Sunday 8 April 2012
ICC PLAYER RANKINGS
Test Batsmen
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | M.J. Clarke | ||
| 1 | A.B. de Villiers | ||
| 3 | J.H. Kallis | ||
| 4 | Younus Khan | ||
| 5 | K.C. Sangakkara | ||
| 6 | A.N. Cook | ||
| 7 | T.T. Samaraweera | ||
| 8 | S. Chanderpaul | ||
| 9 | H.M. Amla | ||
| 10 | R.L. Taylor | ||
Test Bowlers
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | D.W. Steyn | ||
| 2 | Saeed Ajmal | ||
| 3 | J.M. Anderson | ||
| 4 | G.P. Swann | ||
| 5 | H.M.R.K.B. Herath | ||
| 6 | P.M. Siddle | ||
| 7 | V.D. Philander | ||
| 8 | S.C.J. Broad | ||
| 9 | Abdur Rehman | ||
| 10 | M. Morkel | ||
Test Allrounders
| Rank |  Name | Country | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shakib Al Hasan | ||
| 2 | J.H. Kallis | ||
| 3 | S.C.J. Broad | ||
| 4 | S.R. Watson | ||
| 5 | D.L. Vettori | ||
| 6 | G.P. Swann | ||
| 7 | P.M. Siddle | ||
| 8 | D.W. Steyn | ||
| 9 | T.T. Bresnan | ||
| 10 | M.G. Johnson |
ODI Batsmen
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | H.M. Amla | ||
| 2 | A.B. de Villiers | ||
| 3 | V. Kohli | ||
| 4 | M.S. Dhoni | ||
| 5 | K.C. Sangakkara | ||
| 6 | I.J.L. Trott | ||
| 7 | A.N. Cook | ||
| 8 | M.J. Clarke | ||
| 9 | S.R. Watson | ||
| 10 | Umar Akmal | ||
ODI Bowlers
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | L.L. Tsotsobe | ||
| 2 | Saeed Ajmal | ||
| 3 | M. Morkel | ||
| 4 | Mohammad Hafeez | ||
| 5 | G.P. Swann | ||
| 6 | R. Ashwin | ||
| 7 | D.L. Vettori | ||
| 8 | S.T. Finn | ||
| 8 | Shakib Al Hasan | ||
| 10 | K.D. Mills | ||
ODI Allrounders
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | Shakib Al Hasan | ||
| 2 | S.R. Watson | ||
| 3 | Mohammad Hafeez | ||
| 4 | Shahid Afridi | ||
| 5 | J.H. Kallis | ||
| 6 | J.D.P. Oram | ||
| 7 | R.N. ten Doeschate | ||
| 8 | D.L. Vettori | ||
| 9 | A.D. Mathews | ||
| 10 | R.A. Jadeja | ||
Twenty20 Batsmen
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | K.P. Pietersen | ||
| 2 | M.J. Guptill | ||
| 3 | E.J.G. Morgan | ||
| 4 | B.B. McCullum | ||
| 5 | D.P.M.D. Jayawardena | ||
| 6 | T.M. Dilshan | ||
| 7 | S. Raina | ||
| 8 | K.C. Sangakkara | ||
| 9 | S.R. Watson | ||
| 10 | D.A. Warner | ||
Twenty 20 Bowlers
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | G.P. Swann | ||
| 2 | B.A.W. Mendis | ||
| 3 | Saeed Ajmal | ||
| 4 | J. Botha | ||
| 5 | Shahid Afridi | ||
| 6 | N.L. McCullum | ||
| 7 | Mohammad Hafeez | ||
| 8 | S.L. Malinga | ||
| 9 | S.C.J. Broad | ||
| 10 | D.J.G. Sammy | ||
Twenty20 Allrounders
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating |
| 1 | S.R. Watson | ||
| 2 | Shahid Afridi | ||
| 3 | D.J. Hussey | ||
| 4 | Mohammad Hafeez | ||
| 5 | T.M. Dilshan | ||
| 6 | J.H. Kallis | ||
| 7 | J.A. Morkel | ||
| 8 | D.J.J. Bravo | ||
| 9 | A.D. Mathews | ||
| 9 | Yuvraj Singh | ||
last update:09.04.12
Wednesday 4 April 2012
ICC TEAM RANKINGS
ICC Test Ranking
| Team | Matches | Points | Rating | |
| 1 | England | 41 | 4830 | 118 |
| 2 | South Africa | 32 | 3709 | 116 |
| 3 | India | 46 | 5103 | 111 |
| 4 | Australia | 42 | 4655 | 111 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 35 | 3781 | 108 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 35 | 3426 | 98 |
| 7 | West Indies | 30 | 2604 | 87 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 28 | 2366 | 85 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 18 | 135 | 8 |
Zimbabwe is currently unranked, as it has played insufficient matches. It has 167 points and a rating of 42.
ICC ODI Ranking
| Team | Matches | Points | Rating | |
| 1 | Australia | 49 | 6030 | 123 |
| 2 | South Africa | 30 | 3549 | 118 |
| 3 | India | 55 | 6409 | 117 |
| 4 | England | 39 | 4333 | 111 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 52 | 5745 | 110 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 45 | 4710 | 105 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 31 | 2667 | 86 |
| 8 | West Indies | 32 | 2753 | 86 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 36 | 2408 | 67 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 33 | 1511 | 46 |
| 11 | Ireland | 14 | 504 | 36 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 9 | 137 | 15 |
| 13 | Kenya | 9 | 74 | 8 |
ICC T20 Ranking
| Team | Matches | QFY Matches | Points | Rating | |
| 1 | England | 14 | 22 | 1811 | 129 |
| 2 | South Africa | 12 | 20 | 1468 | 122 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 18 | 1056 | 117 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 14 | 24 | 1596 | 114 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 17 | 29 | 1817 | 107 |
| 6 | Australia | 15 | 25 | 1603 | 107 |
| 7 | India | 9 | 16 | 930 | 103 |
| 8 | Ireland | 10 | 15 | 946 | 95 |
| 9 | West Indies | 10 | 18 | 933 | 93 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 6 | 11 | 500 | 83 |
| 11 | Netherlands | 5 | 8 | 321 | 64 |
| 12 | Zimbabwe | 9 | 13 | 463 | 51 |
| 13 | Scotland | 5 | 8 | 200 | 40 |
| 14 | Canada | 5 | 8 | 79 | 16 |
| 15 | Kenya | 6 | 9 | 75 | 13 |
India`s First Tour of Australia, 1947-48
The Indian team played only with the England team, both in home soil and in England, most of the time till the year 1946, when it played and won against the Australian Services XI team. The Indian cricket team then went for its first ever tour in Australia in the season 1947-48 and it was also the first ever Test series between the two teams. The legendary cricketer Lala Amarnath captained the Indian team and it was quite a strong team with the players like Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Hazare, C.S. Nayudu etc included in the team. It was a great tour for India, as the team`s captain, Lala Amarnath proved himself to be one of the great captains in the history of Indian cricket. However, the Indian team could not perform well in the tour, as it lost the Test series by 0-4, against Australia.
The Indian cricket team started its first tour in Australia in a very positive note, as the captain of India, Lala Amarnath played a superb innings of 228 runs in the tour match against Victoria. It was defined as "one of the greatest ever played" in Australia, by a recognized member of Bill Woodfull`s 1932 Bodyline side, Victor Richardson. In another tour match against the Australia XI, the other legendary Indian player, Vinoo Mankad, who was regarded as the premier slow bowler of the world in his time, bowled brilliantly to get a match figure of 8-84. Mankad`s extraordinary bowling helped the Indians to win the match by a huge margin.
The famous Indian batsman, Phadkar made his debut in the tour in Australia and the other batsmen like Hazare, Merchant and the captain Amarnath, were also in a very good form in the tour matches. However, the Indians could not carry on their the wonderful form of the tour matches to the Test matches and as the world`s best batsman ever, Donald Bradman was in his best form, the Indian lost the Test series by 0-4. Bradman literally dominated the Indian bowling throughout the tour as he played some brilliant innings like 156 for South Australia, 172 for an Australian XI (his hundredth first class hundred), 185 in the first Test, 132 and 127 not out in the Third Test, 201 in the fourth Test and 57 retired hurt in the fifth, against the Indians.
However, there was still some good news for the Indians in the tour, as the all time great Indian batsman, Vijay Samuel Hazare, played some brilliant knocks to pay something back to the Australians. After losing all the first three Test matches, the Indians once again failed to restrict the Australians to a small score, and the Aussies got a huge total of 674 runs in the first innings of the fourth Test match at Adelaide. In reply to the mammoth total of the Australians, the Indians got a good start from the top order batsmen like Amarnath and Mankad and Mankad played a briskly knock of 46 runs in the innings. However, the Indians could not capitalize on the good start, as they lost some quick wickets and put themselves on a huge pressure, on 133-5.
It was then, when the great batsman Vijay Hazare started to play his own shots and he began the rescue work for India. He played with great determination and kept his head cool, and none of the Aussie bowlers could get rid of Hazare`s hammerings in the innings. The then young and promising batsmen of India, Phadkar also accompanied Hazare very well and as a result, the Indians made an unbelievable come back in the innings and ended the day, on 299-5. However, as Hazare and Phadkar got out in the next day on their individual score of 116 runs and 123 runs, respectively, the Indian innings eventually ended on 381 runs.
Hazare once again played a superb innings in the second innings of India in the match, as he again rescued his team from a disastrous start. He came into bat when India was in a very bad position in the match, and he once again played a brilliant knock of 145 runs in the innings. The Australian bowlers failed to restrict him for a small score once again and it was Hazare alone, who became the star of India`s second innings that eventually ended on 277-10. The event of Hazare getting the wicket of the world`s greatest batsman, Donald Bradman with a brilliant delivery was also another glorious achievement for Hazare in the tour. As a whole, though the tour was not a successful for the Indian team, it is still remembered as one of the most wonderful tours, due to the individual successes of the players like Hazare, Amarnath, Mankad and Phadkar.
India at the 2007 World Cup
India`s World Cup crusade started on a disastrous note, as they lost to Bangladesh in the opener, leaving them with two must-win matches in their group. All Indian batsmen, barring Yuvraj Singh (47), faltered against the pace bowling of Mashrafe Mortaza and the left arm spin of Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique from Bangladesh.
India`s
next match was against Bermuda where they put up a huge total of 413
against, the highest score by India in one-day cricket and the highest
team total in a World Cup game. Virender Sehwag, who was selected in the team only at Captain Rahul Dravid`s insistence, rediscovered his form with 114. Yuvraj Singh
and Sachin Tendulkar literally demolished the amateur Bermudan bowling,
with innings of 83 and 57 respectively. India won the game by 257 runs,
and this left them to beat tournament favourites Sri Lanka. Due to
their loss to Bangladesh, India`s presence in the tournament depended on
them defeating Sri Lanka.
At Trinidad in Queen`s Park Oval, on 23 March, the Indian pace bowlers made early inroads, dismissing the danger men, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara early. However, Upul Tharanga and Chamara Silva joinly contributed handsomely, making half centuries each and the Sri Lankan innings ended for 254 for the loss of 6 wickets.
The Indian batting power terribly crumbled against the variety and might Sri Lankan bowling attack, with only Rahul and Sehwag showing some confrontation. Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni fell for ducks, and Yuvraj was run out for 6. Muttiah Muralitharan took 3 wickets, winning him the Man of the Match award. India were all out for only 185, considered surprising given India`s batting strength and the batting-friendly nature of the Queen`s Park Oval. With one victory and two losses, India was hence knocked out of the World Cup. Bangladesh`s win over Bermuda confirmed India`s exit from the World Cup. It was also the first time since 1992 that the Indian cricket team failed to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
After the World Cup debacle, beleaguered coach Greg Chappell resigned from his post along with all his support staffs. However, Dravid retained his captaincy, which is soon gave up after the England tour that very year, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took over the mantle of captaincy. Following the poor show at the World Cup there were quite a lot of question and debates raised on the players. Attacks on players homes and protests by infuriated fans, especially in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The 2007 Indian World Cup Team Comprised:
Robin Uthappa
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid (Captain)
Sachin Tendulkar
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket-Keeper)
Ajit Agarkar
Harbhajan Singh
Munaf Patel
Zaheer Khan
Irfan Pathan
Anil Kumble
Dinesh Karthik (Reserve Wicketkeeper)
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
HISTORY OF INDIAN CRICKET
Other experts are of the opinion that the history of Indian Cricket started its journey in the place named Sylhet (currently in Bangladesh). Proper evidence has been found to prove this from the Sporting Intelligence magazine, on 3rd March, 1845. The report was published by the editor of the Englishman newspaper and the news item was titled as "Sepoy Cricketers". The reporter made proper observation of the match played between the European cricketers and the Sepoy cricketers. Apart from this news item, another report has been found to support the fact that Cricket was first played in Sylhet in India. This report was titled as "Sepoy Cricket at Sylhet" and in this report, the reporter mentioned about the match between two regimental sides, each of which contained at least eight native cricketers.
After its initiation, Cricket started to get popularity among the Indian people within a short period of time. The middle and last half of the nineteenth century was an important period in the history of Indian Cricket, as the game spread its reach in almost all the parts of India during that period. Many teams from England started touring India by the close of the nineteenth century. There is a report published in the newspaper, The Times of India, that supports this fact and the report was about the Presidency matches between the Parsees and the Lord Hawke`s Englishmen. The match was held in Bombay in 1892. The report described how the international Cricket matches that took place in Bombay at that time, increased interest among the local people. In the Metro cities of India like Calcutta (Kolkata), Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai), Cricket was played as a sport by the first half of the twentieth century. As the Hindus of India too started playing the game, the tournament of Bombay Presidency Matches became the Bombay Triangular in 1907-08. In 1912-13, the entry of the Muslims made it a quadrangular.
The First Test Match was played in 1932. Though India did not have a
national cricket team during the early 1900s, a few Indian great
cricketers of that era did represent the England cricket team. Maharaja Ranjit Singh and
Duleep Singhji were the prominent ones among them. However, the first
international exposure in the history of Indian Cricket came in the year
1926. In that year, a team from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), led
by A.E.R Gilligan toured India. Though it was an unofficial tour, the
Indian people were quite interested and enthusiastic about the matches
that MCC played during the tour. The legendary Indian cricket player, C. K. Nayudu
played brilliantly during that tour and he also scored a century
against the MCC side in Bombay. The tour was responsible to redefine the
contours of Indian cricket. It ultimately spearheaded to the formation
of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) in the year 1928. India was accredited Test status by 1932, much
before it got its Independence in 1947. India played against England in
that year.
After Independence, a big push came in the history of Indian Cricket, when India got its first ever Test series win against the neighbouring Asian counterpart and archrivals Pakistan, in 1952. The series saw brilliant and extraordinary performances from some of the greatest Indian Cricket players like Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar and leg spinner SM Gupte. The Indian Cricket during 1960s saw the Indian team becoming a formidable side on native soil. It was also the decade, when the Indian team started playing well in overseas. India`s great performances on home soil were evident from the fact that India defeated New Zealand and held the teams like Pakistan, England and Australia to a draw, during that period. The 1960s also saw the rising of some of the greatly talented Indian Cricket players like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Dilip Sardesai, Hanumant Singh, Chandu Borde and not least of all, off-spinner EAS Prasanna.
The era of India`s spin quartet comprising Bishen Singh Bedi (left-arm spinner), Erapalli Prasanna (off-spinner), BS Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (off-spinner) during 1970s, is considered as the golden era in the history of Indian Cricket. Apart from the dominance of the spin quartet over all the batsmen of the world, 1970s also saw the rising of two of India`s greatest ever batsmen - Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath. All of these great Indian Cricket players made their presence felt in the international circuit and contributed immensely in the success of Indian team. India successfully won consecutive Test series in West Indies and England in 1971 and the team was led by Ajit Wadekar, in both the series.
During the 1980s, India developed a more attack minded batting line-up with stroke makers such as Mohammed Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and all-rounder Ravi Shastri prominent during this time. India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983, defeating the, then favourites, West Indies in the final, owing to a strong bowling performance. In spite of this the team performed poorly in the Test arena, including 28 consecutive Test matches without a victory. In 1984, India won the Asia Cup and in 1985, won the World Championship of Cricket in Australia. Apart from this, India remained a very weak team outside the Indian subcontinent. India`s Test series victory in 1986 against England remained the last Test series win by India outside the subcontinent for the next 19 years. The 1987 Cricket World Cup was held in India. The 1980s saw Gavaskar and Kapil Dev (India`s best all rounder to this date) at the pinnacle of their careers. Gavaskar made a Test record 34 centuries as he became the first man to reach the 10,000 run mark. Kapil Dev later became the highest wicket taker in Test cricket with 434 wickets.
The addition of Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble to the national side in 1989 and 1990 improved the team. The following year, Javagal Srinath,
India`s fastest bowler since Amar Singh, made his debut. Despite this,
during the 1990s, India did not win any of its 33 Tests outside the
subcontinent while it won 17 out of its 30 Tests at home. After being
eliminated by neighbours Sri Lanka on native land at the 1996 Cricket
World Cup, the team underwent a year of change as Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly,
later to be become captains of the team, made their debut in the same
Test at Lord`s. Tendulkar replaced Azharuddin as captain in late 1996,
but after a personal and team form slump, Tendulkar relinquished the
captaincy and Azharuddin was reinstalled at the beginning of 1998. With
the captaincy burden removed, Tendulkar was the world`s leading
run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs, as India enjoyed a home Test series
win over Australia, the best ranked team in the world. After failing to
reach the semi-finals at the 1999 Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar was again
made captain, and had another poor run, losing 3-0 on a tour of
Australia and then 2-0 at home to South Africa. Tendulkar resigned,
vowing never to captain the team again, with Saurav Ganguly appointed
the new captain. The team was further damaged in 2000 when former
captain Azharuddin and fellow batsman Ajay Jadeja were implicated in a match-fixing scandal and given life bans
Since 2000, the Indian team underwent major improvements with the appointment of John Wright as India`s first ever foreign coach. India maintained their unbeaten home record against Australia in Test series after defeating them in 2001. The series was famous for the Kolkata Test match, in which India became only the third team in the history of Test cricket to win a Test match after following on. Australian captain Steve Waugh labelled India as the "Final Frontier" as a result of his side`s inability to win a Test series in India. Victory in 2001 against the Australians marked the beginning of a dream run for India under their captain Saurav Ganguly, winning Test matches in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and England. The England series is also known for India`s highest ODI run-chase of 325 runs at Lord`s which came in the Natwest ODI Series final against England. In the same year, India was joint winners of the ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka, and then went to the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa where they reached the final only to be beaten by Australia. The 2003-2004 seasons also saw India play out a Test series in Australia where they drew 1-1 with world champions, and then win a Test and ODI series in Pakistan.
At the end of the 2004 season, India suffered from lack of form and fitness from its older players. A defeat in a following home Test series against Australia was followed by an ODI home series defeat against Pakistan followed by a Test series levelled 1-1. Greg Chappell took over from John Wright as the new coach of the Indian cricket team following the series, and his methods proved to be controversial during the beginning of his tenure. The tension resulted in fallout between Chappell and Ganguly, resulting in Rahul Dravid being made captain. This triggered a revival in the team`s fortunes, following the emergence of players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and the coming of age of players like Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh.
In December 2006, it played and won its first ever Twenty20 international in South Africa, becoming the most recent Test team to play Twenty20 cricket. After winning the Test series against England in August 2007, Rahul Dravid stepped down as the captain of the team following which Mahendra Singh Dhoni was made the captain of the Twenty20 and ODI team. In September 2007, it won the first ever Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa, beating Pakistan by 5 runs in a thrilling final. Then they toured Australia with a controversial series that they lost 2-1 in test but come back for a whitewash final against them.
Recently, India under the coaching of Gary Kristen won the Cricket World Cup in 2011, after a long time since 1983, under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh became the man of the tournament. The Indian team beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets, in the final match which was played in Mumbai. Apparently, India became the first country to win the tournament in native soil.
HISTORY OF CRICKET
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.
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.
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.
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 ha
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.
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 ha
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.
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