Origin of Cricket

Speculations say that Prince Edward, the son of Edward I played a game that was called creag in 1301 that mirrored cricket. Although, it was first documented in the 16th century in Southern England, This might possibly be cricket’s origin. During 1707 large crowds would flock to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury, making London its first stop. Crowds were also attracted to the single wicket form of the sport. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling the ball towards the batsman and caused a design revolution in bat design. Cricket became a national sport by the 1800s, soon after it took a major leap overseas to the first ever international cricket match between the United States and Canada. In 1859, a team of England players went on their first overseas tour to North America. In 1862 the English team followed making their first tour in Australia. Australia has seen cricket before this. Between 1876 and 1877, an England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia. The last two decades before the First World War marked the “Golden Age of cricket.” During the First World War Don Bradman from Australia became the greatest batsman of all time. This period also produced some great players and memorable matches, especially as organized sport.

For starters, W G Grace started his long career in 1865. Towards the end of the century his career was often said to have revolutionized cricket in a large way. In the 19th century cricket’s journey overseas expanded even further as well as the players. The England team devoted themselves to steal the crown and brought about the Bodyline series in 1932 through 1933. The Bodyline was also known as the “fast leg theory”. This a tactic the English team used during the Australian tour to stand out in cricket. This introduced us to the short-pitched bowler Harold Larwood. The expansion of cricket in the 20th century brought on to more additions, including the West Indies, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Today, the International Cricket Council has 104 countries practicing.