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