** History of Cricket**
There is a consensus of expert opinion that cricket may have been invented during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England. The first reference to cricket being played as an adult sport was in 1611, and in the same year, a dictionary defined cricket as a boys' game. There is also the thought that cricket may have derived from bowls, by the intervention of a batsman trying to stop the ball from reaching its target by hitting it away.
Village cricket had developed by the middle of the 17th century and the first English “county teams” were formed in the second half of the century, as “local experts” from village cricket were employed as the earliest professionals. The first known game in which the teams use county names is in 1709.
In the first half of the 18th Century cricket established itself as a leading sport in London and the south-eastern counties of England. Its spread was limited by the constraints of travel, but it was slowly gaining popularity in other parts of England and Women’s Cricket dates back to the 1745, when the first known match was played in Surrey.
In 1744, the first Laws of Cricket were written and subsequently amended in 1774, when innovations such as lbw, a 3rd stump, - the middle stump and a maximum bat width were added. The codes were drawn up by the “Star and Garter Club” whose members ultimately founded the famous Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in 1787. MCC immediately became the custodian of the Laws and has made revisions ever since then to the current day.
Rolling the ball along the ground was superseded sometime after 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball and in response to that innovation the straight bat replaced the old “hockey-stick” style of bat. The Hambledon Club in Hampshire was the focal point of the game for about thirty years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Cricket Ground in 1787.
Cricket was introduced to North America via the English colonies as early as the 17th century, and in the 18th century it arrived in other parts of the globe. It was introduced to the West Indies by colonists and to India by British East India Company mariners. It arrived in Australia almost as soon as colonization began in 1788 and the sport reached New Zealand and South Africa in the early years of the 19th century.
**Cricket**
Cricket is one of many games in the "club ball" sphere that basically involve hitting a ball with a hand-held implement; others include baseball {which shares many similarities with cricket, both belonging in the more specific bat-and-ball games category}, golf, hockey, tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis.
In cricket's case, a key difference is the existence of a solid target structure, the wicket {originally, it is thought, a "wicket gate" through which sheep were herded}, that the batsman must defend.
The cricket historian Harry Altham identified three "Groups" of "club ball" games:
1) The "cricket group", in which "the ball is aimed at a mark {the wicket} and driven away from it".
2) The "golf group", in which the ball is driven towards an undefended target {the hole}.
3) The "hockey group", in which the ball is driven to and fro between two targets {the goals}.
It is generally believed that cricket originated as a children's game in the south-eastern counties of England, sometime during the medieval period. Although there are claims for prior dates, the earliest definite reference to cricket being played comes from evidence given at a court case in Guildford on Monday, 17 January 1597 {Julian calendar}. The case concerned ownership of a certain plot of land and the court heard the testimony of a 59-year-old coroner, John Derrick, who gave witness that.
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard {20-metre} pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at the wicket with the bat {and running between the wickets}, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this {by preventing the ball from leaving the field, and getting the ball to either wicket} and dismiss each batter {so they are "out"}. Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches. They communicate with two off-field scorers who record the match's statistical information.
**Forms of Cricket**
Forms of cricket range from
Twenty20{T-20}, with each team batting for a single innings of 20 overs,
Test matches played over five days. Traditionally cricketers play in all-white kit,
In limited overs cricket with each team batting for a single innings of 50 overs, they wear club or team colors.
In addition to the basic kit,
Some players wear protective gear to prevent injury caused by the ball, which is a hard, solid spheroid made of compressed leather with a slightly raised sewn seam enclosing a cork core layered with tightly wound string.
**The Laws of Cricket**
In cricket, the rules of the game are specified in a code called The Laws of Cricket {hereinafter called "the Laws"} which has a global remit. There are 42 Laws {always written with a capital "L"}. The earliest known version of the code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club MCC in London.
**Pitch Size**
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets. It is 22 yd {20.12 m} long 1 chain and 10 ft {3.05 m} wide. The surface is flat and is normally covered with extremely short grass, but can be completely dry or dusty soil with barely any grass or, in some circumstances" that are rarely seen in high level cricket", made from an artificial material. Over the course of a cricket match, the pitch is not repaired or altered other than in special circumstances - meaning that it will change condition. Any grass on the pitch in the game's first over, for example, may have disappeared by the twentieth over due to wear.
**Uses of the Pitch**
The pitch has one popping crease at each of its ends, with these dividing the field into the two batsmen's grounds, and the area in between {including the creases} in which the ball must be bowled and the batsmen run.
>> Bowling {Cricket}: Bowlers can bowl the ball by throwing it and making it bounce on the ground of the pitch. The return creases, which follow almost directly from the edges of the pitch down the field, restrict the angle the bowler may bowl from.
>> Batting {cricket}: Batsmen may occasionally move around the pitch particularly their crease {cricket} in an effort to make contact with the ball. They may also make small marks on the pitch to indicate where they will stand, and while batting, they sometimes swing the bat in such a way that it hits some of the dirt in the pitch in the air.
>> Running {cricket}: The two batsmen may run along the sides of the pitch, between the batsmen's grounds, to score runs {cricket}.
>> Fielding {cricket}: Occasionally fielders {often the bowler} may run on the pitch to run out a batsman.
At any given moment, one end of the pitch will be the striker's end, while the other end is the non-striker's end. After each over, the ends swap. During the game, the bowler bowls from the non-striker's end to the striker at the other end.
The protected area or danger area is the central portion of the pitch – a rectangle running down the middle of the pitch, two feet wide, and beginning five feet from each popping crease. Under the Laws of Cricket, a bowler must avoid running on this area during his follow-through after delivering the ball.
The pitch is protected to preserve fairness in the game; the ball normally bounces on the pitch within this region, and if it is scuffed or damaged by the bowler's footmarks it can give an unfair advantage to the bowling side. These areas can be exploited by the bowlers to change the outcome of the match. If a bowler runs on the protected area, an umpire will issue a warning to the bowler and to his team captain. The umpire issues a second and final warning if the bowler transgresses again. On the third offence, the umpire will eject the bowler from the attack and the bowler may not bowl again for the remainder of the innings. The rule does not prevent the bowler or any other fielder from running on the protected area in an effort to field the ball; it applies only to the uninterrupted follow-through.
**Match Beginning and Closing**
Before a match begins, the team captains {also players} toss a coin to decide which team will bat first and so take the first innings. Innings is the term used for each phase of play in the match. In each innings, one team bats, attempting to score runs, while the other team bowls and fields the ball, attempting to restrict the scoring and dismiss the batsmen. When the first innings[{An innings is one of the divisions of a match during which one team takes its turn to bat, and is said to be "in to bat". Innings is the subject of Law 13 in the Laws of Cricket. In a first-class match, there are up to four innings with each team due to bat twice (in practice, this is not always the case). In a limited overs match, there are only two innings with each team batting once.
End of an innings describes how an innings can be completed.
The term is also used with the meaning of "score" for both the team and each individual batsman. For example, it may be said that "he played an innings of 101", meaning that the player scored 101 runs in his innings (while batting during the team's innings). Similarly, it may be said that the team had a first innings (score) of 501. }] ends, the teams change roles; there can be two to four innings depending upon the type of match. A match with four scheduled innings is played over three to five days; a match with two scheduled innings is usually completed in a single day. During an innings, all eleven members of the fielding team take the field, but usually only two members of the batting team are on the field at any given time. The exception to this is if a batsman has any type of illness or injury restricting his or her ability to run, in this case the batsman is allowed a runner who can run between the wickets when the batsman hits a scoring run or runs, though this does not apply in international cricket. The order of batsmen is usually announced just before the match, but it can be varied.
The main objective of each team is to score more runs than their opponents but, in some forms of cricket, it is also necessary to dismiss all of the opposition batsmen in their final innings in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn. If the team batting last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, they are said to have "lost by n runs" "where n is the difference between the aggregate number of runs scored by the teams". If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For example, a team that passes its opponents' total having lost six wickets {i.e., six of their batsmen have been dismissed} have won the match "by four wickets"
In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have "won by an innings and n runs", and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores. If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side with only 62 happening in first-class matches from the earliest known instance in 1741 until January 2017. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of overs applies to each innings. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.
In all forms of cricket, the umpires can abandon the match if bad light or rain makes it impossible to continue. There have been instances of entire matches, even Test matches scheduled to be played over five days, being lost to bad weather without a ball being bowled: for example, the third Test of the 1970/71 series in Australia.
**Over**
In cricket, an over consists of six consecutive legal deliveries bowled from one end of a cricket pitch to the player batting at the other end, almost always by a single bowler.
A maiden over is an over in which no runs are scored that count against the bowler {so leg byes and byes may be scored as they are not counted against the bowler}. A wicket maiden is a maiden over in which a wicket is also taken. Similarly, double and triple wicket maidens are when two and three wickets are taken in a maiden over.
After six deliveries the umpire calls 'over'; the fielding team switches ends, and a different bowler is selected to bowl from the opposite end. The captain of the fielding team decides which bowler will bowl any given over, and no bowler may bowl two overs in succession.
**Number of overs in each format of cricket**
There is only one innings per team in these formats:
One Day International: 50 overs per innings
T20 cricket: 20 overs per innings
T10 cricket: 10 overs per innings
**Historical number of balls per over in Test cricket**
**Balls per over**
In England
1880 to 1888: 4
1889 to 1899: 5
1900 to 1938: 6
1939 to 1945: 8
1946 to date: 6
In Australia
1876/77 to 1887/88: 4
1891/92 to 1920/21: 6
1924/25: 8
1928/29 to 1932/33: 6
1936/37 to 1978/79: 8
1979/80 to date: 6
In South Africa
1888/89: 4
1891/92 to 1898/99: 5
1902/03 to 1935/36: 6
1938/39 to 1957/58: 8
1961/62 to date: 6
In New Zealand
1929/30 to 1967/68: 6
1968/69 to 1978/79: 8
1979/80 to date: 6
In Pakistan
1954/55 to 1972/73: 6
1974/75 to 1977/78: 8
1978/79 to date: 6
In India
West Indies
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Bangladesh
The United Arab Emirates
Ireland
all Test matches have been played with six ball overs.
**Cricket Clothing and Protective Gear**
Cricket Clothing and Protective Gear is regulated by the laws of cricket. Cricket clothing, known as cricket whites, or flannels, is slightly loose fitting so as not to restrict players' movements. Use of protective equipment, such as cricket helmets, gloves and pads, is also regulated.
>> Collared shirt (usually white) with short or long sleeves depending on the climate or personal preference.
>> Long trousers (usually white).
>> Jumper (a woolen pullover, if necessary). This is usually a vest.
>> Sun hat, cricket cap or baseball cap.
>> Spiked shoes to increase traction.
**Protective Equipment**
>> Jockstrap with cup pocket into which a "box", or protective cup, is inserted and held in place.
>> Abdominal guard or "box" or an L Guard for male batsmen and wicket-keepers (often referred to as a cup, box or abdominal guard). It is usually constructed from high density plastic with a padded edge, shaped like a hollow half-pear, and inserted into the jockstrap with cup pocket >> Underwear of the batsmen and wicket-keeper. This is used to protect the crotch area against impact from the ball.
>> Helmet (often with a visor), worn by batsmen and fielders close to the batsman on strike to protect their heads.
>> Leg pads, worn by the two batsmen and the wicket-keeper, used to protect the shin bone against impact from the ball. The wicket-keeping pads are slightly different from the batsmen's. Fielders that are fielding in close to the batsmen may wear shin guards under their trousers.
>> Thigh guard, arm guards, chest guard, and elbow guards to protect the body of the batsmen. Some batsmen use these and others do not, since they reduce mobility.
>> Gloves for batsmen only, thickly padded above the fingers and on the thumb of the hand, to protect against impact from the ball.
>> Wicket-keeper's gloves for the wicket-keeper. Usually includes webbing between the thumb and index fingers.
**Equipment**
>> Ball – A red, white or pink ball with a cork base, wrapped in twine covered with leather. The ball should have a circumference of 9.1 in {23 centimeters} unless it is a children's size.
>>Bat – A wooden bat is used. The wood used is from the Kashmir or English willow tree. The bat cannot be more than 38 inches (96.5 cm) long and 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide. Aluminum bats are not allowed. The bat has a long handle and one side has a smooth face.
>> Stumps – three upright wooden poles that, together with the bails, form the wicket.
>> Bails – two crosspieces made of wood, placed on top of the stumps.
Sight screen – A screen placed at the boundary known as the sight screen. This is aligned exactly parallel to the width of the pitch and behind both pairs of wickets.
>> Boundary – A rope demarcating the perimeter of the field known as the boundary.
**Umpires and Scorers**
The game on the field is regulated by the two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg" which is about 15–20 metres away from the batsman on strike and in line with the popping crease on which he is taking guard. The umpires have several responsibilities including adjudication on whether a ball has been correctly bowled {i.e., not a no-ball or a wide}; when a run is scored; whether a batsman is out {the fielding side must first appeal to the umpire, usually with the phrase "How's that?" or "Owzat?"}; when intervals start and end; and the suitability of the pitch, field and weather for playing the game. The umpires are authorized to interrupt or even abandon a match due to circumstances likely to endanger the players, such as a damp pitch or deterioration of the light.
Off the field in televised matches, there is usually a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test and Limited Overs International matches played between two ICC full member countries. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws and the spirit of the game.
The match details, including runs and dismissals, are recorded by two official scorers, one representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger to signal that the batsman is out {has been dismissed}; he raises both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six runs. The scorers are required by the Laws to record all runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled; in practice, they also note significant amounts of additional data relating to the game.
A match's statistics are summarized on a scorecard. Prior to the popularization of scorecards, most scoring was done by men sitting on vantage points cuttings notches on tally sticks and runs were originally called notches. According to Rowland Bowen, the earliest known scorecard templates were introduced in 1776 by T. Pratt of Seven oaks and soon came into general use. It is believed that scorecards were printed and sold at Lord's for the first time in 1846.
**Spirit of the Game**
Besides observing the Laws, cricketers must respect the "Spirit of Cricket," which is the "Preamble to the Laws," first published in the 2000 code, and updated in 2017, and now opens with this statement. "Cricket owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket". The Preamble is a short statement that emphasizes the "Positive behaviors that make cricket an exciting game that encourages leadership, friendship, and teamwork." The major responsibility for ensuring fair play is placed firmly on the captains, but extends to all players, umpires, teachers, coaches, and parents involved.
The umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play. They are required under the Laws to intervene in case of dangerous or unfair play or in cases of unacceptable conduct by a player.
Previous versions of the Spirit identified actions that were deemed contrary {for example, appealing knowing that the batsman is not out} but all specifics are now covered in the Laws of Cricket, the relevant governing playing regulations and disciplinary codes, or left to the judgement of the umpires, captains, their clubs and governing bodies. The terse expression of the Spirit of Cricket now avoids the diversity of cultural conventions that exist in the detail of sportsmanship – or its absence.
**Governance**
The ICC is the global governing body for cricket. Representing 105 members, the ICC governs and administrates the game and works with our members to grow the sport. The ICC is also responsible for the staging of all ICC Events.
The ICC presides over the ICC Code of Conduct, playing conditions, the Decision Review System and other ICC regulations. The ICC also appoints all match officials that officiate at all sanctioned international matches. Through the Anti-Corruption Unit it coordinates action against corruption and match fixing.
The ICC has a long term ambition for cricket to become the world’s favorite sport and our four year strategy that will take us through to 2019 is the first step on that journey. During this period we will lead the continued drive towards more competitive, entertaining and meaningful cricket for players and fans. We will grow the sport by creating more opportunities for more people and nations to enjoy it and increase the competitiveness of international cricket at all levels. We will promote cricket by delivering exciting and engaging global events, attracting new and diverse fans and building long-term successful commercial partnerships. And finally, we will continue to make considerable efforts to protect the integrity of the sport.
There are 104 Member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). This includes 12 Full Members and 92 Associate Members.
The ICC Global Development team who are based across five continents is tasked with building a bigger, better global game by assisting the 92 Associate Members (AMs) grow and improve the standard of cricket within the different territories. The team provides global support through a number of services to the Members which can range from assistance on governance, high performance, growth of the game at grassroots level, marketing and communications expertise and how to develop commercial strategies within an organization.
Over the past 20 years the amount of cricket being played in AMs has increased significantly, to the point where there are now over 1.5 million participants currently in the game of cricket, outside the Full Member nations.
The team are also responsible for implementing the ICC's global event qualifying structures and administering the grants provided to the 92 Associate Member (AMs) countries by the ICC to assist the development of cricket across the globe through the ICC Development Funding Model.
Afghanistan Afghanistan Cricket Board 22 June 2017
Australia Cricket Australia 15 July 1909
Bangladesh Bangladesh Cricket Board 26 June 2000
England England and Wales Cricket Board 15 July 1909
India Board of Control for Cricket in India 31 May 1926
Ireland Cricket Ireland 22 June 2017
New Zealand New Zealand Cricket 31 May 1926
Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board 28 July 1952
South Africa Cricket South Africa 15 July 1909
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Cricket 21 July 1981
West Indies Cricket West Indies 31 May 1926
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Cricket 6 July 1992
Cricket is unique in that there are obligations within its Laws that require the captains, players and match officials to uphold the ‘spirit of the sport’. The ICC, too, plays a significant role in protecting the spirit and integrity of the game through the ICC Code of Conduct, the efforts of our Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), our Anti-Doping programme and our commitment to ensuring racism has no place in our sport.
Set up in 2000, the ACU is widely recognized as being an international leader in the fight against corruption in sport and we are committed to continuing to build on that success and reputation. The ACU works closely with numerous stakeholders, including member boards, players, support personnel, law enforcement agencies and betting regulators and has developed a strategy based upon prevention, investigation, disruption and prosecution.
The ICC has maintained an Anti-Doping Code and testing programme that is compliant with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency since July 2006 when the organization became a signatory of the Code. This means, among other things, the ICC arranges sample collection from international players both in competition and without notice out of competition through the implementation of an athlete whereabouts programme. The ICC is fully committed to and leads the global fight against the use of prohibited substances in cricket.
Cricket has a rich and diverse history and our Anti-Discrimination Code and Policy for Members confirms a level of commitment from the ICC and its members to promoting and encouraging widespread participation in the sport at all levels free from any kind of racism whether based on race, religion, colour, culture, descent, national or ethnic origin.
Interesting read.🙏
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