Cricket is quite possibly one of the oldest sports around. It is also known for being the second-most popular game in the world, after soccer anyway. Cricket is also very popular in India, as well as in England, Australia and New Zealand. There is a growing popularity in the United Arab Emirates, West Indies and even the Netherlands. How did cricket become so popular though? Take a look below to find out more.
The Earlier Days of Cricket
Cricket is said to have started during the Saxon times. It was played on the woodland fields in the Weald area, which is in the southeast of England. It wasn’t until the year 1611 however that there was a record of adults actively playing the sport. A decade later, in 1709, it seemed that the very first cricket team was formed and they were also given country names. Ever since then, the game has rapidly been gaining popularity and it has overtaken things in England. In 1744, the laws of the game were then drawn up. The laws were amended in 1774 and this came after the LBW movement. The introduction of the third stump and the maximum batting width then came in. If you look at the founders of it all you will soon see that the Marylebone Cricket Club had a lot to do with it. They are also the custodians right now for the current cricket laws. The MCC was formed and they have made a great deal of revisions to the cricket code. During the 18th century, cricket became super popular in England. The teams in the village ended up graduating to county teams and they took part in numerous sports against each other. The matches also ended up drawing a much bigger crowd overall.
Cricket to the Earlier World
Cricket and cricket satta was then introduced to the rest of the world through the likes of English colonists. You had missionaries, settlers and soldiers. You also had a lot of traders. North America was then introduced to the game around the 17th century. By the time the 18th century came around, you had it spread to the West Indies, New Zealand and even Australia. You also had it spread to South Africa as well as the Caribbean. The first record of cricket being played in the US was in 1709 but since then, things have taken a turn. By the Civil War, it seemed that cricket was played in 22 states. It is believed that international tours were carried out by a number of cricket professionals and that they helped to popularise the game in various parts of the world. There are a lot of tours to take note of here. You have the English tour to Canada which happened in 1859 and you also have the Australian tour of 1862. There were a lot of tours which were led by Lord Hawke, along with his team of amateurs. They all headed to South Africa. Of course, this all helped to make cricket the popular game that it is today.
Women’s Cricket
The very first reference to women’s cricket in general can be traced way back. The first one was made in 1975 and this happened in a match that took place between Bramley and Hambledon. The match was actually between a bunch of maids, but since then things have grown quite significantly. Women’s cricket associations were then formed and you also have the international test matches. The match was between Australia and England, and it would seem that England emerged victorious. Since then, there have been a great deal of women’s matches. To a lot of people’s surprise, women’s cricket was then adopted all around the world. By the year 1958, The International Council was formed to try and provide a liaison between games, while also making sure that people were treated fairly. The founding nations included Australia, Holland and New Zealand. Other nations joined over the years and they had set bases in the West Indies. Of course, on top of this, you had Sri Lanka as well as Pakistan and even Ireland. The World Cup was formed after a conversation between the captain for England, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint and Jack Hayward. Hayward has said he would fund the match and England ended up winning. Due to a lack of resources, the women’s cricket games had to be merged with men’s cricket. This did mean that more money could then be sent to the game which is great, to say the least. As they had way better facilities and more money, it seemed that a lot more opportunities opened up. In 2014, you also had professional contracts, which could be given to those who work in cricket.
Why isn’t Cricket an Olympic Sport?
So, even though currently, cricket is actually the second-most popular game in the world, it seems that it is not an Olympic sport. A lot of things can be attributed to this. That being said, discussions are currently happening to try and push the sport, to get it more internationally recognised. Right now, there are hopes that the game is going to be featured in the Olympics in 2028. Of course, the ICC have set up a committee as well to try and make sure that this happens. It seems that cricket at the Olympics is going to be a major step forward and it is going to certainly help the game to boost in popularity.
So cricket is not just a sport it is a way of life. If you want to find out more about cricket or if you want to make sure that you get the best result out of your gaming experience then the best thing you can do is take the time to stay up to date with it. This will help you to keep track of the latest happenings so you can have the best time when the latest news surfaces.