piece of wood. Now it consists of two pieces, the blade
which is made out of the wood of the willow tree and the handle
which is made out of cane.
Unlike golf and tennis, cricket has refused to remake its tools with
industrial or man-made materials: plastic, fiberglass and metal have
been firmly rejected.
The invention of vulcanized rubber led to the introduction of pads
in 1848 and protective gloves soon afterwards, and the modern
game would be unimaginable without helmets made out of metal
and synthetic lightweight materials.
18. Discrimination in cricket
Cricket is a batsman’s game because its rules
were made to favor Gentlemen,who did most of
the batting.
The social superiority of the amateurs was also
the reason the captain of a cricket team was
traditionally a batsman not because batsmen
were naturally better captains but because
they were generally Gentlemen.
Captains of teams, whether club teams or
national sides, were always amateurs.
19. AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS
The organisation of cricket in England reflected the nature of the English society.
The rich who could played for pleasure were called Amateurs and those who played for living
were called professionals.
The rich were amateurs because they considered sport a kind of leisure. To play for the
pleasure of playing and not for money.
The wages of professionals paid in the form of patronage or subscription (gate money)
The game was seasonal and did not offer the employment in whole year so the professionals
they were worked in the mines especially in the winter and off seasons.
The social superiority of amateurs was built the customs in the cricket.
Amateurs were called Gentlemen and professionals were called players.
They were entered in the ground from different entrances.
The amateurs tended to be batsman and hardworking aspect of the game like fast bowling did by
the professionals.
So according to the law of cricket the doubts were favoured to the batsman and cricket became
the game of batsman or gentleman.
The captains of the team most of the time was batsman generally gentleman.
22. IRONY FOR THE ENGLISH
The West Indies won their first test series against England in
1950.It was very frustrating for the whites. The West Indian
team that won was captained by a white player. The first time
a black player led the West Indies test team was in 1960 when
Frank Worrell was named as captain.
The West Indies cricket team represented not one nation but
several dominions that later became independent countries.
The Pan west Indian team that represent the Caribbean
region in international Test cricket is the only exception to a
series of unsuccessful efforts to bring about West Indian
Unification.
23. ORIGIN OF INDAINCRICKET
The cricket was first played in India from 1721 by
English sailors in Cambay. The Calcutta Cricket Club (the
first Indian Club) was established in1792. The origin of
Indian cricket can be traced to Bombay. The first Indian
community to start playing the game was the Parsis.
The origins of Indian cricket, that is, cricket played by Indians
are to be found in Bombay and the first Indian community to
start playing the game was the small community of
Zoroastrians, the Parsis.
Brought into close contact with the British because of their
interest in trade and the first Indian community to westernise,
the Parsis founded the first Indian cricket club, the Oriental
Cricket Club in Bombay in 1848. Parsi clubs were funded and
sponsored by Parsi businessmen like the Tatas and the Wadias.
24. BOMBAY GYMKHANAAND PARSIS
The white cricket elite in India offered no help to the enthusiastic Parsis. In fact, there was quarrel between the
Bombay Gymkhana, a whites only club, and Parsi cricketers over the use of public park. The Parsis complained
that the park was left unfit for cricket because the polo ponies of the Bombay Gymkhana dug up the surface.
When it became clear that the colonial authorities were prejudiced in favour of their white compatriots, the Parsis
built there own gymkhana to play cricket in. The rivalry between the Parsis and the Bombay Gymkhana had a happy
ending for these pioneers of Indian cricket. A Parsi team beat the Bombay Gymkhana at cricket in 1889, just 4 years
after the foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885,an organisation that was lucky to have amongst its
early leaders the great Parsi statesman and intellectual Dadabhai Naoroji.
25. The spread of cricket
Cricket was established as a popular sport by
white settlers (as in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia,
New Zealand, the West Indies and Kenya)
local elites who wanted to copy the habits of their
colonial masters, as in India.
26. Spread of cricket in India and
west indies
Playing cricket became a sign of superior social and
racial status, and the Afro-Caribbean population was
discouraged from participating in organized club
cricket, which remained dominated by white plantation
owners and their servants.
Despite the exclusiveness of the white cricket elite in
the West Indies, the game became hugely popular in
India and West Indies.
27. 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.
28. CRICKET TODAY
Modern cricket is dominated by Tests and One-day internationals, played between
national teams. The players who become famous, who live on in the memories of
cricket’s public, are those who have played flawlessly for their country. Some
names which are still popular are
Kerry Packer, Australian television tycoon understood the money making potential
of cricket as televised sport and signed 55 one of the world’s leading cricketers
against the wishes of national cricket board and for about two years staged
unofficial Test and One day internationals under the name of the World Series
Cricket.
After two years cricket became more attractive to televisions audience and
changed the nature of the gameColoured dress, protective helmets, field
restrictions, cricket under light became a standard part of the post packer game.
Cricket boards became rich by selling television rights to television
companies.Television channels made money by selling television spots to
companies they paid huge money for advertisement.Continuous television
coverage made cricketers celebrities and the cricket boards paid better payment.
The television changed the cricket and reached in to small towns and villages.
The technology of satellite television and world wide reach of multi national
television companies has created a global market for cricket. It is vastly popular
today and as it is running, it will continue its legacy among us for years……..
29. International Cricket
Conference (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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. The money problems of top cricketers were also the root cause of
another cricketing crisis that arose in 1977 when the Australian
media magnate Kerry Packer fell out with the Australian Cricket
Board over TV rights. Taking advantage of the low remuneration
paid to players, Packer retaliated by signing several of the best
players in the world to a privately run cricket league outside the
structure of international cricket. World Series Cricket hired some of
the banned South African players and allowed them to show off
their skills in an international arena against other world-class
players. The schism lasted only until 1979 and the "rebel" players
were allowed back into established international cricket, though
many found that their national teams had moved on without them.
Long-term results of World Series Cricket have included the
introduction of significantly higher player salaries and innovations
such as coloured kit and night games.
