Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. Today, the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), has 104 member countries. With its greatest popularity in the Test playing countries, cricket is widely regarded as the world's second most popular sport, after association football.




The rules of the game are known as the Laws of Cricket. These are maintained by the ICC and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which holds the copyright. A cricket match is played on a cricket field at the centre of which is a pitch. The match is contested between two teams of eleven players each. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible without being dismissed ("out") while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the other team’s batsmen and limit the runs being scored. When the batting team has used all its available overs or has no remaining batsmen, the roles become reversed and it is now the fielding team’s turn to bat and try to outscore the opposition.




A typical short form cricket match can be completed within two to three hours, compared to 7-8 hours for a one-day cricket match, or five days for a Test match. Twenty20 Cricket or 20-20 cricket is the newest form of Cricket.

There are several variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side (Twenty20) to a game played over 5 days (Test cricket). Depending on the form of the match being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied.

There are mainly four types of Cricket Matches.

1. One Day International (ODI)

2. Test cricket

3. Twenty20

4. First-class cricket


The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

The ICC has 104 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate Members, and 60 Affiliate Members. The ICC is responsible for the organisation and governance of cricket's major international tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. It promulgates the ICC Code of Conduct, which sets professional standards of discipline for international cricket, and also co-ordinates action against corruption and match-fixing through its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). The ICC does not control bilateral fixtures between member countries (which include all test matches), it does not govern domestic cricket in member countries, and it does not make the laws of the game, which remain under the control of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

The International Cricket Council overlooks playing conditions, bowling reviews, and other ICC regulations. Even though the ICC doesn't have copyright to the laws of cricket and only the MCC may change the laws, nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the game's global governing body, the ICC. The ICC also has a "Code of Conduct" to which teams and players in international matches are required to adhere. Where breaches of this code occur the ICC can apply sanctions, usually fines. In 2008 the ICC imposed 19 penalties on players.

The ICC appoints international umpires and Match referees, sponsored by Emirates Airline, who officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The ICC operates 3 panels of umpires: namely the Elite Panel, the International Panel, and the Associates and Affiliates Panel.


On 27 June 2007 it was announced that David Morgan the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, would fill the role of ICC President from 2008, until 2010, when he will be replaced by Sharad Pawar, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI). The current CEO is Haroon Lorgat.

List of International Cricket Council members

All members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on this list are recognised by the ICC as the governing body of the sport of cricket in their respective nations or geographic area. The ICC was founded at Lord's on 15 June 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference, with Australia, England, and South Africa as its founding members. In the beginning, only countries within the commonwealth could join. These members were then joined by India, New Zealand, and the West Indies in 1926 and later by Pakistan in 1953. In 1961, South Africa resigned due to their leaving the Commonwealth.

Full Members

Nation---- Governing body
Australia---- Cricket Australia
Bangladesh---- Bangladesh Cricket Board
England---- England and Wales Cricket Board
India---- Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
New Zealand---- New Zealand Cricket
Pakistan---- Pakistan Cricket Board
South Africa---- Cricket South Africa
Sri Lanka---- Sri Lanka Cricket
West Indies---- West Indies Cricket Board
Zimbabwe---- Zimbabwe Cricket Union

Cricket Rules

Game Protocol :

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The umpire's decision during a game is final in all matters that means no arguing with the umpire, even though you may be sure of his misjudgment. However this is rare these days due to the presence of the third umpire.
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The rules of cricket define dismissals and if you know you're out within that definition, you are morally obliged to aid the umpire and walk, even though the umpire may have missed the judgment.
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Bowlers are not allowed to tamper with the ball in any way. They can polish the ball by rubbing it with cloth, drying or removing mud from the ball and applying saliva or sweat to it. Any other substance is illegal, as is rubbing the ball on the ground and tampering with the seams..
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Members of the fielding team cannot distract the batsmen while he is batting. If in case they do that, the umpire can call a dead ball and award five penalty runs to the batting side's total.
* Bowler should not keep bowling short or high pitched balls which could cause injury to the batsmen. In such cases, the umpire can call a no ball and warn the bowler.
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Players in any innings should not waste time in any way. If they do that the umpire first warns the Captain of the offending team and if it continues then five runs are awarded for the other team.
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The new batsman making their way to the wicket is to be applauded.
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All players are responsible to avoid unnecessary damage to the pitch during play. If a fielder damages the pitch then a caution will be issued to the fielding captain. Any repeat action from any fielder during the innings and the umpire will add five runs to the batting side's total. A batsman who damages the pitch will be cautioned by the umpire. If they do it a second time in the same innings, they'll get a final warning and any runs scored from that delivery, other than no balls or wides, will be disallowed.
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Any attempt made to steal a run will see five penalty runs awarded to the fielding side.

Ways in which batsman is dismissed:

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A batsman is bowled (out) if the ball hits the wicket and dislodges either bail from the top of the stumps.
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A batsman is out LBW (Leg Before Wicket) if the ball hits the batsman on his pads and in the opinion of the umpire it was pitched on a straight line between the wicket or on the off side and would hit the wicket.
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A batsman is out hit wicket if a ball is dislodged by his bat, body or cap while he is in the act of making his stroke.
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A batsman is out if he hits the ball twice.
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An incoming batsman shall be out if he takes more time to come in. Usually two or three minutes being timed from the moment a wicket falls until the new batsman steps on to the field of play.
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The batsman shall be caught out if the ball hit by him is caught by any fielder before it touches the ground.
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The batsman shall be stumped out when he is out of his crease when the ball is being bowled and the wicket is put down by the wicket keeper.
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The batsman is run out when he is out of his crease while attempting a run and his wicket is put down by any player of the opposite side.


Appeal

Appeal is the call of the umpire for a decision on whether a batsman is out. If an appeal is not made by the fielding side before the bowler delivers the next ball, the umpires shall not give a batsman out.

On appeal, either batsman shall be given out obstructing the field if he willfully obstructs the opposite side by work or action or he willfully obstruct a fielder and prevent a catch being made.

Indian National Cricket Team

The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International (ODI) status.

The Indian cricket team is currently ranked first (as of 6 December 2009) by the ICC in Tests and second(as of 6 December 2009) in ODIs. As of December, 2009, the Indian team has played 430 Test matches, winning 101, losing 136 and drawing 195 of its games, with 1 match ending in a tie. India has a relatively better record in One Day Internationals, winning over 50% of matches played. Currently, Gary Kirsten is the head coach while Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain in all forms of the game.Under the leadership of Dhoni, the Indian team has set a national record for most back-to-back ODI wins (9 straight wins) and has emerged as one of the most formidable teams in international cricket.

Although cricket was introduced to India by European merchant sailors in the 18th-century and the first cricket club in India was established in Calcutta in 1792, India's national cricket team didn't play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's. They became the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status. In their first fifty years of international cricket, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 test matches. The team, however, gained strength near the end of the 1970s with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin and the Indian spin quartet. Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, the Indian team has improved its overseas form since the start of the 21st century. It won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 and was runners-up in 2003. It also won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid who hold numerous cricketing world records.

History of Indian Cricket

History of Indian cricket - Before 1930s

The game of cricket was introduced in India in the middle of the 18th century. On 3rd March 1845 the ‘Sporting Intelligence’ magazine carried a reasonably lengthy match report between ‘Sepoy’ cricketers and the European ones. The article clearly proved that Indian cricket was underway in a city called Sylhet, in modern day Bangladesh.

An impressed reporter proudly stated “the most enthusiastic European Cricketers could not have played with more energy and cheerfulness than the Sepoys did”.

However, chroniclers of cricket unanimously suggest that the formation of ‘Parsi Oriental Cricket Club’ in Bombay in the year 1848 led to the start of organized cricket by the Indians.

Parsi cricket

The first Indians to take to the game were the Parsis of Bombay, an educated, well-to-do and progressive community. In 1848, the Parsi boys established the ‘Oriental Cricket Club’.

The emerging Parsi middle class supported cricket as a means of strengthening ties with the overlords, while intellectuals welcomed it as a renewal of physical energy for the race. Around thirty Parsi clubs were formed in the within two decades of the formation of the first club. They were named for British viceroys and statesmen and for Roman gods.

Hindu cricket

The Hindu’s took up the game of cricket with the primary reason that they did not want to fall behind the Parsis in any manner. The first Hindu club ‘Bombay Union’ was formed in 1866. Hindus started playing cricket due to social and business rivalry with the Parsis. Hindu cricketers sorted themselves on the lines of caste and region of origin.



One of the primary Hindu cricketer was Ramchandra Vishnu Navlekar.
Some of the main clubs were Gowd Saraswat Cricket Club, Kshatriya Cricket Club, Gujrati Union Cricket Club, Maratha Cricket Club, Teluu Youn Cricketrs etc.


“There is no more agreeable sight to me,” remarked the Mayor of Bombay in 1886, “than of the whole Maidan overspread by a lot of enthusiastic Parsi and Hindu cricketers, keenly and eagerly engaged in this manly game.”

Gymkhanas

The all-white Bombay Gymkhana, which even refused admission to Ranji, was established in 1875. The Europeans invited the Parsis to paly with them for the first time in 1877. This more or less became a regular feature though it was a decade before the Parsis’ eventually managed to win. Beginning from 1886, the Hindus also began playing an annual match with the Europeans.

With the efforts of Luxmani and Tyebjee families, also famous for their social work such as establishing schools and good work at the law courts, the Muslims had also set up their own cricket club in 1883. This was known as the Muslim Cricket Club.

Cricket in India got a huge impetus by the formation of Parsi, Hindu and Muslim Gymkhanas in the 1890s. The British alloted one plot each to the three major religious communities in the city, for their exclusive use ending their conflict with the colonizers.

Ranjit Singhji

A notable mention in this era is the vital contribution of the Black Prince, Prince Ranjit Singhji who had moved to England to study at Cambridge University and was given a cricket “blue” in his final year by the college.

He then went on to play county cricket for Sussex. He made his Test debut for England in 1896. This made him the first Indian to play Test cricket.
Zee Cric Ranjit Singhji was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1897. He scored a century in the second innings on his Test debut, making his only the second batsman for England to achieve this feat. Duing the year 1899 he amassed 2,780 runs during a season which was the highest aggregate ever made!

India’s most prestigious first-class cricket tournament – Ranji Trophy was named after him in order to honour this great cricketer.

The Bombay Quadrangular

It started as a contest between the Parsis and the Europeans and evolved thereafter. The Hindus joined in 1886. These matches came to be called the Presidency matches due to their ever-rising popularity. In 1907 a triangular tournament was started which involved the Parsis, Europeans and the Hindus.

It was in 1912 that the Muslims joined the league of the famous Bombay tournaments turning it into a Quadrangular. Neutral umpires were introduced for the first time in 1917. Uptil now, umpires were mainly appointed from the Bombay Gymkhana. However, all this changed and umpires began to be appointed from the non-competing teams.

In the 1920’s, the quadrangular tournament gained immense popularity. Players were being selected from all over the sub-continent region. This gave a huge boost to cricket in India and led to the start of several other tournaments all over the country.

In the year 1937, a new team called the Rests was also added to the already four teams turning it into a Pentangular tournament. However, in 1946 due to communal disturbances this Pentangular tournament was done away with, and a zonal competition came into existence.

The Nayudus from Nagpur

The Nayudu family spent thousands on the promotion of cricket. They formed a club in Nagpur that coached many underprivelaged boys and took care of their education provided they fulfilled the only condition, that is, to play cricket.
Zee Cric Such was the family’s fascination with the sport that C K Nayudu’s birth was celebrated by his granddad by organising a cricket match.

The family’s contribution proved fruitful as C.K Nayudu, the family’s illustrious son, went on to become one of the finest batsmen that India has ever produced.

One of Nayudu’s most memorable innings was his 153 in Bombay in 1926. Coming in an hour and thirteen minutes against six English top line bowlers spoke volumes of the progress made by Indian cricket. CK Nayudu was Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in 1933 and was also nicknamed as the ‘Hindu Bradman’.

Formation of BCCI

A.E.R Gilligan’s MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) toured India in 1926 and took on Bombay in a match that proved to be a turning point in the history of Indian cricket. As C K Naidu smashed 153, with elevan sixes and thirteen fours, for the Hindus, India began dreaming big. It eventually led to the formation of BCCI in 1928. Records prove that the first meeting was held on 4 December 1928 and was funded by the Maharaja of Patiala.

The first President of the Board was RE Grant Govan and the founding Secretary was AS De Mello. De Mello later went on to become Board President and was also involved in the creation of the Cricket Club of India. He also helped in establishing Brabourne Stadium which was India’s first permanent cricket venue in 1937.