The Development Of The Sport Cricket

Although hardly played in the United States, cricket stands as the world's second-most popular sport after soccer. Cricket has a big following in countries such as India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and the West Indies, but the game's country of origin is England. Cricket includes two teams of 11 players. Each team takes a turn at bat while the other tries to bowl batsmen out by hitting wooden stumps, or wickets.

Origins

Stories about the origins of cricket vary. According to the BBC World Service, the first recorded evidence of the game dates to the 1600s. Cricket might have developed from a variation on the game of bowls, from a popular children's pastime or even from shepherds hitting stones with their crooks. One thing that appears certain is that the first real cricket games that bear a resemblance to today's sport began in England.

Rules and the MCC

Before the late 18th century, cricket had no official laws or governing body. In 1787, a cricket bowler named Thomas Lord established the Marylebone Cricket Club, or MCC, in London, and in 1788 the MCC created the first official cricket "code of laws." Included in the laws was the rule that wickets should be 22 yards apart, a law that still applies. Even in 2010, the MCC officially guards the rules and code of conduct of cricket.

Expansion

As the British Empire spread, so did cricket. Colonial settlers in areas such as India and the Caribbean brought the game with them, and locals started playing the game themselves. Rivalries between cricketing nations grew. Australia and England played the first international test match when England toured Australia in 1877. The series spawned the biennial test series called the Ashes, which still is played today. As the game developed, the International Cricket Council was created in 1967 to govern all of the cricketing leagues worldwide, according to the BBC.

Cricket Forms

Cricket has branched out into several formats. First-class cricket games, including international test matches, can last three to five days with no limits to the number of "overs," a bowling period of six balls. However, limited-over cricket is overtaking more traditional cricket forms in some regions. In India, the Twenty20 game featuring two 20-over sessions in one day is hugely popular. The Cricket World Cup, held every four years, includes two 50-over sessions in one day for each game.

Technology

Technology plays a large part in modern professional cricket. The ICC introduced a system called Hawk-eye in 2001. Hawk-eye uses six cameras to track the movement of the ball as its bowled. As a batsman can get out by leg before wicket (LBW), Hawk-eye helps detect if the ball would have hit the wicket if allowed to travel on. The system is controversial. Some believe it delays play, has questionable accuracy and undermines the umpire's authority. Off-field umpires also use slow-motion replays to detect if the batsman hits the ball before a catch.