History of Cricket

Bat and ball games trace back well into the 13th century and from such games evolved the game of cricket. The first official rules were written down in 1744. The home of cricket is the famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which was founded in 1787 and is based at Lord's Cricket Ground in St. John's Wood, London. Cricket was taken to the colonies of the British empire during the 19th century, and the fist 'Test' match was played in 1877 between England and Australia. Although cricket is a summer game, test and one day international matches (ODI) take place all year round as the Test level countries tour each other. The Test match nations are England, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Some other countries compete at one day international level, and at the World Cup (played every 4 years) include Holland, Scotland, Kenya and Canada. The MCC is responsible for the laws of the game, but the ICC (the International Cricket Conference) is the effective international ruling body.