We, in the opening week of the our Monday column Reverse Sweep last week, looked back at how the game of cricket, a virtual religion in the Asian Subcontinent, evolved through the last four, five centuries, as described by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Today, in the second part, we highlight five major eras of international cricket evolution particularly during the last five centuries centring in England. The periods are divided focusing mainly on the most far-reaching and sweeping changes the game underwent in the past.

 

A - Cricket originates and spreads across England (400 AD – 1787 AD)

[caption id="attachment_130637" align="alignnone" width="672"] Early cricket at the cradle of the game: “The Bat and Ball Inn” of the famed Hambledon Cricket Club during late 1700s[/caption]

1. Cricket is likely to have been invented by children living in the south-east England roughly during 400-1000 AD

2. Cricket evolves as an adult male sport during early 17th Century (1600-1700)

3. Experts from village cricket become early professionals. And county cricket is established during mid 17th Century

4. Cricket becomes a leading sport in London during 18th Century

5. First women’s match is recorded in 1745 in Surrey

6. Rolling the ball along the ground became superseded by pitching the ball in 1760. The “hockey-stick-like bat” was replaced by straight bat

7. Laws of cricket were written in 1744. In 1787, the Star and Garter Club becomes Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of cricket laws till to date

 

B - Cricket reaches far corners of British Empire (18 C – 1862)

[caption id="attachment_130643" align="alignnone" width="450"] USA played Canada in the first international cricket game in 1844 in New York[/caption]

8. Cricket reaches North America and Asia through British colonisation during 17 and 18 Centuries

9. Cricket reaches Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa during late 18th and early 19th Century

10. An All-England XI travelling team is formed in 1846 as a commercial venture

11. First women’s county match is played in 1811

12. In 1864, over-arm bowling was legalised, Wisden Almanack started to be published, and iconic Dr. W.G. Grace begins his remarkable career

13.  International tours begin as USA played Canada for the first international game in 1844 in New York. First England team visits Australia in 1862

 

C - Test cricket begins and ICC formed (1877 – 1963)

[caption id="attachment_130644" align="alignnone" width="497"] The first women’s Test match was played between England and Australia in 1934 in Brisbane and England won by nine wickets[/caption]

14. Test cricket begins in 1877 and the Ashes is established in 1882

15. From 1890 to the World War I is considered cricket’s Golden Era as recognised “first-class cricket” begins in England, Australia, and South Africa

16. The Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) is formed in 1909 and England, Australia, and South Africa are the earliest members

17. West Indies, New Zealand, India became ICC full members during 1928-1932 and Pakistan in 1952

18. First women’s Test is played in 1934 between England and Australia. Women’s International Cricket Council is formed in 1958, and a women’s World Cup is held in 1973, two years before the founding of a men’s World Cup

19. One-day limited-over cricket is introduced for the first time in English County Cricket 1963 and about six years later, a national league too is formed in England in the format

 

D - ODIs, Packer Revolution, and the TV (1977 – 2000)

[caption id="attachment_130646" align="alignnone" width="293"] The 1977 Packer Revolution changed the way cricket was played thereafter[/caption]

20. The 1977 Packer Revolution changed the way ODI cricket was played by transforming the game to suit the TV audience while also increasing the players’ commercial value

21. In 1981, Sri Lanka becomes an ICC full member

22. 1992 saw TV umpire was incorporated into the game to adjudicate run-outs and Decision Review System (DRS) is first introduced in 2008

23. The ICC World Cup absorbs all formative changes introduced by Kerry Packer

24. Match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations surface and some leading players including three national Captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Saleem Malik face life bans and punishments

 

E - T20s and the IPL (2000 to date)

[caption id="attachment_130647" align="alignnone" width="459"] Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL in 2008[/caption]

25. The three-hour T20 “spectacle” is introduced in the English counties in 2003 and by 2008, the ICC T20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the format had been launched

26. Afghanistan and Ireland become Test countries in 2017 raising the number of ICC full members to 12

27. Eight more countries have ICC ODI status and since 2019, all 105 ICC associate members have T20 International status

28. Almost every Test playing country launches their own T20 franchise leagues

29. A shorter format than T20, The Hundred is introduced, a newer format with 100 balls per team and a match time of two and half hours

30. India emerges the epicentre of cricket in terms of money generation, domination of the national team, and the influence it creates through the IPL