Cricket history

Cricket match

El cricket It is one of the most iconic sports in the British Isles. This game of bat and ball, very similar in many respects to the baseball American, it is not only very popular in the United Kingdom, but also in other countries of the Commonwealth and in territories that were once colonies of the British Empire such as India or Pakistan.

Basically cricket is played between two teams of eleven players. The field measures about 20 meters and has a small three-stick goal at each end. The regulation is complex, and there are also many variants of the game.

Among the most outstanding peculiarities of cricket is the duration of the matches (Some can last up to five days!) As well as the curious uniforms of the players and referees, in which the white.

The origins of cricket

cricket

Cricket player

The first historical references to cricket date back to nothing less than the XNUMXth century. It is believed that the game originated in the southeastern counties of England, where he was known by the name of creckett. Probably in its beginnings it was nothing more than a fun for children.

It is also not too clear the etymological origin of the word cricket. It seems that it would be a term derived from the old English word "cryce" or "cricc", which means stick or baton, referring to the bat. Interestingly, on the other side of the English Channel, in FranceThe word "cricket" was used in the past to refer to a club or stick.

There is still another theory that defends the Dutch origin of the word and that even ventures that the game would have been created in Flanders instead of England.

What is beyond doubt is that cricket became very popular throughout the seventeenth century. So much so that some local religious authorities in old England even banned gambling because it distracted the parishioners too much from their duties.

Evolution of the game

By the XNUMXth century cricket had already spread throughout Great Britain. The communities faced each other in competitions that raised passions and around which large bets were made.

The regulation was standardized thanks to the wording of the "Laws of Cricket", which even today is jealously guarded by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of LondonThese same rules have been maintained to this day with very few modifications.

The first official cricket championship was disputed in the year 1890. In it eight teams participated that competed to proclaim themselves champions of the county of Sussex.

cricke old photo

Cricket team from «the Golden Age»

The period between 1895 and 1914 (the year of the beginning of the First World War) is known as the "Golden Age of Cricket". Almost every county in England held their own local championships and great historical rivalries unfolded. In addition, in these years many players turned professionals. Their presence on the playing fields drew huge crowds and aroused passion among fans.

Before football finally imposed its law and became the beautiful game, not only in England but throughout the world, cricket reigned in the British Isles as the great national sport.

Cricket in the world

With the expansion of the British Empire, cricket began to be "exported" to other latitudes by English sailors and settlers. Thus, the sport took root in territories as far away from each other as Canada, South Africa or Australia.

In 1844, the first international match between the United States and Canada took place. On the other hand, from the tour of an English team through Australian lands between 1876 and 1877 the rivalry between the two countries would be born. The confrontation between England and Australia held in the Melbourne CricketGround in 1882 gave rise to the birth of The Ashes, a historic competition between the two countries that is still experienced with great intensity today.

However, where this game was most successful was in the Indian subcontinent, where in some countries it still holds the category of national sport today.

cricket in asia

Dispute of a cricket match of the maximum rivalry between India and Pakistan

Since 1976 the Cricket world cup of national teams. The country that has won the most times has been Australia (5 titles) followed by India (2) and the West Indies team (2), which brings together the English-speaking nations of the Caribbean region. England and Sri Lanka have both managed to clinch the title on one occasion.

Other countries participating in the Cricket World Cup are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The next world cricket championship will be held in India in 2023.

El International Cricket Council (ICC), based in Dubai, is the international body that governs the destinations of this sport. It currently has more than one hundred member countries.


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