Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world and by far the most popular bat-and-ball game played internationally. The modern game developed in England in the 16th century. As the British Empire expanded, cricket became popular in various parts of the globe, especially in India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies.
Origins
The exact origins of cricket are unclear. According to the ESPN Cricinfo website, cricket originated in the Dark Ages, sometime after the Roman Empire but before the Norman conquest of England. The game probably developed from a basic game in which one person tossed a rock or wooden ball to a club-wielding batter. A game resembling modern cricket appeared in the Tudor period.
Longest Match
The longest cricket match in history occurred in 1939 between England and South Africa. According to the RBC website, the match lasted for 14 days and finally ended in a tie. England needed 42 more runs to win, but the team’s boat was sailing home the next day and so the match was abandoned and declared a draw.
Centuries
It is always a notable achievement in cricket when a batsman scores 100 runs, commonly known as a century. A double century, or 200 runs, is a great achievement, and very few players ever score a triple century. According to the Cricket Equipment USA website, Brian Lara is the only man to have scored 300 runs on two separate occasions.
Declared Out
According to the BBC Sports Academy website, a batsman can be dismissed, or declared out, in 10 different ways. One of the least common is to be timed out. According to the rules of cricket, a new batsman must be on the field within three minutes of the previous batsman’s dismissal, or the incoming batsman is also dismissed.
Stopping Play
A cricket match can be paused or suspended for a number of reasons. Rain and bad light are the two most common causes, but a match also can be paused because of animals entering the field of play. According to the University of Southern Indiana Cricket Club, play has been held up for hedgehogs, bees, sparrows and mice. In 1889, a match in England was paused when a pig ran across the field.
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