The History Of Cricket

Early cricket

Main article: History of cricket to 1725

Origin

No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, much of it circumstantial, that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populated by small farming and metal-working communities. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many centuries before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century.^[1]

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Bradman, Don: The Life Of Sir Don Bradman, Cricket Player Extraordinaire

ind out about cricket legend Don Bradman, the little Australian genius who made a complete mockery of international bowling attacks.

In the world of sport, there occasionally comes a being of superlative skill, whose exploits in the game define him or her as even greater than the great players. Michael Jordan in basketball and boxer Muhammad Ali were two of that mould, breaking through the supposed boundaries of their sport. In the world of cricket, Don Bradman was such a man. At the end of the twentieth century, just over a year before the great man's death, nobody playing the game had got within spitting distance of his unparalleled batting record. He averaged 99.94 in all Test Matches - the five-day form of the game that is regarded as the most demanding. Compare his average to the best of the rest, who hover around the 50-60 mark. There can be little doubt that these others were, and according to those still playing, are, truly great players. Realising that Bradman's Test average is nearly twice their average gives you some idea of the phenomenon that was "˜The Don'.

Don Bradman was born in 1908 in a backwater village, near to the city of Sydney in Australia. He found that his school didn't apportion much importance to sport, much to his disappointment. Coupled with a lack of school friends living nearby, he was forced to find ways to amuse himself. He invented a game where he slung a golf ball against a water tank, and, grabbing a cricket stump with both hands, tried to connect with the ball as it zipped back off the tank at some speed and odd angle towards him. He admitted later in life, in his own modest reserved way, that more often than not he was successful in hitting his target. Also, he revealed that many a cricket fantasy was lived out playing that same game.

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The History Of Cricket

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This article lists some important dates in the history of cricket. People and events that had an effect on the game are discussed.

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The game of cricket is the second most popular game in the world, second only to soccer. Cricket appears to have an eventful and colorful history, although the exact origins of the game are unknown. As far back as the 1300's, a mention of the game "creag" is found. However it is unclear whether this is the beginnings of modern-day cricket. The name "cricket" may have come from the word "cric". The word cric stood for the hooked staffs carried by Shepards. These may have been the first cricket bats. Cricket in its early days in England was considered a child's game, not to be played by serious adults.

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