About Cricket

Umpires and scorers

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:13:00 +0000

The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg", a position 10–12 metres to the side of the "on strike" batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for example rain or deterioration of the light.
An umpire

Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws of cricket and the spirit of the game.

Off the field, the match details including runs and dismissals are recorded by two official scorers, one representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger to signal that the batsman is out (has been dismissed); he raises both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six runs. The scorers are required by the Laws of cricket to record all runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled. In practice, they accumulate much additional data such as bowling analyses and run rates.

Bat and ball

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:12:00 +0000

The essence of the sport is that a bowler delivers the ball from his end of the pitch towards the batsman who, armed with a bat is "on strike" at the other end.

The bat is made of wood (usually White Willow) and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (108 mm) wide and the total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (970 mm).
The ball is a hard leather-seamed spheroid with a circumference of 9 inches (230 mm). The hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), is a matter for concern and batsmen wear protective clothing including pads (designed to protect the knees and shins), batting gloves for the hands, a helmet for the head and a box inside the trousers (to protect the crotch area). Some batsmen wear additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads.

Pitch, wickets and creases

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:11:00 +0000

The pitch is 22 yd (one chain) long [12] between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor.

Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm).
Aerial view of MCG displaying the stadium, ground and pitch

Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the "popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return" creases.
A wicket consists of three stumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two bails.

The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these must be 22 yards (20 m) apart. A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) long with the middle stump placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is parallel to the bowling crease and is 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the wicket. The return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m).

When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery stride" must land within the two return creases while his front foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball".

The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out of his ground".

Pitches vary in consistency, and thus in the amount of bounce, spin, and seam movement available to the bowler. Hard pitches are usually good to bat on because of high but even bounce. Dry pitches tend to deteriorate for batting as cracks often appear, and when this happens spinners can play a major role. Damp pitches, or pitches covered in grass (termed "green" pitches), allow good fast bowlers to extract extra bounce. Such pitches tend to offer help to fast bowlers throughout the match, but become better for batting as the game goes on.

Objectives

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:09:00 +0000

A cricket match is played between two teams (or sides) of eleven players each on a field of variable size and shape. The ground is grassy and is prepared by groundsmen whose jobs include fertilising, mowing, rolling and levelling the surface. Field diameters of 140–160 yards (130–150 m) are usual. The perimeter of the field is known as the boundary and this is sometimes painted and sometimes marked by a rope that encircles the outer edge of the field. The Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field[7] but it is often oval – one of cricket's most famous venues is called The Oval.

The objective of each team is to score more runs than the other team and to completely dismiss the other team. In one form of cricket, winning the game is achieved by scoring the most runs, even if the opposition has not been completely dismissed. In another form, it is necessary to score the most runs and dismiss the opposition in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn.

Before play commences, the two team captains toss a coin to decide which team shall bat or bowl first. The captain who wins the toss makes his decision on the basis of tactical considerations which may include the current and expected field and weather conditions.

The key action takes place in a specially prepared area of the field (generally in the centre) that is called the pitch. At either end of the pitch, 22 yards (20 m) apart, are placed the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side which seeks to accumulate runs. A run is scored when the batsman has run the length of the pitch after hitting the ball with his bat, although as explained below there are many ways of scoring runs.[8] If the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs, the ball is dead and is returned to the bowler to be bowled again.[9]

The bowling side seeks to dismiss the batsmen by various means [10] until the batting side is all out, whereupon the side that was bowling takes its turn to bat and the side that was batting must take the field.[11]

In professional matches, there are 15 people on the field while a match is in play. Two of these are the umpires who regulate all on-field activity. Two are the batsmen, one of whom is the striker as he is facing the bowling; the other is called the non-striker. The roles of the batsmen are interchangeable as runs are scored and overs are completed. The fielding side has all 11 players on the field together. One of them is the bowler, another is the wicketkeeper and the other nine are called fielders. The wicketkeeper (or keeper) is nearly always a specialist but any of the fielders can be called upon to bowl.

Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:06:00 +0000

This article is about the sport. For the insect, see Cricket (insect). For other meanings of the term "cricketer", see Cricketer (disambiguation). For other uses, see Cricket (disambiguation).
Cricket Pollock to Hussey.jpg
A bowler bowling to a batsman. The paler strip is the cricket pitch. The two sets of three wooden stumps on the pitch are the wickets. The two white lines are the creases.
Highest governing body     International Cricket Council
Characteristics
Team members     11 players per side
substitute fielders (only) are permitted in cases of injury or illness
Mixed gender     Yes, separate competitions
Categorization     Bat-and-ball
Equipment     Cricket ball, cricket bat,
wicket: stumps, bails
Venue     Cricket field
Olympic     1900 Summer Olympics only

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.[1] With its greatest popularity in the Test playing countries, cricket is widely regarded as the world's second most popular sport[2][3][4].

The rules of the game are known as the Laws of Cricket.[5] 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.[6] 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.

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.

Facts about cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:05:00 +0000

Pets, as discussed in Britannica Compton's Encyclopedia pets: Terrariums, Ant Houses, Crickets:
Crickets are tiny but lively and cheerful pets. The snowy tree cricket is popularly known as the thermometer cricket because the approximate Fahrenheit temperature can be estimated by counting the number of its chirps in 15 seconds and adding 40. In parts of Asia people sometimes carry their pet crickets in cricket cages when they take walks. (See also cricket, grasshopper, and...

Cricket Bats

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Our custom made bats are quality products made with great wood. They have a strong cane handle reinforced with firmly wound string and a rubber sleeve.
They are meant for use only with tennis balls.Play the game you love and play it to the full, without fear of breaking too many windows or seriously wounding your next door neighbor.
A wise man once said ï¿½A cricket bat in the family helps you spend your summer happilyï¿½.
GRAY NICOLLS VIPER VENOM ENGLISH WILLOW JUNIOR CRICKET BAT. Combines Gray Nicolls famous 'scoops' with present day demands. Enhanced steep spine profile. Thick powerful edges with lightweight pick up and feel. NOW OUT OF STOCK
South Shropshire Journals reports that rat droppings, a cricket bat used to stir vats of curry sauce which was later gnawed by rats, and various holes used by the pests were found at a Chinese restaurant in Knighton.
Inspectors found evidence of rat activity at the Mandarin House Take-away at 50 Market Street when they carried out routine checks on March 5 last year.On Friday, Chun-Hung Cheung was fined a total of £2,000 and ordered to pay £500 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after admitting five charges under the Food Hygiene (Wales)

Cricket Gloves

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:35:00 +0000

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Cricket Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:04:00 +0000

We produce complete range of cricket gear like English & Kashmir willow cricket bats, leather & PVC/ PU cricket balls, batting & wicket keeping pads, batting gloves, wicket keeping gloves, cricket helmets, thigh pad, arm guard, chest protectors, bags, cricket stumps, cricket clothing and cricket accessories etc.

Test Match Playing Conditions

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Except as modified for One Day Internationals these playing conditions shall apply to all tour matches.
1. Laws of Cricket
Except as varied hereunder the Laws of Cricket (2000 Code) shall apply.

2. Duration of Matches
Test Matches shall be of five days scheduled duration. The two participating countries may:

1. Provide for a rest day during the match, and/or a reserve day after the scheduled days of play.
2. Play on any scheduled rest day, conditions and circumstances permitting, should a full day's play be lost on any day prior to the rest day.
3. Play on any scheduled reserve day, conditions and circumstances permitting, should a full day's play be lost on any day. Play shall not take place on more than 5 days.
4. Make up time lost in excess of five minutes in each day's play due to circumstances outside the game other than acts of God.
3. Hours of Play, Intervals and Minimum Overs in the Day

3.1 Start and C3.1 Start and Cessation Times: To be determined by the Home Board, subject to there being 6 hours scheduled for play per day (Pakistan a minimum of five and a half hours), and subject to:
Minimum Overs in the Day in Test Matches
1. Play shall continue on each day until the completion of a minimum number of overs or until the scheduled or re-scheduled cessation time, whichever is the later.
The minimum number of overs to be completed, unless an innings ends or an interruption occurs shall be:
1. on days other than the last day - a minimum of 90 overs (or a minimum of 15 overs per hour)
2. on the last day - a minimum of 75 overs (or 15 overs per hour) for playing time other than the last hour when Clause

(e) below shall apply.

3. Additional Hour: Subject to weather and light, except in the last hour of the match, in the event of play being suspended for any reason other than normal intervals, the playing time on that day shall be extended by the amount of time lost up to a maximum of one hour. In these circumstances, the minimum number of overs to be bowled shall be in accordance with the provisions of this clause i.e. a minimum of 15 overs per hour and the cessation time shall be rescheduled accordingly.
4. If play has been suspended for 30 minutes or more prior to the commencement of the scheduled tea interval, the tea interval shall be delayed for half an hour.
5. Experimental Condition - subject to both Boards agreement prior to the start of the Tour.

If any time is lost and cannot be made up under (iii) above, additional time of up to a maximum of one hour per day shall be added to the scheduled playing hours for the next day, and subsequent day(s) as required (to make up as much lost time as possible).Of this additional time the first 30 minutes (or less) shall be added prior to the scheduled start of the first session, and the remainder shall be added to the last session.

When additional time is added to subsequent day(s), no scheduled days play shall exceed 7 hours. The length of each session of play under this experimental condition is subject to the provisions of Law 15.
Under Law 15.5 timings can be altered at any time on any day if playing time is lost, not necessarily on that day. The captains, umpires and the referee can agree different timings under those circumstances before play starts on any day.

2. When an innings ends, a minimum number of overs shall be bowled from the start of the new innings. The number of overs to be bowled shall be calculated at the rate of one over for each full four minutes to enable a minimum of 90 overs to be bowled in a day, and the time for close of play shall be rescheduled accordingly. The last hour of the match shall be excluded from this calculation when Clause (e) shall apply.

Where a change of innings occurs during a day's play, in the event of the team bowling second being unable to complete its overs by the scheduled cessation time, play shall continue until the required number of overs have been completed.
Where there is a change of innings during a day's play (except at lunch or tea), 2 overs will be deducted from the minimum number of overs to be bowled.
3. Except in the last hour of the match, for which Clause (e) makes provision, if play is suspended due to adverse weather or light for more than one hour in aggregate on any day, the minimum number of overs shall be reduced by one over for each full 4 minutes of the aggregate playing time lost.
4. On the last day, if any of the minimum 75 overs, or as recalculated, have not been bowled when one hour of scheduled playing time remains, the last hour of the match for the purposes of Clause (e) shall be the hour immediately following the completion of these overs.
5. Law 16.6, 16.7 and 16.8 will apply except that a minimum of 15 (six ball) overs shall be bowled in the last hour and all calculations with regard to suspensions of play or the start of a new innings shall be based on one over for each full 4 minutes (refer (i) below). If, however, at any time after 30 minutes of the last hour have elapsed both Captains (the batsmen at the wicket may act for their Captain) accept that there is no prospect of a result to the match, they may agree to cease play at that time.

Principles and practice of pitch preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Produced under the auspices of the United Cricket Board of South Africa
Prepared by NM Tainton, JR Klug, D Edmondson & RK Campbell (University of Natal) and P W van.
Deventer & M J de Beer (Potchefstroom University).
It is a fundamental principle that you cannot play good cricket on poor wickets. The United Cricket Board of South Africa has decided that it should play a leading role in upgrading the knowledge available to groundsmen for the preparation of turf wickets throughout South Africa.To this end it has been most fortunate to secure the services of a team comprising members from the Universities of Natal and Potchefstroom to help it with this substantial and Important task.
The publication of this book on the preparation and construction of turf pitches is a very welcome step in the process and the United Cricket Board is most grateful for the high quality work and energy that these universities have put into both the preparation of this book and the assistance that they have given those groundsmen responsible for preparing cricket pitches in South Africa.e want this book to be regarded as a living document so that future editions will incorporate the increased experience and knowledge currently being generated, as well as the results of the research programme to which the United Cricket Board has committed itself.We are very grateful to Professor Neil Tainton and his team from Natal University, and Piet van Deventer of Potchefstroom University for their great efforts in making this publication possible.

R C WHITE
Vice President: United Cricket Board of South Africa

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. WHAT DO WE SEE AS BEING A GOOD PITCH?
          For a four or five day game
          For a one day limited-overs game
          For one and two day club games
3. FACTORS DETERMINING PITCH PERFORMANCE
          (i) The bulli
          (ii) Pitch preparation - what to aim at
          (iii) The type of turf to use
          (iv) Cracking
          (v) Powdering and crumbling
          (vi) Do pitches deteriorate with age
4. GENERAL MANAGEMENT FACTORS
          (i) Overcoming layering
          (ii) Drainage
          (iii) Topdressing
          (iv) Incursion of grass from the outfield
          (vi) Maintenance of footholes
5. FERTILISING

6. PESTS, DISEASE AND WEED PROBLEMS
7. THE USE OF HESSIAN OR BIDUM
8. TESTING PROCEDURES
          (i) Physical tests on bulli
          (ii) Motty or Adams/Stewart Soil Binding test (ASSB)
          (iii) Chemical tests on bulli
          (iv) Chemical tests on irrigation water
          (v) Sampling procedures.
          (vi) Testing pitch performance
9. PITCH CONSTRUCTION
10. OTHER EXAMPLES OF PITCH PROFILES
11. RELAYING A PITC

12. WINTER OPERATIONS
13. PITCH PREPARATION
Hints which may assist in choosing the right techniques Personal Guidelines.

REFERENCES
ADDRESSES

ABBREVIATED CONSTRUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL AND CLUB CRICKET PITCHES

1. INTRODUCTION
A recent survey undertaken by the above team has shown that the quality of Provincial
pitches varies considerably. Their pace, after preparation for four day matches, varied from
medium to very slow, their bounce from medium to low and their consistency from reasonably
consistent to very inconsistent. The same pattern is likely to be found among club and
school pitches.
To overcome this problem the UCB has decided to put a help-line in place to assist
groundsmen with their problems. Two teams (one at Potchefstroom University for the inland
pitches and one at Natal University, Pietermaritzburg, for the coastal pitches, have been
nominated to do this). It is hoped that these two teams will be able to assist in the
following ways:

    * Give a series of seminars to groundsmen;
    * Visit each of the Provincial groundsmen for discussions on any problems they may have;
    * Search for a source of good quality bulli for each of the Provinces; and
    * Provide the Provincial groundsmen with the necessary equipment to measure the bounce

and pace of their pitches and to correctly sample their pitches for any laboratory tests which they would like undertaken. Clubs might be able to negotiate with the Provincial groundsmen for the use of this testing equipment.Any groundsmen would be free to contact either of the teams for advice, but any costs associated with any such action (beyond those listed above) would need to be borne by the
Province or the clubs involved. Addresses are given at the back of this document.It needs to be said at the start that, in pitch preparation, there may be any number of ways =of reaching a particular goal. All groundsmen are likely to have developed their own particular procedures with which they may be entirely satisfied. Indeed, if the testing procedures which will be referred to later in this document show that they are consistently producing pitches which meet their particular goals, then there is presumably no need for them to change the procedures they are using. What we intend to do in this seminar, however, is to stimulate discussion among the groundsmen and to encourage groundsmen to think about what they are doing by providing them with the basic principles governing pitch behaviour.
An understanding of the principles behind a good pitch will, we are sure, add a great deal
of job satisfaction to the task of preparing a good cricket wicket. We hope you all find the
seminar helpful and, above all, stimulating and we hope that you will all involve yourselves
fully in our discussions.

2. WHAT DO WE SEE AS BEING A GOOD PITCH?
We may all have different ideas on how an ideal pitch should behave (depending perhaps on
the bowling strengths of our side at any time) and the ideal pitch will vary according to
the duration of the intended game. We need to define what we want before we can set down our
procedures. For the purposes of this seminar, we define an ideal pitch as follows:
For a four or five day game
Day 1:    The pitch should be quite moist, with some green grass on the surface (not all will
agree with this, as in the Australian examples which will be discussed later). A green
surface will allow the ball to seam around a bit (later we will explain why greenness
promotes this movement). The pitch should have consistent pace and bounce.
Days 2 & 3:    The pitch will have dried out and should become more bouncy and it should quicken up
(provided it does not crack badly by becoming too dry too quickly). It will have lost its
greenness and so should not seam around much. The ball should come nicely onto the bat and
the pitch should now be ideal for batting.
Day 4:    The surface should start to powder and the cracks will start to open up. This will slow
the pitch down. It will become less bouncy, the bounce will become more inconsistent and it
will start to take spin.
[Day 5:    The above pattern will be accentuated as the pitch wears further.]
For a one day limited-overs game
The general requirement here is for a pitch which will favour the batsmen. The ideal would
be to produce a pitch equivalent to that on the second or third day of a five day game
(described above) but of course without the wear. This suggests that water should be
withheld for one to two days longer than for a five day game to allow it to dry out for a
day or two longer.For one and two day club games.Since such games are seldom limited overs games and do not have a contrived result, the pitch here would need to have more life than that for a one day limited overs game. This could be achieved in a number of ways, such as by deliberately producing a green-top or a spinners wicket (hopefully not by having to resort to sprinkling bulli dust over the pitch
to promote this). We hope to explain how such pitches can be produced later during this
seminar.

3. FACTORS DETERMINING PITCH PERFORMANCE

There are four main elements to a good pitch:
(i) the nature of the bulli;
(ii) the way in which the pitch is prepared;
(iii) the way the water content of the bulli is controlled; and
(iii) the type of turf used.
(i) The bulli
(a) bulli composition
The nature of the bulli determines the maximum pace and bounce that can be achieved. The
South African and Australian pattern is to use bulli with strong swell/shrink characteristics i.e. bulli which swells when it is wetted and shrinks when it dries, and which is able to provide a pacey bouncy pitch. This characteristic is brought about by a high content of what is known as 2:1 swelling clays. These clay soils have a high binding strength (which is closely correlated with bounce and pace - the greater the binding strength the greater the pace and the higher the bounce). Organic matter in the bulli will have a dampening effect of both pace and bounce.Alternatively, a high sand content in the bulli will help to provide grip to the ball when it comes into contact with the pitch. This will slow the pace of the ball but will allow for greater turn.Published reports suggest that ideal bulli should comprise the following fractions:

Clay:

50 - 60% (Note that English and New Zealand pitches have much lower levels than this - down to 30%).

Calcium carbonate:

< 5% (this is often found as whitish nodules in our heavy clay soils, so avoid such soils). No visible
reaction should take place when hydrochloric acid 10% dilution) is added to dry soil.

Sodium:

< 5% (sodium levels are, unfortunately, rather high in the coastal pitches but there is nothing much that can be done about it except to make sure the problem is not accentuated by using bulli with a high sodium content, or regularly watering during the heat of the day when evaporation rates are high) Linear shrinkage: 0.08 to 0.15 (the higher this is the more the pitch will crack) Organic matter: < 5% (organic matter in the soil reduces binding strength and so reduces pace and bounce).

If the clay content of the bulli is too high, cracking becomes a major problem. Cracking is
not only dependent on the clay content but also to a large extent on the type of clay
mineral dominant in the bulli. It seems also that cracks can become permanent in that they
may not close up even on watering if a thick stone drainage layer exists under the bulli.
This complicates pitch preparation and it is probably impossible to consistently produce a
good pitch with such bulli. Note also that clay percentages can be lower than the above for
club and school pitches which do not need to last for four to five days of continuous play.
The bulli should contain no gypsum or any other salts, since this promotes crumbling. Finely
divided limestone in the bulli will also cause crumbling, as will a high salinity.

(b) bulli depth
Recommendations for the depth of bulli required are that it should be sufficiently deep to
create a hard bound surface but not so deep that drying becomes difficult. Recommended
depths range from as little as 70 mm to 150 and even 300 mm. The longer the pitch has to
last, the deeper must the bulli be and for Provincial pitches we suggest that it should not
be less than about 150 mm. One means of reducing the amount of bulli used during
construction is to increasingly dilute the bulli with sand with increasing depth down the
profile, but the upper 100 mm or so should always comprise pure bulli.

History of Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:12:00 +0000

A basic form of the sport can be traced back to the 13th century, but it may have existed even earlier than that. The game seems to have originated among shepherds and farm workers in the Weald between Kent and Sussex. Written evidence exists of a sport known as creag being played by Prince Edward, the son of Edward I (Longshanks), at Newenden, Kent in 1300.

In 1598, a court case referred to a sport called Creckett being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550. The Oxford English Dictionary gives this as the first recorded instance of cricket in the English language. A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term cricket. The name may derive from a term for the cricket bat: old French criquet (meaning a kind of club) or Flemish krick(e) (meaning a stick) or in Old English crycc (meaning a crutch or staff). (The latter is problematic, since Old English 'cc' was palatal in pronunciation in the south and the west midlands, roughly ch, which is how crycc leads to crych and thence crutch; the 'k' sound would be possible in the north, however.) Alternatively, the French criquet apparently derives from the Flemish word krickstoel, which is a long low stool on which one kneels in church and which resembles the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket. During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is possible that the first professionals appeared about that time. We know that a great cricket match with eleven players a side was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest reference we have to cricket in terms of such importance.

The game underwent major development in the 18th Century and had become the national sport of England by the end of the century. Betting played a major part in that development and rich patrons began forming their own "select XIs". Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The Hambledon Club was founded sometime before 1750 and started playing first-class matches in 1756. For the next 30 years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's in 1787, Hambledon was the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket. The 19th Century saw underarm replaced by first roundarm and then overarm bowling. Both developments were accompanied by major controversy. County clubs appeared from 1836 and ultimately formed a County Championship. In 1859, a team of England players went on the first overseas tour (to North America) and 18 years later another England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia. Cricket appeared at one Olympic Games, at Paris in 1900. Olympic cricket lasted only two days and Great Britain is the current Olympic champion.

Cricket entered an epochal era in 1963, when English counties modified the rules to provide a variant match form that produced an expedited result: games with a restricted number of overs per side. This gained widespread popularity and resulted in the birth of one-day international (ODI) matches in 1971. The governing International Cricket Council quickly adopted the new form and held the first ODI Cricket World Cup in 1975. Since then, ODI matches have gained mass spectatorship, at the expense of the longer form of the game and to the consternation of fans who prefer the longer form of the game. As of the early 2000s, however, the longer form of cricket is experiencing a growing resurgence in popularity.

Laws of Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:11:00 +0000

The game is played in accordance with 42 laws of cricket, which have been developed by the Marylebone Cricket Club in discussion with the main cricketing nations. Teams may agree to alter some of the rules for particular games. Other rules supplement the main laws and change them to deal with different circumstances. In particular, there are a number of modifications to the playing structure and fielding position rules that apply to one innings games that are restricted to a set number of fair deliveries1

Objective and results

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:11:00 +0000

Cricket is a bat and ball sport. The objective of the game is to score more runs than the opposing team. A match is divided into innings during which one team bats and one team fields. The word "innings" is both singular and plural in cricket usage.
If the team batting last is dismissed while their total score is n runs less than that of their opponents, they are said to have lost by n runs. If, in a two-innings match, one team is dismissed twice with a combined first- and second-innings score less than their opponents' first-innings score, then the winning team has no requirement to bat again and they are said to have won by an innings and n runs, where n is the difference in score between the teams.
If the team batting last is dismissed with the scores exactly equal then the match is a tie; a tie is a rare result, particularly in matches of two innings a side. If the team batting last reaches their target, they are said to have won by n wickets, where n is the number of wickets the opposition still needed to take in order to dismiss them. If the time allotted for the match finishes before either side can win, then the game is a draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. In this case the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula known as the Duckworth-Lewis method is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can be declared a "No-Result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team. This can occur if an interruption makes a resumption of play impossible, for example an extended period of bad weather.

About Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players. It is a bat-and-ball game played on a roughly elliptical grass field, in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set of wooden stumps, called a wicket. A player from the fielding team (the bowler) propels a hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball from one wicket towards the other. The ball usually bounces before reaching a player from the opposing team (the batsman), who defends the wicket from the ball with a wooden cricket bat. Another batsman (the "non-striker") stands in an inactive role near the bowler's wicket.
Generally, the batsman attempts to strike the ball with the bat, and run to the other end, exchanging places with his partner, scoring a run. However, he can attempt to run without hitting the ball, and vice versa. While the batting team scores as many runs as it can, the bowling team returns the ball back to either wicket. If the ball strikes a wicket before the batsman nearer to that wicket has reached safety, then the batsman is out, or "dismissed". The batsman can also be out by failing to stop the bowled ball from hitting the wicket, or if a fielder catches the ball before it touches the ground. Once the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs, the ball is "dead" and is bowled again.

Once out, a batsman is replaced by the next batsman in the team. As there must always be two batsmen on the field, the team's innings ends when ten batsmen are out, and the teams exchange roles. The number of innings, and possible restrictions on the number of balls in each, depend on the type of game played. At the end of the match - of which there are several definitions - the team that has scored more runs wins. In first-class cricket, a draw can result if the team to bat last fails to match the required total before a time limit is reached. This can add interest to one-sided games by giving the team in the worse position an incentive to play for a draw. This is distinct from a tie, which results if scores are level at the completion of both teams' innings.

A Brief History of Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Munner) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:52:00 +0000

The origins of cricket lie somewhere in the Dark Ages - probably after the Roman Empire, almost certainly before the Normans invaded England, and almost certainly somewhere in Northern Europe. All research concedes that the game derived from a very old, widespread and uncomplicated pastime by which one player served up an object, be it a small piece of wood or a ball, and another hit it with a suitably fashioned club.

How and when this club-ball game developed into one where the hitter defended a target against the thrower is simply not known. Nor is there any evidence as to when points were awarded dependent upon how far the hitter was able to despatch the missile; nor when helpers joined the two-player contest, thus beginning the evolution into a team game; nor when the defining concept of placing wickets at either end of the pitch was adopted.

Etymological scholarship has variously placed the game in the Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and Norman-French traditions; sociological historians have variously attributed its mediaeval development to high-born country landowners, emigré Flemish cloth-workers, shepherds on the close-cropped downland of south-east England and the close-knit communities of iron- and glass-workers deep in the Kentish Weald. Most of these theories have a solid academic basis, but none is backed with enough evidence to establish a watertight case. The research goes on.

What is agreed is that by Tudor times cricket had evolved far enough from club-ball to be recognisable as the game played today; that it was well established in many parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; that within a few years it had become a feature of leisure time at a significant number of schools; and - a sure sign of the wide acceptance of any game - that it had become popular enough among young men to earn the disapproval of local magistrates.

Dates in cricket history

1550 (approx) Evidence of cricket being played in Guildford, Surrey.

1598 Cricket mentioned in Florio's Italian-English dictionary.

1610 Reference to "cricketing" between Weald and Upland near Chevening, Kent. 1611 Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary translates the French word "crosse" as a cricket staff.

Two youths fined for playing cricket at Sidlesham, Sussex.

1624 Jasper Vinall becomes first man known to be killed playing cricket: hit by a bat while trying to catch the ball - at Horsted Green, Sussex.

1676 First reference to cricket being played abroad, by British residents in Aleppo, Syria.

1694 Two shillings and sixpence paid for a "wagger" (wager) about a cricket match at Lewes.

1697 First reference to "a great match" with 11 players a side for fifty guineas, in Sussex.

1700 Cricket match announced on Clapham Common.

1709 First recorded inter-county match: Kent v Surrey.

1710 First reference to cricket at Cambridge University.

1727 Articles of Agreement written governing the conduct of matches between the teams of the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick of Peperharow, Surrey.

1729 Date of earliest surviving bat, belonging to John Chitty, now in the pavilion at The Oval.

1730 First recorded match at the Artillery Ground, off City Road, central London, still the cricketing home of the Honourable Artillery Company.

1744 Kent beat All England by one wicket at the Artillery Ground.

First known version of the Laws of Cricket, issued by the London Club, formalising the pitch as 22 yards long.

1767 (approx) Foundation of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire, the leading club in England for the next 30 years.

1769 First recorded century, by John Minshull for Duke of Dorset's XI v Wrotham.

1771 Width of bat limited to 4 1/4 inches, where it has remained ever since.

1774 LBW law devised.

1776 Earliest known scorecards, at the Vine Club, Sevenoaks, Kent.

1780 The first six-seamed cricket ball, manufactured by Dukes of Penshurst, Kent.

1787 First match at Thomas Lord's first ground, Dorset Square, Marylebone - White Conduit Club v Middlesex.

Formation of Marylebone Cricket Club by members of the White Conduit Club.

1788 First revision of the Laws of Cricket by MCC.

1794 First recorded inter-schools match: Charterhouse v Westminster.

1795 First recorded case of a dismissal "leg before wicket".

1806 First Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's.

1807 First mention of "straight-armed" (i.e. round-arm) bowling: by John Willes of Kent.

1809 Thomas Lord's second ground opened at North Bank, St John's Wood.

1811 First recorded women's county match: Surrey v Hampshire at Ball's Pond, London.

1814 Lord's third ground opened on its present site, also in St John's Wood.

1827 First Oxford v Cambridge match, at Lord's. A draw.

1828 MCC authorise the bowler to raise his hand level with the elbow.

1833 John Nyren publishes his classic Young Cricketer's Tutor and The Cricketers of My Time.

1836 First North v South match, for many years regarded as the principal fixture of the season.

1836 (approx) Batting pads invented.

1841 General Lord Hill, commander-in-chief of the British Army, orders that a cricket ground be made an adjunct of every military barracks.

1844 First official international match: Canada v United States.

1845 First match played at The Oval.

1846 The All-England XI, organised by William Clarke, begins playing matches, often against odds, throughout the country.

1849 First Yorkshire v Lancashire match.

1850 Wicket-keeping gloves first used.

1850 John Wisden bowls all ten batsmen in an innings for North v South.

1853 First mention of a champion county: Nottinghamshire.

1858 First recorded instance of a hat being awarded to a bowler taking three wickets with consecutive balls.

1859 First touring team to leave England, captained by George Parr, draws enthusiastic crowds in the US and Canada.

1864 Overhand bowling authorised by MCC.

John Wisden's The Cricketer's Almanack first published.

1868 Team of Australian aborigines tour England.

1873 WG Grace becomes the first player to record 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season.

First regulations restricting county qualifications, often regarded as the official start of the County Championship.

1877 First Test match: Australia beat England by 45 runs in Melbourne.

1880 First Test in England: a five-wicket win against Australia at The Oval.

1882 Following England's first defeat by Australia in England, an "obituary notice" to English cricket in the Sporting Times leads to the tradition of The Ashes.

1889 South Africa's first Test match.

Declarations first authorised, but only on the third day, or in a one-day match.

1890 County Championship officially constituted.

Present Lord's pavilion opened.

1895 WG Grace scores 1,000 runs in May, and reaches his 100th hundred.

1899 AEJ Collins scores 628 not out in a junior house match at Clifton College, the highest individual score in any match.

Selectors choose England team for home Tests, instead of host club issuing invitations.

1900 Six-ball over becomes the norm, instead of five.

1909 Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC - now the International Cricket Council) set up, with England, Australia and South Africa the original members.

1910 Six runs given for any hit over the boundary, instead of only for a hit out of the ground.

1912 First and only triangular Test series played in England, involving England, Australia and South Africa.

1915 WG Grace dies, aged 67.

1926 Victoria score 1,107 v New South Wales at Melbourne, the record total for a first-class innings.

1928 West Indies' first Test match.

AP "Tich" Freeman of Kent and England becomes the only player to take more than 300 first-class wickets in a season: 304.

1930 New Zealand's first Test match.

Donald Bradman's first tour of England: he scores 974 runs in the five Ashes Tests, still a record for any Test series.

1931 Stumps made higher (28 inches not 27) and wider (nine inches not eight - this was optional until 1947).

1932 India's first Test match.

Hedley Verity of Yorkshire takes ten wickets for ten runs v Nottinghamshire, the best innings analysis in first-class cricket.

1932-33 The Bodyline tour of Australia in which England bowl at batsmen's bodies with a packed leg-side field to neutralise Bradman's scoring.

1934 Jack Hobbs retires, with 197 centuries and 61,237 runs, both records. First women's Test: Australia v England at Brisbane.

1935 MCC condemn and outlaw Bodyline.

1947 Denis Compton of Middlesex and England scores a record 3,816 runs in an English season.

1948 First five-day Tests in England.

Bradman concludes Test career with a second-ball duck at The Oval and a batting average of 99.94 - four runs short of 100.

1952 Pakistan's first Test match.

1953 England regain the Ashes after a 19-year gap, the longest ever.

1956 Jim Laker of England takes 19 wickets for 90 v Australia at Manchester, the best match analysis in first-class cricket.

1957 Declarations authorised at any time.

1960 First tied Test, Australia v West Indies at Brisbane.

1963 Distinction between amateur and professional cricketers abolished in English cricket.

The first major one-day tournament begins in England: the Gillette Cup.

1969 Limited-over Sunday league inaugurated for first-class counties.

1970 Proposed South African tour of England cancelled: South Africa excluded from international cricket because of their government's apartheid policies.

1971 First one-day international: Australia v England at Melbourne.

1975 First World Cup: West Indies beat Australia in final at Lord's.

1976 First women's match at Lord's, England v Australia.

1977 Centenary Test at Melbourne, with identical result to the first match: Australia beat England by 45 runs.

Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer, signs 51 of the world's leading players in defiance of the cricketing authorities.

1978 Graham Yallop of Australia wears a protective helmet to bat in a Test match, the first player to do so.

1979 Packer and official cricket agree peace deal.

1980 Eight-ball over abolished in Australia, making the six-ball over universal.

1981 England beat Australia in Leeds Test, after following on with bookmakers offering odds of 500 to 1 against them winning.

1982 Sri Lanka's first Test match.

1991 South Africa return, with a one-day international in India.

1992 Zimbabwe's first Test match.

Durham become the first county since Glamorgan in 1921 to attain firstclass status.

1993 The ICC ceases to be administered by MCC, becoming an independent organisation with its own chief executive.

1994 Brian Lara of Warwickshire becomes the only player to pass 500 in a firstclass innings: 501 not out v Durham.

2000 South Africa's captain Hansie Cronje banned from cricket for life after admitting receiving bribes from bookmakers in match-fixing scandal.

Bangladesh's first Test match.

County Championship split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation.

The Laws of Cricket revised and rewritten.

2001 Sir Donald Bradman dies, aged 92.

2003 Twenty20 Cup, a 20-over-per-side evening tournament, inaugurated in England.

2004 Lara becomes the first man to score 400 in a Test innings, against England.

2005 The ICC introduces Powerplays and Supersubs in ODIs, and hosts the inaugural Superseries.

2006 Pakistan forfeit a Test at The Oval after being accused of ball tampering.

Resources relating to the history of cricket

General

* A history of 18th Century cricket literature by AR Littlewood

* The measurements of cricket - the origin of the dimensions of cricket by AR Littlewood.

National

* History of Cricket in Bangladesh

* History of Cricket in Zimbabwe

ICC Associates and affiliates

* History of Cricket In Bermuda

* History of the History of Cricket In Canada

* History of Cricket In Israel

* History of Cricket In Ireland

* History of Cricket in Kenya

* Singapore Cricket - a short history

* Cricket in America - An Historical Summary.