A Brief History of Cricket
Cricket is one of the world's oldest and most popular sports, and it has a rich and storied history dating back centuries. Cricket originated in England, the game evolving from rural pastimes played as early as the 16th century into the organized sport we recognize today.
Here is a brief outline of some of the events that have shaped the game of cricket throughout history.
Cricket Timeline
- 1844 - The first-ever international cricket game was played between the USA and Canada in in New York.
- 1867 - The first Australian cricket team to tour England, compriosed of indigenous Australian players
- 1877 - The first Test match began on 15 March, between England and Australia.
- 1890 - The first-ever official English cricket County Championship match began on 12 May.
- 1892 - Australia established the domestic Sheffield Shield competition
- 1900 - cricket was played at the Paris Olympic Games, won by a Brtiish team.
- 1970 - the ICC suspended South Africa indefinitely from international cricket competition due to their apartheid policy.
- 1970 - the first use of "drop-in" pitches.
- 1971 - The first limited-over international match took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- 1973 - the first Women's Cricket World Cup was held in England
- 1975 - the first Cricket World Cup was played in England
- 1977 to 1979 - Word Series Cricket, a break away professional cricket competition.
- 1979 - the first women's Test match was held between England and Australia at Lords.
- 1992 - a third umpire was first used to adjudicate run-out appeals with television replays in the Test series between South Africa and India.
- 2003 - T20 cricket was originally introduced by the ECB for professional inter-county competition in England and Wales.
- 2005 - The first men's Twenty20 international was between Australia and New Zealand.
- 2007 - The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 was played in South Africa
- 2015 - The first-ever day-night test match was played in Adelaide from Nov 27 to Dec 1, between Australia and New Zealand, using a pink ball.
Related Pages
- Cricket trivia
- More about Cricket
- A short-lived sport: Cricket on Horseback
- History of Sports
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events