Cricket’s History

Cricket’s history is a fascinating journey from a simple children’s pastime in rural England to a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon.¹

1. The Early Beginnings (1500s – 1600s)²

Cricket likely originated in the south-east of England (Kent and Sussex) during the Middle Ages.³

The Shepherd’s Game: It is believed that shepherds played a version of the game using their crooks (staffs) as bats and the “wicket-gate” of a sheep pen as the target.⁴
First Written Record: The first definite mention of cricket dates back to 1598, in a court case in Guildford, where a coroner testified that he and his friends played “creckett” while at school around 1550.⁵
Adult Evolution: By the early 1600s, it transitioned from a children’s game to an adult sport.⁶ In 1611, two men in Sussex were famously prosecuted for playing cricket on a Sunday instead of attending church.⁷+1

During this period, the game gained structure and began to look like the sport we see today.

The Laws of Cricket: The first known “Laws of Cricket” were written in 1744.⁹ They established rules for the pitch length (22 yards), the size of the stumps, and the weight of the ball.¹⁰+1
The MCC: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787 and moved to Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.¹¹ The MCC became (and remains) the guardian of the laws of the game.¹²+1
Evolution of Equipment: Originally, bowlers bowled underarm, and bats were curved like hockey sticks.¹³ As bowlers began to “pitch” the ball through the air (around the 1760s), bats became straight to allow for better defense and driving.¹⁴+1

As the British Empire expanded, the game was introduced to Australia, India, the West Indies, and South Africa.¹⁵

The First Test Match: While the first international match was actually USA vs. Canada (1844), the first official Test match took place in 1877 between England and Australia in Melbourne.¹⁶
The Ashes: After Australia beat England on English soil for the first time in 1882, a newspaper published a mock obituary of English cricket.¹⁷ This gave birth to “The Ashes,” one of the most famous rivalries in sports.¹⁸+1
Governing Body: The Imperial Cricket Conference (now the ICC) was formed in 1909 to manage international competition.¹⁹

The 20th and 21st centuries brought drastic changes to make the game faster and more commercial.

One Day Internationals (ODI): In 1971, the first ODI was played.²⁰ This led to the first Cricket World Cup in 1975, won by the West Indies.²¹
The T20 Revolution: In 2003, Twenty20 (T20) cricket was introduced in England.²² This short, 3-hour format revolutionized the sport, leading to the creation of the IPL (Indian Premier League) in 2008 and making cricket a global entertainment powerhouse.