Cricket is a sport of unknown origin that is played in an open-air stadium between two teams of eleven players each, using a bat and a ball that is slightly smaller than the ball in the game of baseball. The rules governing this game were drawn up in London, Great Britain, by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1788. Since then, the rules have undergone subsequent updates.
Cricket is played in the Annual International Series, although there are also games between colleges and university teams, including the traditional games that are held in Cambridge and Oxford every year.
Cricket is believed to be a name that comes from the English word Crick, which means “stick” or “shepherd stick.” This reference could be associated with the first bats that used to play in the 18th century. However, the first ever recorded cricket match, as we know it today, was held in Melbourne, Australia, in a test match between England and Australia during 1877.
In the United States, the first game of cricket was held between this country and Canada in 1844 and took place on the grounds of the St George’s Cricket Club in New York. However, it was not until 1859 that the first team of English professional cricketers visited the United States for their first overseas tour before embarking on their first tour of Australia in 1862.
Incidentally, the first cricket team to tour England in 1868 was an Australian Aboriginal team and their visit achieved great success which would later be the leading force in leading South Africa as the third test nation after England and Australia. in 1889.
The cricket bat is currently paddle-shaped, but flat and made of wooden willow. A cricket bat is 96 cm long and 10.8 cm wide, and has a baton handle. According to cricket regulations, the dimensions of the playing field can vary from 133 by 152 m or 160 by 168 m. The cricket ball weighs between 156 and 163 g and is made of string wound around a cork core and covered in leather.
In reality, cricket is considered the national sport of England. When it comes to cricket records, Indian pitcher Kapil Dev knocked down 434 wickets in his 24-year career, the highest cricket score in history, though Australian Allan Border made 11,174 runs between 1978 and 1992.
Actually, the only cricket team that has won the cricket World Cup twice is the West Indies cricket team, which won the championship in 1975 and 1979. Although cricket is more popular in Europe, most the Commonwealth of Nations has professional cricket teams.