History and Sports: The

story of cricket

IntroductionCricket is a very old game

and it grew in England.

By the 17th century it became very popular.

Till mid 18th century the cricket bat was like hockey stick.

Cricket grew into a modern game and it has a history of its own.

It developed in England and reached to the various colonies of England.

Points to be covered

Introduction to story of cricketThe Historical development of cricket

as a game in England.Why there is vagueness about the

size of cricket ground.Cricket game’s equipment.Cricket and Victorian England.Sport for girls.

The historical development of cricket as a game of England

The game of cricket was shaped into its unique character due to the existing social and economic conditions of 18th and 19th centuries of England.

One such peculiarities of test cricket is that it goes on for five days and can still end into a draw.

Another peculiarity is the length of the pitch. It is specified-22 yards but the size and shape of the ground is not specified.

The first written ‘Laws’ of cricket were drawn in 1744.

The world’s first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760’s and the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) was founded in 1787.

In 1788 MCC became the guardian if cricket’s regulations.

ContinuationThe first written ‘Laws’

of cricket were drawn in 1744.

The world’s first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760’s and the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) was founded in 1787.

In 1788 MCC became the guardian if cricket’s regulations.

ContinuationMCC published First

revision of the cricket laws in1788.

Now bowler started pitching ball through air.

Second change was the replacement of the curved bat with the straight one.

Continuation• The weight of the ball was

limited to between 5×1/2 to 5×3/4 ounces and the width of the bat to 4 inches.

• In 1774, the first leg before law was published.

• Cricket remained a pre-industrial sport that matured during the early phase of Industrial Revolution.

• Cricket is the perfect combination of past and present.

Why there is vagueness about the size of cricket ground?

Cricket’s vagueness about the size of ground is due to its village nature.

Cricket grounds were mostly country common land.

The size of commons varied from one village to another.

So the size of cricket ground varied from place to place.

Cricket game’s equipment

They are all made of natural, pre-industrial material.

The bat is made up of leather, twine and cork.

All these items are handmade and not industrially produced.

ContinuationDennis Lille tried to

play with an aluminium bat but was rejected by umpires.

But today we see the addition of protective gears, helmets and pads in the game of cricket.

Leather Ball

Cork BallTwine Ball

The game of cricket reflected the nature of English society.

The rich who played cricket were called as ‘amateurs’.The poor who played cricket for a living were called as

‘professionals’.Why were rich called amateurs?There were two reasons-:1. They considered sport a kind of leisure. They played

for pleasure and not for money.2. Secondly, there was no money in game for the rich to

be interested. The game was seasonal most of the professionals worked as miners and during off seasons worked as professional of cricket.

Cricket and Victorian England

ContinuationIt was thought that the Battle of

waterloo was won due to the values taught to schools boys in its boarding schools.

The English Boarding school taught the leadership qualities that helped the students to developed leadership qualities.

The English Boarding schools taught English boys The importance of hierarchy The skills and code of honour To build and run the British

Empire

Continuation• The British conquerors justified their conquest

by saying that it is their duty to civilize the uncivilize.

• Cricket helped them to glorify their image because cricket was played not for victory or profit but for the sake of game in the spirit of fair play.

Spot for girlsTill the last part of the 19th

century sports and vigorous exercise for girls was not a part of their education.

But by 1890’s schools began acquiring playgrounds and allowing girls to play games.

Still girls were not allowed to over exert and therefore they were encouraged to take more interest in country excursions than playing.

Continuation

One game croquet became very popular in England amongst the girls.

It was a slow paced, elegant game considered suitable for women especially of the upper class.

The players wore flowing gowns, frills and hats show the character of game i.e. women’s sports

Points to be covered The spread of cricket Cricket and the Caribbean CountriesCricket, Race and Religion The origin of Indian CricketHistory of Gymkhana Cricket

The Spread of CricketCricket remained a

colonial game for quite a long time.

British Imperial officials brought the game to the colonies.

The first non-white club was establish in West Indies .

Success at cricket became a measure of racial equality and political progress.

Cricket and the Caribbean Countries Leaders like Forbes Burnham and Eric William

saw in the game of cricket a chance for self respect.

West Indies won the 1st test series against England in 1950’s.

Cricket, Race and ReligionThe Early Cricket history of Indian First class

cricket teams were not organized on geographical principles.

It was based on principle of race and religion. Cricket was played for the first time in 1721 at Cambay, it was a recreational match played by English sailors.

The first Indian club, the Calcutta Cricket Club was establish in 1792.

Cricket was played by British military men and civil servant.

The origin of Indian CricketThe first Indian

Community to start playing cricket was Zoroastrian Community .

They founded first cricket club in India in1848 at Bombay.

Parsis built their own gymkhana to play cricket

By 1890’s the Hindu and the Muslims also started dreaming for their gymkhanas

The British government encouraged such racial activities.

History of Gymkhana CricketIndian cricket was organized on

communal and racial lines.The teams represented religious

communities The first class cricket tournament was

named as the Quadrangular.Four teams that participated were: The Europeans The Parsis The Hindus The Muslims

ContinuationPentangular

tournament had five teams in it:

The Europeans The Parsis The Hindus The Muslims The Rest

Above picture is one of the Gymkhana Cricket Club

Points to be coveredThe modern transformation of the Game

Commerce, Media and Cricket today

The modern transformation of the GameModern cricket is dominated by Test 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 for their country.

The players Indian fans remember from the era of the Pentangular and the Quadrangular are those who were fortunate enough to play Test cricket.

C.K. Naidu, an outstanding Indian batsmen of his time, lives on in the popular imagination when some of his great contemporaries like Palwankar Vithal and Palwankar Baloo have been forgotten because his career lasted long enough for him to play Test cricket for India while theirs did not.

ContinuationEven though Naidu was past his cricketing prime

when he played for India’s cricket history is assured because he was the country’s first Test captain.

India entered the world of Test cricket in 1932, a decade and a half before it become an independent nation.

This was possible because Test cricket from its origins in 1877 was organized as a contest between different parts of the British empire, not sovereign nations.

The first Test was played between England and Australia was still a white setter colony, not even a self governing dominion.

Similarly, the small Caribbean countries that together make up the West Indies team were British colonies till well after the Second World War.