Cricket originated in England during the 16th century, evolving from children’s local games. By the 17th century, it gained widespread popularity, becoming England’s national sport in the 18th century. As British colonization expanded, cricket spread globally, leading to the first international Test match in 1877.

Understanding the History of Cricket: Key Facts

We engage in various games daily, including outdoor sports and indoor activities that can be enjoyed while sitting at home. One such game is cricket. Let’s explore the history of cricket.

Introduction Of Cricket

When we hear the word cricket, the scene before us is a big field, our Favourite cricketers playing in it and their fans cheering them on. Cricket is the most watched sport after football, in our cricket- crazy country there is hardly a person who does not like cricket since childhood. They watch all the crickets from young to old with great interest. Someone is a fan of ‘Dhoni’ and someone is a fan of ‘Rohit Sharma’, they say ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ is the king of records and who says ‘Virat Kohli’ is the real king. Anyway now IPL will start soon everyone will be seen supporting their Favourite cricketers. But have you ever wondered how and where ‘Cricket’ started? How did the game reach our country? And how did the game become so popular? So let’s see today’s article about ‘cricket’.

Origin Of Cricket

If we check the history of cricket, it can be seen that the game started in the year 1301 according to some historians. A court proceeding in 1598 generally found some evidence, based on which it is believed that cricket was first played in 1598, according to the historical record of cricket being played in 1550 on the public land of Gill Ford. At that time, there was a mentality that cricket was a child’s game. But some references from 1611 show that the game started to be played by adults. The early 17th century saw the establishment of English colonies, through which cricket was introduced to North America and generally spread to the rest of the world by the middle of the 18th century.

Information About First International Match

There is much evidence of the spread of the game in England during the 17th century. It was not until about the end of the 17th century that the game of cricket became known as an organized sport in England. Cricket seen as the first professional sport after the formation of England in 1660. In 1697, a match played in Sussex with teams of 11 players each, a match still known as the “great cricket match”. This match is said to be one of the oldest and most important matches in cricket. Cricket underwent many changes during the 18th century. Rich’s gamble on him, having his own 11-man squad, was an important part of these reforms. By 1707 cricket had become a major and important game in London.

Modified Cricket

A large number of people used to go to play cricket in those days. They used Finswarry’s artillery ground to play cricket. In 1748 cricket reached Its peak of popularity. Around 1760 the technique of bowling changed drastically. Instead of hitting the ball, the bowlers started to phase the ball. Due to this, Amulagroup also had to change the design of the bat. Because modern new bats were needed instead of hockey stick-like bats to deal with the bouncing ball.

In 1987 ” Marylebone Cricket Club “(MCC) established. MCC soon became the center of cricket and became the top-ranked club. Later in the 18th century, peaches with 3 stumps produced. Also, a new rule came into existence that included foot cheat. During the 19th century, cricket became very popular in India, North America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1844, the first international match was played between two teams, America and Canada. In 1859, England embarked on its first overseas tour of North America. The year 1963 saw the debut of cricket in a new era.

England’s MCC introduced a limited-overs format of matches. Sports like hockey and football are played internationally almost all over the world, but cricket has remained confined to countries that part of the British Empire. Due to the disparity of industries in the past, it was difficult for the game to reach outside the country. Therefore, the game of cricket able to take hold only in those countries which ruled by the British. The game was able to take hold because the British people who were there or the people there imitated the game.

The History Of Cricket In India

Cricket originated in India due to the English people. The history of Indian cricket dates back to 1721, “Kolkata Cricket Club” established in Kolkata in 1792. Cricket was first played on Indian soil in 1830. Indian friends taught how to play cricket by British military officers. It didn’t take long for Indians to adopt the new game and learn it. Cricket earlier played only among the royal families. But it has now become one of the leading sports in the country. In 1866, India’s first cricket team went to England to play cricket. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the first to join the England team and became the first Indian to score a century in international cricket. In 1932, India played their first Test match against England at Lord’s.

Ranji Trophy established in 1934. The first ICC T20 World Cup held in India in 1928 and the last World Cup held in 2007. The first rules made in 1744. Two umpires appointed that year. In the 1760s, bowling changed and the bowlers started bowling with spin. In 1772, the scoreboard created. With the passage of time, the target of the media also focused on cricket. And the media started showing news and broadcasting pictures. Through this medium, cricket started reaching homes. Along with the expansion of cricket, there have been major changes in the rules of cricket. At the beginning of cricket, there only 4 balls in an over, but in 1889, instead of 4, 5 balls played in an over.

The “Imperial Cricket Conference” (ICC)established in 1909. The name changed to “International Cricket Conference” (ICC) in 1965. Again in 1989, it changed to “International Cricket Council” (ICC). In 1922, 5 balls converted into 8 balls. But after World War II, 6 balls in an over made permanent from 1947. And even today that rule remains. In the 18th century, cricket expanded a lot, and along with it the rules also changed. The ODI Cricket World Cup started in 1975. The first cricket match played in India in 1721. “Oriental Cricket Club” founded by some Parsi religious people in Mumbai. The “Board of Control for Cricket in India” (BCCI) was establish in 1928.

Some interesting facts On the History Of cricket

Cricket is currently playing in more than 100 countries.
There are mainly three types of cricket as follows – Test, ODI, and Twenty20. But among all these types, Test cricket is the most important.
The length of the pitch on a cricket ground is generally 20 meters long and 3 meters wide.
The height of cricket stumps is about 28 inches.
The bat used for playing cricket is 970 mm in length and 108 mm in width.
The weight of the ball used in international cricket is 160 grams.
The first Test cricket match played in 1876-77 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
The biggest victory in Test cricket is in the name of the England team. England defeated the Australian team in 1930 by as many as 579 runs.
India is the only team in the world to have won the 60-over, 50-over, and 20-over World Cups.
The first player to be sent off by the third referee is Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar is the player who has won the Man of the Match award the most times in the World Cup.