Archive for the ‘Cricket’ Category

Cricketers who can contribute their team with both batting and bowling are known as all rounders. All rounders are very important for the same reason. If they can’t perform with the batting there is always the chance to perform with the bowling. A cricket team consist of 10 cricketers excluding wicket-keeper; 5 bowlers and 5 batsman if there were no all rounders but, if you got 2 all rounders in team then, the team would get 6 batsman and six bowlers which is very useful for a team. So, it is very hard to imagine a good team without few good all rounders.Some, times the wicket keeper who have ability to bat is also named as the all rounders but, basically there are not counted as all rounders. In the modern day cricket, many wicket-keeper can bat very well like: Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni etc. They are regarded as wicket-keeper batsman rather than all rounder in cricket.

Imran Khan

Cricket has got many good all rounders, Garfield Sobers ( A batting all rounder who was an excellent batsman and also could perform well in bowling with his spin. ), Ian Botham (A right hand batsman and right hand bowler) , Kapil Dev ( A bowling all rounder who was an excellent bowler and very handy with the bat as well). But, If some one talks about the world’s best all rounder then, for me it is tie betweenImran Khan and Garfield Sobers, two legend in the history of cricket.

BEST ALL ROUNDERS OF CRICKET

Cricket has developed very fast but, what have not changed is the importance of all rounder in the team. Top 5 all rounders in the cricket world now a days are as follows:

5. Angelo Mathews
This Sri Lankan cricket is a very good all rounder; good hitter of a cricket ball and excellent fast arm bowling. He is though young but, his striking ability has given Sri Lanka a great asset of a bowler and his bowling in limited over cricket is just awesome.That’s why Angelo Mathews is one of the top all rounders of cricket in world and he is in number five spot.

4. Andrew Flintoff
Who can forget this name after the Ashes series 2005, most entertaining tournament for me ever. And the star of that tournament was Andrew Flintoff who performed with both bat and the ball. His all round performance all made him man of the series. Andrew Flintoff has ability to become one of the best all rounders of all time but, injury problem made him back to remain at the number 4 spot of Top All Rounder.

3. Shane Watson
A truly Aussie star Shane Watson has always proved in international cricket when he had to prove. He was out from the team now and then due to his injury problem but, every time he was recovered his all round performance impressed the selector. Thought he changed his bowling action due to the recovery. He is still very effective in bowling and he is an excellent batsman, opener for Australia. His excellent all round performance makes him one of the best all rounders in cricket.

2. Shakib Al Hasan
Its not too long before, Bangladesh as approved for the test team but, Bangladesh has progressed very well in these day and one of the major contributor is Shakib Al Hasan. In many of matches won by Bangladesh, you will see the contribution of Shakib Al Hasan either with or bowl or with both. His terrific all round performance has enhanced the Bangladesh team and he is in the number 2 spot of top all rounders of all time.

1. Jacques Kallis
Who does not know the Jacques Kallis in modern cricket. He is one the best batsman in the cricket world. With the batting average about 55 and 45 in test cricket and ODI cricket respectively and with the bowling average of less than 32 runs, Jacques Kallis has been always very useful for South Africa. Not, only the he is all rounder with bowl and bat but, he is an excellent fielder as  well.
These are the top five all rounders of cricket. But, there are many good all rounders in this era who are not in this list of top all rounders.If we extend it to a list of top 10 all rounders then, the following name would have been added.

LIST OF TOP 10 ALL ROUNDERS

6.   Abdul Razzak
7.   Dwane Bravo
8.   Shaid Afridi
9.   Danniel Vettori
10. Stuart Board

1: Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan: 800 wickets

Muralitharan was born in Kandy on April 17, 1972.

Making his test debut at the age of 20 against Australia on August 28, 1992, the 38 year old off spinner played a significant role in 54 of the 61 test matches won by Sri Lanka.
Muralitharan also holds the record for wickets taken in One Day International matches, having broken Wasim Akram’s record of 502 wickets, having taken 515 wickets in a career spanning 18 years.

2:Australia’s Shane Warne: 708 wickets

Warne, the now captain of the Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals, was the first cricketer to take a stunning 700 wickets in test cricket.
The bowler who was born on September 13, 1969, played his first Test match in 1992, has in Tests and One Day Internationals took over 1000 international wickets.
The former leg spinner was a media favourite who was plagued by scandals including testing positive for banned diuretics, accepting money from bookies and a string of marital infidelities.

3:India’s Anil Kumble: 619 wickets

Kumble is the second leg spinner after Warne and the third highest wicket taker with 619 Test wickets to his name since international cricket debut his April 25, 1990
Kumble shares cricketing glory with Britain’s Jim Laker for taking down ten wickets in an innings in India’s test match against Pakistan in 1999.
The bowler, who played for India for 18 years, captaining India’s test cricket team in 2007, received the Padma Shri in 2005. On November 2, 2008, he announced his retirement.

4:Australia’s Glenn McGrath: 563 wickets

Right -arm fast bowler McGrath was born on February 9, 1970.

Nicknamed “pigeon,” McGrath is famous for his economy in his fast bowling was the first Australian to play 100 test matches in 2004. A year later, he broke West Indian’s Courtney Walsh’s test wicket taking record at the first innings of the ICC Super Series, becoming the fast bowler with the most wickets taken in the history of test cricket.
McGrath announced his retirement from Test cricket on December 23, 2006, ending it at the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney.
McGrath also played for the IPL’s Delhi Daredevils team after his retirement from one-day cricket following the 2007 World Cup.

5:West Indies’s Courtney Walsh: 519 wickets 

Fast bowler Walsh was born October 30, 1962 and played international cricket for the West Indies from 1984 to 2001. He served as captain for 22 Test matches.
He is best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership along with compatriot Curtly Ambrose.
Walsh, in 2000, successfully shattered Kapil Dev’s world record for the most number of wickets taken in test cricket.

6:India’s Kapil Dev: 434 wickets

Born on January 6, 1959 in Chandigarh, the versatile right-arm pace bowler captained the Indian team and led it to World Cup glory in 1983.
Named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, Dev who made his international debut in 1978 was also renowned for his fierce and effective striking as a batsman.
He retired in 1994, and held, until 2000, the world record for the maximum wickets taken in test cricket. He would later return to coach the Indian cricket team for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000.
The only player in cricket history to have taken more than 400 wickets and having scoring around 5,000 runs in test cricket, Dev remains one of the sport’s most brilliant all-rounders.

7:New Zealand’s Sir Richard Hadlee: 431 wickets 

Arguably New Zealand’s finest fast bowler and all rounder, Hadley, born July 3, 1951, was named by Wisden Crickets’ Almanack as the second greatest Test bowler of all time in 2002.
Hadlee was appointed Member of the order of the British Empire in 1980 and received Knighthood, a decade later for his services to cricket.
Hadlee’s bust is included among 11 other notable Christchurch residents who displayed excellence in their fields in the ‘Twelve Local Heroes’ exhibit outside the Christchurch Arts Centre.

8: South Africa’s Shaun Pollock: 421 wickets

Pollock was born on July 16, 1973.

He is the nephew of the famous Graeme Pollock who is regarded as one of the best left-handed batsmen and one of South Africa’s greatest players.
Pollock, 39, a right arm fast bowler regarded as an all-rounder with proficiency in batting and fielding was the captain of the South African team from 2000 to 2003
He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003.
Pollock took over 400 test wickets and scored over 3,700 test runs in his 108 test matches. On January 11, 2008 he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after his 303rd One Day International on February 3.

9:Pakistan’s Wasim Akram: 414 wickets 

Born on June 3, 1966, left arm fast bowler Akram, is regarded as one of the best bowlers in cricket while also being a noted left handed batsman.
In a formidable partnership with Waqar Younis, Akram went on to take 502 wickets in 356 appearances in One Day Internationals.
Akram’s impact in cricket was for pioneering and mastering reverse swing bowling, a technique formerly held controversial, earning him the nickname ‘the Sultan of Swing’.
Of his 414 Test wickets, 193 were taken caught, 119 were taken leg before wicket and 102 were bowled.
Akram was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009, following his retirement in 2003 and emergence as a commentator.

10:West Indies Curtly Ambrose: 405 wickets

At 6’7″, the right-armed Ambrose, born on September 21, 1963, inspired fear in batsmen.
Ambrose’s height lent itself to his fast bowling style, establishing one of the most fruitful partnerships Courtney Walsh with 421 wickets between them in the 49 Test matches they played together.
Now working as an ambassador in his home country Antigua, Ambrose also plays bass and tours with his band, The Big Bad Dread and The Bald Head.

1 Sir Garfield Sobers

Sir Garfield represented West Indies, played 93 tests in total. His average was close to 58, and centuries 26. He is one of the great all-rounders, and has managed bowling, batting as well as captaincy. He was the first in first class cricket to knock off six sixers in an over in a county match versus Glamorgan. His batting record was simply prodigious.

2 Sir Don Bradman

Sir Don Bradman is simply one of the greatest legends in the cricketing world. His average is a towering 99.94, and has scored 29 centuries from 80 innings. His career spanned 20 years, and was always a committed cricket player.

3 Sachin Tendulkar

In his time, it is almost impossible to find a batsman of Sachin Tendulkar’s caliber and completeness. He is an icon in the cricketing world, and has played 164 tests and an average of 55.37 and has scored 45 test centuries. His career is also inclusive of 440 one day matches. Sachin is almost worshipped in India, and with the recent winning of the World Cup, Sachin has attained pretty much everything.

4  Wally Hammond

 Wally Hammond was among the most superb batsmen of all  time. He had a grace and athleticism about him that spoke of  confidence. He excelled also in bowling and fielding in the  slip. His test score was 7249 runs, and an average of 58.45.  His career total exceeded 50,000.

5  Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting is marked by longevity and a superb record. He was responsible for leading Team Australia to win a huge number of matches and maintaining its name as among the most feared test teams. An average of 55.67 over 142 tests is simply amazing. He is known for scoring runs when it is really crucial.

6  Brian Lara

Brian Lara has played close to 131 tests and an average of 52.88. Maybe there are players with superior averages, but Lara as one of the most dashing strokes players fits in any list of top batsmen. The man simply entertains the spectators with his run scoring, and is known for some truly record breaking innings.

7 Jacques Kallis

Kallis has played over 135 tests, and has an excellent average of 54.56. Maybe not the most stylish in stroke taking, but is certainly among the best of the current crop. He remains focused on the game regardless of the situation.

8 Vivian Richards

Viv Richards has a lot in common with Brian Lara. Flamboyance is a given when Richards steps on to the crease, and he specialized in a huge number of attacking shots. 50.23 was his average, in over 121 matches. Viv always refused to wear a helmet, even when rough bowlers were bowling.

9 Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is often thought of as uninteresting, but he has displayed his more stylish shots more than a few times. He plays by the book and knows all the shots. He has an average of 53.75 over 139 tests.

10 Sir Jack Hobbs

 A giant from a previous era, Sir Jack had a total of 61237  runs, inclusive of 197 centuries. He is actually alleged  with a habit of getting out after completing his centuries.  Long as his career was, his test matches were only 61.  This was mainly because test matches were not that  frequent at that time due to problems to do with logistics.  He scored a test century at 46, and is the oldest to have  done so.

Please feel free to comment what order you feel this should have been, or any additions.

10 Wasim Akram (Pakistan) . . .

Wasim Akram is known for taking over 400 test wickets and a record number of 502 test wickets in ODIs. His average is 23.62 from 104 games. He has bowled two hat tricks in Test Cricket, and is one of only three bowlers having done so, and has recorded the same in ODI’s as well, again one of only three bowlers.

9 Courtney Walsh (West Indies) . . .

Over five thousand test match overs in hand, with more than 500 wickets in test matches, Walsh was a much feared right handed pace bowler. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh was not only respected as a partnership, but also feared.

8 Glenn McGrath (Australia) . . .

McGrath was one of the key players of Australia and the reason for the team to reach great heights since the middle of the nineties. His world cup wickets are the highest among all players. He has an average of 21.64 and this from 124 tests.

7 Curtly Ambrose (West Indies) . . .

Standing at six feet seven inches, Courtney Ambrose was a giant in both senses of the word, with more than a thousand maidens in just 98 tests. He had over 405 wickets and an average of 20.99.

6 Dennis Lillee (Australia) . . .

Lillee was not a bowler to mess with any time of the year. Almost all batsmen in his time knew and respected Lillee as a fearsome fast bowler. He retired in 1984 with 355 test wickets and an average of 23.92.

5 Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) . . .

Sir Richard Hadlee idolized Dennis Lillee, and eclipsed his own idol with 431 wickets in test cricket, and an average of 22.29. He was the first bowler crossing the 400 wicket mark in test cricket.

4 Malcolm Marshall (West Indies) . . .

Malcolm Marshall was an aggressive pace bowler, and was feared for his bouncer. His average was 20.94 and had 376 wickets in test matches.

3 Shane Warne (Australia) . . .

Shane Warne is certainly the best leg spin bowler in cricket. Shane Warne had more than 700 test match wickets and was voted as among the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.

2 Sydney Barnes (England) . . .

Sydney Barnes has not taken too many wickets, but his test average is simply the best. A phenomenal 16.43 average, with 27 test matches and 189 wickets.

1 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) . . .

Murali is arguably the best off spinner of all time and has taken 735 wickets, the highest of any list. His highest average is 23. The infamous doosra is just one among his arsenal of fearsome weapons.

History of the Pakistani cricket team

The Pakistan cricket team made its Test cricket debut in 1952 and has since become one of the most successful teams in modern cricket. The team reached the semi-finals of the 1979,1983 and 1987 World Cups, and won the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup by defeating England in the final.

History

Following the Partition of India in 1947, and the establishment of the separate nation state of Pakistan, cricket in the country developed steadily and Pakistan was given Test Match status at a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 28 July 1952 following recommendation by India^[1], which, being the successor state of the British Raj, did not have to go through such a process.

Pakistan’s first Test match was played in Delhi in October 1952 as part of a five Test series which India won 2-1. Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1-1 after a memorable victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets. Pakistan’s first home Test match was in Dacca in January 1955 against India, after which four more Test matches were played inBahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in test history^[2]).

The team is considered strong but unpredictable. Traditionally Pakistani cricket has had players of great talent but limited discipline, making them a team which could play inspirational cricket one day and then perform less than ordinarily another day. Over the years, competitions between India and Pakistan have always been emotionally charged and provide for intriguing contests, as talented teams from both sides of the border elevate their game to new levels to produce high-quality cricket. Pakistan’s matches against India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and heightened atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held.

1986 Australasia Cup

The 1986 Australasia Cup, played in Sharjah, is remembered as a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero.^[3]

India batted first and set a target of 245 runs, leaving Pakistan with a required run rate of 4.92 runs per over. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number 3, and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Later recalling the match, Miandad stated that his main focus was to lose with dignity. With 31 runs needed in the last three overs, Miandad hit a string of boundaries while batting with his team’s lower order, until four runs were required from the last delivery of the match. Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.^[3][4]

1992 World Cup Semi Final

After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bat first and ended with a total of 262. Pakistan batted conservatively yet lost wickets at regular intervals. With the departure of Imran Khan and Saleem Malik shortly thereafter, Pakistan still required 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 per over with veteran Javed Miandad being the only known batsman remaining at the crease. A young Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had just turned 22 and was not a well-known player at the time, burst onto the international stage with a match-winning 60 off 37 balls. Once Inzamam got out, Pakistan required 36 from 30 balls, which wicketkeeper Moin Khan ended with a towering six over long off, followed by the winning boundary to midwicket. The match is seen as the emergence of Inzamam onto the international stage.^[5][6][7]

2007 World Cup Shock

Pakistan participated in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup History when they were knocked out of the competition in a shock defeat toIreland, who were playing in their first competition. Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the next stage after losing to the West Indies in their opening match, were put into bat by Ireland on a green pitch. They lost wickets regularly and only 4 batsmen crossed double figures. In the end they were bowled out by the resurgent Irish for 132. The Irish went on to win the match, helped by a knock of 72 from Niall O’Brien. This meant that Pakistan had been knocked out during the first round for the second consecutive World Cup.^[9][10][11]

Tragedy struck the team when coach Bob Woolmer died one day later on March 18, 2007 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaican police spokesman, Karl Angell, reported on March 23, 2007 that, “Mr Woolmer’s death was due to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation,” and that, “Mr Woolmer’s death is now being treated by the Jamaica police as a case of murder.” ^[12]

Subsequent to his team’s defeat and the death of Bob Woolmer, Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his resignation as captain of the team and his retirement from one-day cricket, stating that he would continue to take part in Test cricket but not as captain.^[13]

On 23 March 2007, Pakistan players and officials were questioned by Jamaican police and submitted DNA samples along with fingerprints, as part of the routine enquiries in the investigation into Woolmer’s murder.^[14] Three days after leaving the West Indies for Pakistan, via London, the Pakistan team were ruled out as suspects. The deputy commissioner of Jamaican police. Mark Shields, the detective in charge of the investigation, announced, “It’s fair to say they are now being treated as witnesses.” “I have got no evidence to suggest it was anybody in the squad.”^[15] A memorial service was held in Sacred Heart Church, Lahore, for Bob Woolmer on 1 April 2007. Among the attendees were Pakistan players and dignitaries, including Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was quoted as saying, “After Woolmer’s family, the Pakistan team was the most aggrieved by his death.”^[16] After the World Cup ended, serious doubts were raised about the investigation, with increasing speculation that Woolmer died of natural causes. This has now been accepted as fact, and the case has been closed.^[17]

On July 16, 2007, Geoff Lawson, previously head coach of New South Wales, was appointed coach of the Pakistan for two years, becoming the third foreigner to take on the role.^[18] In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan exceeded expectations to reach the final but ended as runners-up, after losing the final to India in a nail-biting finish. On 25 October 2008, Intikhab Alam was named as a national coach of the team by the PCB.

The origins of cricket lie somewhere in the Dark Ages – probably after the Roman Empire, almost certainly before the Normans invaded England, and almost certainly somewhere in Northern Europe. All research concedes that the game derived from a very old, widespread and uncomplicated pastime by which one player served up an object, be it a small piece of wood or a ball, and another hit it with a suitably fashioned club.

How and when this club-ball game developed into one where the hitter defended a target against the thrower is simply not known. Nor is there any evidence as to when points were awarded dependent upon how far the hitter was able to despatch the missile; nor when helpers joined the two-player contest, thus beginning the evolution into a team game; nor when the defining concept of placing wickets at either end of the pitch was adopted.

Etymological scholarship has variously placed the game in the Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and Norman-French traditions; sociological historians have variously attributed its mediaeval development to high-born country landowners, emigré Flemish cloth-workers, shepherds on the close-cropped downland of south-east England and the close-knit communities of iron- and glass-workers deep in the Kentish Weald. Most of these theories have a solid academic basis, but none is backed with enough evidence to establish a watertight case. The research goes on.

What is agreed is that by Tudor times cricket had evolved far enough from club-ball to be recognisable as the game played today; that it was well established in many parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; that within a few years it had become a feature of leisure time at a significant number of schools; and – a sure sign of the wide acceptance of any game – that it had become popular enough among young men to earn the disapproval of local magistrates.

Dates in cricket history

1550 (approx) Evidence of cricket being played in Guildford, Surrey.
1598 Cricket mentioned in Florio’s Italian-English dictionary.
1610 Reference to “cricketing” between Weald and Upland near Chevening, Kent. 1611 Randle Cotgrave’s French-English dictionary translates the French word “crosse” as a cricket staff.
Two youths fined for playing cricket at Sidlesham, Sussex.

1624 Jasper Vinall becomes first man known to be killed playing cricket: hit by a bat while trying to catch the ball – at Horsted Green, Sussex.
1676 First reference to cricket being played abroad, by British residents in Aleppo, Syria.
1694 Two shillings and sixpence paid for a “wagger” (wager) about a cricket match at Lewes.
1697 First reference to “a great match” with 11 players a side for fifty guineas, in Sussex.
1700 Cricket match announced on Clapham Common.

1709 First recorded inter-county match: Kent v Surrey.
1710 First reference to cricket at Cambridge University.
1727 Articles of Agreement written governing the conduct of matches between the teams of the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick of Peperharow, Surrey.
1729 Date of earliest surviving bat, belonging to John Chitty, now in the pavilion at The Oval.
1730 First recorded match at the Artillery Ground, off City Road, central London, still the cricketing home of the Honourable Artillery Company.

1744 Kent beat All England by one wicket at the Artillery Ground.
First known version of the Laws of Cricket, issued by the London Club, formalising the pitch as 22 yards long.
1767 (approx) Foundation of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire, the leading club in England for the next 30 years.
1769 First recorded century, by John Minshull for Duke of Dorset’s XI v Wrotham.
1771 Width of bat limited to 4 1/4 inches, where it has remained ever since.
1774 LBW law devised.
1776 Earliest known scorecards, at the Vine Club, Sevenoaks, Kent.
1780 The first six-seamed cricket ball, manufactured by Dukes of Penshurst, Kent.
1787 First match at Thomas Lord’s first ground, Dorset Square, Marylebone – White Conduit Club v Middlesex.
Formation of Marylebone Cricket Club by members of the White Conduit Club.
1788 First revision of the Laws of Cricket by MCC.
1794 First recorded inter-schools match: Charterhouse v Westminster.
1795 First recorded case of a dismissal “leg before wicket”.
1806 First Gentlemen v Players match at Lord’s.
1807 First mention of “straight-armed” (i.e. round-arm) bowling: by John Willes of Kent.
1809 Thomas Lord’s second ground opened at North Bank, St John’s Wood.
1811 First recorded women’s county match: Surrey v Hampshire at Ball’s Pond, London.
1814 Lord’s third ground opened on its present site, also in St John’s Wood.
1827 First Oxford v Cambridge match, at Lord’s. A draw.
1828 MCC authorise the bowler to raise his hand level with the elbow.
1833 John Nyren publishes his classic Young Cricketer’s Tutor and The Cricketers of My Time.
1836 First North v South match, for many years regarded as the principal fixture of the season.
1836 (approx) Batting pads invented.
1841 General Lord Hill, commander-in-chief of the British Army, orders that a cricket ground be made an adjunct of every military barracks.
1844 First official international match: Canada v United States.
1845 First match played at The Oval.
1846 The All-England XI, organised by William Clarke, begins playing matches, often against odds, throughout the country.
1849 First Yorkshire v Lancashire match.
1850 Wicket-keeping gloves first used.
1850 John Wisden bowls all ten batsmen in an innings for North v South.
1853 First mention of a champion county: Nottinghamshire.
1858 First recorded instance of a hat being awarded to a bowler taking three wickets with consecutive balls.
1859 First touring team to leave England, captained by George Parr, draws enthusiastic crowds in the US and Canada.
1864 Overhand bowling authorised by MCC.
John Wisden’s The Cricketer’s Almanack first published.
1868 Team of Australian aborigines tour England.
1873 WG Grace becomes the first player to record 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season.
First regulations restricting county qualifications, often regarded as the official start of the County Championship.
1877 First Test match: Australia beat England by 45 runs in Melbourne.
1880 First Test in England: a five-wicket win against Australia at The Oval.
1882 Following England’s first defeat by Australia in England, an “obituary notice” to English cricket in the Sporting Times leads to the tradition of The Ashes.
1889 South Africa’s first Test match.
Declarations first authorised, but only on the third day, or in a one-day match.
1890 County Championship officially constituted.
Present Lord’s pavilion opened.
1895 WG Grace scores 1,000 runs in May, and reaches his 100th hundred.
1899 AEJ Collins scores 628 not out in a junior house match at Clifton College, the highest individual score in any match.
Selectors choose England team for home Tests, instead of host club issuing invitations.
1900 Six-ball over becomes the norm, instead of five.
1909 Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC – now the International Cricket Council) set up, with England, Australia and South Africa the original members.
1910 Six runs given for any hit over the boundary, instead of only for a hit out of the ground.
1912 First and only triangular Test series played in England, involving England, Australia and South Africa.
1915 WG Grace dies, aged 67.
1926 Victoria score 1,107 v New South Wales at Melbourne, the record total for a first-class innings.
1928 West Indies’ first Test match.
AP “Tich” Freeman of Kent and England becomes the only player to take more than 300 first-class wickets in a season: 304.
1930 New Zealand’s first Test match.
Donald Bradman’s first tour of England: he scores 974 runs in the five Ashes Tests, still a record for any Test series.
1931 Stumps made higher (28 inches not 27) and wider (nine inches not eight – this was optional until 1947).
1932 India’s first Test match.
Hedley Verity of Yorkshire takes ten wickets for ten runs v Nottinghamshire, the best innings analysis in first-class cricket.
1932-33 The Bodyline tour of Australia in which England bowl at batsmen’s bodies with a packed leg-side field to neutralise Bradman’s scoring.
1934 Jack Hobbs retires, with 197 centuries and 61,237 runs, both records. First women’s Test: Australia v England at Brisbane.
1935 MCC condemn and outlaw Bodyline.
1947 Denis Compton of Middlesex and England scores a record 3,816 runs in an English season.
1948 First five-day Tests in England.
Bradman concludes Test career with a second-ball duck at The Oval and a batting average of 99.94 – four runs short of 100.
1952 Pakistan’s first Test match.
1953 England regain the Ashes after a 19-year gap, the longest ever.
1956 Jim Laker of England takes 19 wickets for 90 v Australia at Manchester, the best match analysis in first-class cricket.
1957 Declarations authorised at any time.
1960 First tied Test, Australia v West Indies at Brisbane.
1963 Distinction between amateur and professional cricketers abolished in English cricket.
The first major one-day tournament begins in England: the Gillette Cup.
1969 Limited-over Sunday league inaugurated for first-class counties.
1970 Proposed South African tour of England cancelled: South Africa excluded from international cricket because of their government’s apartheid policies.
1971 First one-day international: Australia v England at Melbourne.
1975 First World Cup: West Indies beat Australia in final at Lord’s.
1976 First women’s match at Lord’s, England v Australia.
1977 Centenary Test at Melbourne, with identical result to the first match: Australia beat England by 45 runs.
Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer, signs 51 of the world’s leading players in defiance of the cricketing authorities.
1978 Graham Yallop of Australia wears a protective helmet to bat in a Test match, the first player to do so.
1979 Packer and official cricket agree peace deal.
1980 Eight-ball over abolished in Australia, making the six-ball over universal.
1981 England beat Australia in Leeds Test, after following on with bookmakers offering odds of 500 to 1 against them winning.
1982 Sri Lanka’s first Test match.
1991 South Africa return, with a one-day international in India.
1992 Zimbabwe’s first Test match.
Durham become the first county since Glamorgan in 1921 to attain firstclass status.
1993 The ICC ceases to be administered by MCC, becoming an independent organisation with its own chief executive.
1994 Brian Lara of Warwickshire becomes the only player to pass 500 in a firstclass innings: 501 not out v Durham.
2000 South Africa’s captain Hansie Cronje banned from cricket for life after admitting receiving bribes from bookmakers in match-fixing scandal.
Bangladesh’s first Test match.
County Championship split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation.
The Laws of Cricket revised and rewritten.
2001 Sir Donald Bradman dies, aged 92.
2003 Twenty20 Cup, a 20-over-per-side evening tournament, inaugurated in England.
2004 Lara becomes the first man to score 400 in a Test innings, against England.
2005 The ICC introduces Powerplays and Supersubs in ODIs, and hosts the inaugural Superseries.
2006 Pakistan forfeit a Test at The Oval after being accused of ball tampering.