Cricket began as a game in the 13th century in which boys bowled at a tree stump or at

the hurdle gate into a sheep pen. This gate of two uprights and a crossbar (called a bail)
resting on the slotted tops was the wicket. The wicket acquired a third stump in the 1770s
and by 1706 the pitch between the wickets, was 22 yards long.
The ball, once a stone, since the 17th century, weighs between 140 and 170 grams. Its
modern weight was laid down in 1774 and circumference standardized in 1838.
The primitive bat, a shaped branch of a tree, changed to a straight bat to meet the cult of
length bowling which had been evolved by the Hambledon cricketers. The bat was
shortened in the handle and straightened and broadened in the blade, which led to
forward play, driving, and cutting.
Cricket limited to the southern counties of England during the early 18th
century, was transferred to London. Heavy betting and disorderly crowds
were common at matches. A famous match was played between Kent and
All-England in 1744.
The Hambledon Club, in Hampshire was the predominant cricket force in the
second half of the 18th century before the rise of the Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC) Founded in London in1787 at Lord's Cricket Ground named
after Thomas Lord. It is now the headquarters of world cricket.
In 1788, the MCC published a revised code of
laws, of which it remains the controlling body
for world cricket, although it has ceded
authority in England. In 1836 the first North-
counties-versus-South-counties match was
played, clear evidence of the spread of
cricket. All England XI, founded by William
Clarke In 1846, and the United All England XI
1852
The two teams monopolized the best cricket
talent until the rise of county cricket and
supplied the players for the first English
touring team overseas in 1859.
English settlers introduced cricket in
India in the 18th century, and the army
helped to popularize it.

The Parsis formed the first all-Indian,

Orient Cricket Club, in 1848 and in 1877
defeated the Europeans in Bombay.
They sent teams to England in 1886
and 1888. The first English side visited
India in 1889-90.

In 1892-93 the Parsis met the

Europeans in the Presidency Matches,
which developed into the Bombay
Pentangular series with the additional
participation of the Hindus, the Muslims,
and a team called "The Rest" that was
not ethnically connected to the above
groups. In 1926-27 the MCC sent a
strong side to India.

A national championship was instituted

in 1934-35 for the Ranji Trophy, and the
zonal Duleep Trophy was introduced in
1961-62.
 The Ashes - Symbol of victory in
the usually biennial cricket Test
match series between England
and Australia, first staged in 1877.
An epitaph published in 1882 after
the Australian team had won its
first victory over England in
England lamented that English
cricket was dead and that its body
would be cremated and the ashes
sent to Australia. The following
year an urn containing the ashes
of a wicket bail was presented to
the captain of the touring English
team in Australia. The urn is now
kept at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Imperial Cricket Conference was founded in 1909 by England, Australia, and South Africa. and
they were joined as full members by India, New Zealand, and the West Indies in 1926 and Pakistan
in 1952.
International Cricket Conference was formed in 1965 and brought in as associate members the
United States, Sri Lanka, and Fiji, followed by Bermuda, The Netherlands, Denmark, East Africa,
Malaysia, Canada, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Argentina, Israel, Singapore, West
Africa, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. In 1981 Sri Lanka , in 1992 Zimbabwe.
From 1984 Italy, Switzerland, The Bahamas, France, and Nepal entered in a subsidiary class of
affiliate membership.
In 1989 the ICC changed its name again to the International Cricket Council.
 Dr. W.G. Grace "I puts the ball
where I likes,
but he puts it
where he likes."
- famous bowler
J.C. Shaw

William Gilbert Grace: b. July 18, 1848.d. Oct. 23, 1915.

A national figure as the greatest cricketer in Victorian
England with a dominating physical presence, gusto, and
inexhaustible energy. He evolved the modern principles of
batting and achieved many notable performances on rough
and unpredictable wickets, such as are unknown to modern
players.

In his career in first-class cricket (1865-1908), Grace scored 54,896 runs, registered
126 centuries, and, as a bowler, took 2,876 wickets. In 84 matches for Gentlemen
versus Players he amassed 6,000 runs and took 271 wickets. In August 1876 he
scored, in consecutive innings, 344 out of 546 for Marylebone Cricket Club versus
Kent; 177 out of 262 for the Gloucestershire county team versus Nottinghamshire; and
318, not out, for Gloucestershire versus Yorkshire. In 1880 he was on the English
team that played the first Test match against Australia in England. In his last match,
on July 25, 1914, when he was 66, his score was 69, not out, for Eltham.
 "Black Prince of Cricketers".
Ranji is widely regarded as one of the
greatest batsmen of all time, Neville
Cardus described him as "the
Midsummer night's dream of cricket".
He is remembered chiefly for bringing a
new style to batting: previously,
batsmen generally played forward; Ranji
played elegant strokes off the back foot
and his popularisation or invention of
the leg glance is famous. The most
important first-class cricket tournament
in India, the Ranji Trophy, was named in
his honour
In 1907 Ranji
became Maharaja
Jam Sahib of
Nawanagar, and
played an
important role in
improving the
living conditions for
the people of his
home state.
WG Grace leads England off during his final Test, accompanied by Ranji,
England v Australia, 1st Test, Nottingham, 1899
 Ranji returns after one of the great Ashes innings. The match started three days
later because of bad weather, allowing Ranji, who had been laid low with a throat
infection, to play. Batting at No. 7 he made 175 as England passed 500 for the first
time in a Test. They won the match but went on to lose the series 4-1 , Australia v
England, SCG, 1st Test, December 14, 1897

Away from cricket Chappell has
become a best-selling author with
his books on healthy living and his
vegan lifestyle. He is also a
respected media commentator in
his homeland
He acts as patron for a Leukaemia
research charity.
Greg Chappell is clearly a legend
having retired in January 1984 after
amassing a whopping total of 7110 runs
to become Australia's highest run scorer
beating the previous best of 6996 set by
Sir Donald Bradman.
A tall right handed batsman he was
graceful with an excellent ability to judge
what sort of shot he was going to play
with the ball still in mid-flight.
He started his Test career with a
century. In his last Test he made 182 to
end his career in the same manner in
which he started 13 years earlier. In
addition he took three catches to bring
his total to 122 - also a new Australian
record.
He played 87 Test matches, captaining
his country on 48 occasions. He won 21.
His cricketing achievements saw him
honoured by the Queen in 1979 when
he was given an MBE.

Introduced to first-class in
1972,he continued to dominate
the run charts throughout the
1980s and retired in 1991
He has since become a
commentator, after spells as
the West Indies coach and
selector and was knighted in
1999 for his services to
Caribbean cricket.
Viv Richards
Hailed as the unofficial King of Antigua,
Richards was born with cricket in his blood.
His father, Malcolm, was the island's leading
fast bowler while both his brothers also
played.
The attitude he brought with him was an all-
encompassing irresistible force of nature.
He found the boundary as though there
weren't any fielders at all.
Most memorably he scored 1,710 runs in just
eight months in 1976. It started with the New
Year's Test against Australia and continued
through the series with India at home before
he destroyed the English attack that summer.
He hit 38 fours in an innings of incredible
power and timing that will be remembered as
his finest. He broke the record for the highest
score by a West Indian in England as he
reached a massive 291, sharing century
partnerships with Roy Fredericks, Lawrence
Rowe and Clive Lloyd.

He was an outstanding performer in
the slips, pouching 108 catches, as
well as opening the bowling early in
his career.
Since retiring Gavaskar has put his
immense cricketing acumen to use
as a popular, sometimes
controversial, commentator both on
television and in print.
Sunil Gavaskar: 5ft 4in Sunny delights India.
One of the greatest opening batsmen of all time.
His cricket technique was near-perfect textbook
stuff, based on immense concentration and fierce
determination.
The complete batsman, able to play virtually every
stroke He possessed an excellent judgement of
length, sublime balance and quick footwork, and
was equally comfortable on his back or front foot.
He was the first player to make over 10,000 Test
runs, and has a jointly-held record of hitting more
Test centuries than any other Test batsman.
He scored an astonishing 774 runs at a stunning
average of 154.80 in his debut Test series against
the West Indies in 1971, and batted like a man
possessed against England at the Oval in 1979,
after India were chasing a fourth-innings total of
438 for victory.
He belted 221 out of India's total of 429-9 to draw
the match, including 179 runs on the final day, the
highest amount of runs scored by an Indian in a
single day of Test cricket.
The Little Master
Polly Umrigar - a heroic figure from
the late forties to the early sixties
One of the all time greats of Indian
cricket, Polly Umrigar an allround
cricketer, was a stylish batsman and a
useful bowler of medium pace. was
He is only one of two Indian cricketers
(Vinoo Mankad being the other) to score
a century and take five wickets in an
innings - a feat he achieved against
West Indies at Port of Spain in 1962.
Umrigar was the first Indian to hit a Test
double century - 223 against New
Zealand in 1955
From 1962 to 1978 - most Tests, most
runs, most centuries. His records were
broken by Sunil Gavaskar.
His 130 not out in Madras in 1951/52
which helped India to their first Test win
against England.
For 30 years he held the record of
getting the highest score by an
Indian on tour - 252 not out against
Cambridge University in 1959.
The Nawab of Pataudi - later Mansur
Ali Khan - remains, unarguably,
India's greatest ever. As the Indian
team captain at the age of 21, barely
months after being involved in a car
accident that would impair the sight
in his right eye forever, he led India in
40 of 46 Tests he played in, and won
12 of them. Under him, India achieved
their first overseas Test victory
against New Zealand in 1967. This he
achieved by playing, three spinners.
A bold adventurous batsman,
unorthodox for his times he was
unafraid to loft the ball over the
infield.
Polly Umrigar opening the batting
with the Nawab of Pataudi, West
Indies, 1962