The Story of Cricket

Cricket evolved from many stick-and-ball games in England 500 years ago. 'Bat' meant stick or club. By the 17th century it was a distinct game.

Various stick-and-ball games in rural England slowly formed cricket. The word 'bat' is old English for stick or club.

Till the 18th century bats curved like hockey sticks because the ball was bowled along the ground underarm.

Early bats curved outward at the bottom, similar to hockey sticks, because underarm bowling rolled the ball along the ground.

A Test match can last five days and still end in a draw. The pitch is 22 yards but ground shape varies - oval or circular.

Cricket takes far longer than football or baseball. Ground size is not fixed; sixes at Melbourne need more distance than at Feroz Shah Kotla.

The first written Laws of 1744 fixed stump height, bail length, ball weight and pitch distance at 22 yards.

Cricket was the earliest modern team sport to be codified. Umpires decided disputes; measurements were standardised.

British imperial soldiers and traders took cricket to colonies. In India it grew from small clubs to a national passion.

Where the British went, cricket followed - Caribbean, Africa, Asia. India embraced it so deeply it now dominates world cricket.

One-day and T20 formats shortened the game, yet Test cricket's long tradition continues. Cricket is now global entertainment.

Limited-overs cricket brought faster games, but the historical oddities - length, draw, varied grounds - remain part of its identity.