মাত্র চতুর্থ বর্ষে পড়েছে আইপিএল, বছরে খেলাও হয় মাত্র ছয় সপ্তাহ। কিন্তু খেলোয়াড়দের সাপ্তাহিক গড় পারিশ্রমিকের দিক থেকে আইপিএল এখন ক্রীড়াবিশ্বে দ্বিতীয়! স্পোর্টিং ইন্টেলিজেন্স ডটকমের তথ্য, সাপ্তাহিক পারিশ্রমিকের গড়ে বিশ্বে ভারতের টি-টোয়েন্টি টুর্নামেন্টটির ওপরে আছে কেবল যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের জনপ্রিয় বাস্কেটবল লিগ এনবিএ। বিভিন্ন খেলার ১৪টি শীর্ষ লিগের ২৭২টি দলের পারিশ্রমিক বিশ্লেষণ করে প্রতিবেদনটি তৈরি করেছে স্পোর্টিং ইন্টেলিজেন্স। জরিপটি তারা করেছে ইএসপিএন দ্য ম্যাগাজিন-এর সঙ্গে যৌথভাবে।
সর্বশেষ মৌসুমে এনবিএর ৩০ দল খেলোয়াড়দের গড়ে পারিশ্রমিক দিয়েছে বছরে ৪৭ লাখ ৯০ হাজার মার্কিন ডলার, সাপ্তাহিক হিসাবে যেটা দাঁড়ায় ৯২ হাজার ১৯৯ মার্কিন ডলার। সপ্তাহে সর্বোচ্চ পারিশ্রমিক দেওয়া তিন দলের কোনোটিই অবশ্য এনবিএ বা আইপিএলের নয়। সবচেয়ে বেশি পারিশ্রমিক দেয় স্পেনের লা লিগার দল বার্সেলোনা, ঠিক পেছনেই চিরপ্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী রিয়াল মাদ্রিদ। মেজর লিগ বেসবলের (এমএলবি) দল নিউইয়র্ক ইয়াঙ্কিস আছে তিনে। আইপিএলে সবচেয়ে বেশি পারিশ্রমিক দেওয়া দল রয়্যাল চ্যালেঞ্জার্স বেঙ্গালুরু আছে তালিকার ২৬ নম্বরে, সপ্তাহে ৮৬,৬৬৭ মার্কিন ডলার পারিশ্রমিক দেয় বিজয় মালিয়ার দল। ২৯ নম্বরে থাকা কলকাতা নাইট রাইডার্স দেয় ৮৫,৫৪৫ মার্কিন ডলার। সেরা পঞ্চাশে আছে আইপিএলের আরও দুই দল—কিংস ইলেভেন পাঞ্জাব (৪০) ও মুম্বাই ইন্ডিয়ানস (৪৪)। ওয়েবসাইট।
Showing posts with label history cricket dunia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history cricket dunia. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
বিশ্বকাপ রেকর্ড
অস্ট্রেলিয়ার রিকি পন্টিং এবার সাতটি ম্যাচে অধিনায়কত্ব করে ছাড়িয়ে গেছেন নিউজিল্যান্ডের সাবেক অধিনায়ক স্টিভেন ফ্লেমিংকে (২৭)। বিশ্বকাপে অধিনায়ক পন্টিংয়ের ম্যাচ ২৯টি।
সর্বোচ্চ সেঞ্চুরি
এবার দুটি সেঞ্চুরি করে শচীন টেন্ডুলকার বিশ্বকাপে সর্বাধিক সেঞ্চুরির রেকর্ডের একক মালিক হয়েছেন। বিশ্বকাপে তাঁর মোট সেঞ্চুরির সংখ্যা ৬।
ইনিংসে সর্বোচ্চ স্ট্রাইক রেট
নিউজিল্যান্ডের জেমস ফ্রাঙ্কলিন কানাডার বিপক্ষে ৮ বলে করেন অপরাজিত ৩১ রান, যার স্ট্রাইক রেট ৩৮৭.৫০। বিশ্বকাপে কমপক্ষে ২৫ রানের ইনিংসগুলোর মধ্যে স্ট্রাইক রেটের দিক দিয়ে এটিই সেরা।
সর্বোচ্চ জুটি
প্রথম উইকেটে শ্রীলঙ্কার থারাঙ্গা ও দিলশান (২৮২) এবং ষষ্ঠ উইকেটে আয়ারল্যান্ডের কেভিন ও’ব্রায়েন ও অ্যালেক্সই কুসাক (১৬২) বিশ্বকাপের নতুন রেকর্ড করেছেন।
ম্যাচে সর্বোচ্চ রান
ভারত ও ইংল্যান্ডের টাই ম্যাচটিতে দুই দল সবশুদ্ধ রান করেছে ৬৭৬। আগের রেকর্ডটি ছিল অস্ট্রেলিয়া ও দক্ষিণ আফ্রিকার। ২০০৭ বিশ্বকাপে এই দুই দলের ম্যাচে উঠেছিল ৬৭১ রান
Thursday, March 31, 2011
রেকর্ড কর্নার বিশ্বকাপের ফাইনাল
বিশ্বকাপ ক্রিকেটের ফাইনালে সবচেয়ে বেশি ছয়বার খেলেছে অস্ট্রেলিয়া। সর্বোচ্চ ৪টি ফাইনাল খেলেছেন রিকি পন্টিং ও গ্লেন ম্যাকগ্রা। তবে সর্বোচ্চ ৩ বার অধিনায়ক ছিলেন ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজের ক্লাইভ লয়েড। সবচেয়ে বেশি রান করেছেন অ্যাডাম গিলক্রিস্ট, তিন ফাইনালে ২৬০। সর্বোচ্চ ইনিংসটিও তাঁর ১৪৯ গত বিশ্বকাপে ব্রিজটাউনে শ্রীলঙ্কার বিপক্ষে। বোলিংয়ে সবার আগে জোয়েল গার্নার ও গ্লেন ম্যাকগ্রা। ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিয়ান গার্নার ২ ম্যাচে ও ম্যাকগ্রা ৪ ম্যাচে পেয়েছেন ৬ উইকেট। ১৯৭৯ বিশ্বকাপে স্বাগতিক ইংল্যান্ডের বিপক্ষে গার্নারের ৩৮ রানে ৫ উইকেট ফাইনালের সেরা বোলিং। সবচেয়ে বড় দলীয় ইনিংসটি ২০০৩ বিশ্বকাপে ভারতের বিপক্ষে অস্ট্রেলিয়ার ৩৫৯। সর্বনিম্ন ইনিংসটি পাকিস্তানের ১৩২, অস্ট্রেলিয়ার বিপক্ষে ১৯৯৯ বিশ্বকাপে। ২০০৩ সালে তৃতীয় উইকেটে ডেমিয়েন মার্টিন ও রিকি পন্টিংয়ের অপরাজিত ২৩৪ রান বিশ্বকাপ ফাইনালের সবচেয়ে বড় জুটি।
Saturday, February 19, 2011
আরও উচ্চতায় শচীন
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আরও উচ্চতায় শচীনস্পোর্টস ডেস্ক  ভারতীয় মাস্টার ব্লাস্টার শচীন টেন্ডুলকারের জন্য খুব বেশি রেকর্ড মনে হয় অধরা নেই। একমাত্র ডন ব্রাডম্যানের সে অলঙ্ঘ্য রেকর্ডটি ছাড়া টেস্ট ও ওয়ানডে ক্রিকেটের প্রায় সবগুলোই তিনি ছুঁয়েছেন। গতকাল তার রেকর্ডের পালকে গাঁথা হলো আরেকটি পালক। সবচেয়ে বেশিবার একদিনের খেলায় মাঠে নামার রেকর্ডটি নিজের করে নিয়েছেন ভারতের শচীন টেন্ডুলকার। গতকাল শের-ই-বাংলা স্টেডিয়ামে দশম বিশ্বকাপের উদ্বোধনী ম্যাচে বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে মাঠে নেমে এ রেকর্ড গড়েন শচীন। ১৯৮৯ সালের ১৮ ডিসেম্বর গুজরানওয়ালায় পাকিস্তানের বিপক্ষে প্রথম একদিনের ম্যাচে মাঠে নামেন তিনি। সেই থেকে এ পর্যন্ত ৪৪৫টি একদিনের ম্যাচে অংশ নেন তিনি। শ্রীলঙ্কার সনাথ জয়াসুরিয়া ১৯৮৯-২০০৯ পর্যন্ত ২০ বছরের ক্যারিয়ারে খেলেন ৪৪৪টি একদিনের ম্যাচ। পাকিস্তানের সাবেক অধিনায়ক ইনজামাম-উল-হক ১৯৯১-২০০৭ পর্যন্ত ১৬ বছরের ক্যারিয়ারে ৩৭৮টি একদিনের ম্যাচে অংশ নেন। পাকিস্তানের আরেক সাবেক অধিনায়ক ওয়াসিম আকরাম ১৯৮৪-২০০৩ পর্যন্ত ১৯ বছরের ক্যারিয়ারে ৩৫৬টি ম্যাচে অংশ নেন। তিনিই সবচেয়ে বেশি একদিনের ম্যাচ খেলা বোলার। অস্ট্র্রেলিয়ার অধিনায়ক রিকি পন্টিং ১৯৯৫ সালে অভিষেকের পর এ পর্যন্ত খেলেছেন ৩৫২টি একদিনের ম্যাচ। একদিনের ম্যাচ খেলার তালিকায় আপাতত তার নাম ৫ নম্বরে থাকলেও বিশ্বকাপে সবচেয়ে বেশি ম্যাচ খেলার রেকর্ডটি তার। খেলেছেন ৩৯টি ম্যাচ। রেকর্ডটিতে ভাগ রয়েছে গ্লেন ম্যাকগ্রারও। তিনিও খেলেছেন ৩৯টি ম্যাচ। ৩৮টি করে ম্যাচ খেলেন জয়াসুরিয়া ও ওয়াসিম আকরাম। গতকালের খেলাটি শচীনের ৩৭তম বিশ্বকাপ ম্যাচ। ৩৫টি করে বিশ্বকাপ ম্যাচ খেলেছেন অরবিন্দ ডি সিলভা ও ইনজামাম। ৩৪টি বিশ্বকাপ ম্যাচ খেলেছেন ব্রায়ান লারা। চলতি বিশ্বকাপে অংশ নিয়ে শচীন দাঁড়ালেন জাভেদ মিয়াঁদাদের পাশে। সর্বাধিক ৬ বিশ্বকাপে অংশ নেয়ার রেকর্ডটি এতদিন বড়েমিয়ার দখলে ছিল। এবার ওই রেকর্ডে ভাগ বসালেন শচীন। এটি তার ষষ্ঠ বিশ্বকাপ। ১৯৭৫ সালে প্রথম বিশ্বকাপ খেলা মিয়াঁদাদ শেষবার অংশ নেন ১৯৯৬ সালের বিশ্বকাপে। ১৯৯২ সালের বিশ্বকাপে প্রথম অংশ নেয়া শচীনের জন্য এটি ৬ষ্ঠ বিশ্বকাপ আসর। চলতি বিশ্বকাপে শচীন খেলছেন বিশ্বকাপ ক্যারিয়ারের শুরু থেকে মনের ভেতর পুষে রাখা সে স্বপ্নটা নিয়ে। ’৮৩-র ভারত আর বিশ্বকাপ ট্রফির মুখ দেখেনি। ২০০৩ সালে সৌরভ গাঙ্গুলির নেতৃত্বে ছুঁতে ছুঁতেও ছোঁয়া হয়ে ওঠেনি। তবে এবার বিশ্বকাপ জিতে অপূর্ণ সাধটাকে চরিতার্থ করার ইচ্ছে ভারতের এই জীবন্ত কিংবদন্তির। |
বিশ্বকাপে দলীয় সর্বোচ্চ রান
৪১৩/৫ ভারত-বারমুডা পোর্ট অব স্পেন ২০০৭
৩৯৮/৫ শ্রীলঙ্কা-কেনিয়া ক্যান্ডি ১৯৯৬
৩৭৭/৬ অস্ট্রেলিয়া-দ. আফ্রিকা সেন্ট কিটস ২০০৭
৩৭৩/৬ ভারত- শ্রীলঙ্কা টন্টন ১৯৯৯
৩৭০/৪ ভারত-বাংলাদেশ মিরপুর ২০১১
সেরা ৫ ইনিংস
১৮৮* গ্যারি কারস্টেন দ. আফ্রিকা-আ. আমিরাত রাওয়ালপিন্ডি ১৯৯৬
১৮৩ সৌরভ গাঙ্গুলী ভারত-শ্রীলঙ্কা টন্টন ১৯৯৯
১৮১ ভিভ রিচার্ডস ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজ-শ্রীলঙ্কা করাচি ১৯৮৭
১৭৫* কপিল দেব ভারত-জিম্বাবুয়ে টানব্রিজ ওয়েলস ১৯৮৩
১৭৫ বীরেন্দর শেবাগ ভারত-বাংলাদেশ মিরপুর ২০১১
৩৯৮/৫ শ্রীলঙ্কা-কেনিয়া ক্যান্ডি ১৯৯৬
৩৭৭/৬ অস্ট্রেলিয়া-দ. আফ্রিকা সেন্ট কিটস ২০০৭
৩৭৩/৬ ভারত- শ্রীলঙ্কা টন্টন ১৯৯৯
৩৭০/৪ ভারত-বাংলাদেশ মিরপুর ২০১১
সেরা ৫ ইনিংস
১৮৮* গ্যারি কারস্টেন দ. আফ্রিকা-আ. আমিরাত রাওয়ালপিন্ডি ১৯৯৬
১৮৩ সৌরভ গাঙ্গুলী ভারত-শ্রীলঙ্কা টন্টন ১৯৯৯
১৮১ ভিভ রিচার্ডস ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজ-শ্রীলঙ্কা করাচি ১৯৮৭
১৭৫* কপিল দেব ভারত-জিম্বাবুয়ে টানব্রিজ ওয়েলস ১৯৮৩
১৭৫ বীরেন্দর শেবাগ ভারত-বাংলাদেশ মিরপুর ২০১১
বাংলাদেশ-ভারত ম্যাচে
ভারতের রান-উত্সবেও ভাটা পড়েনি গ্যালারির লাল-সবুজের উন্মাদনায়
প্রথম আলো
শেবাগের সর্বোচ্চ রান, আগের সর্বোচ্চ ১৪৬ (শ্রীলঙ্কার বিপক্ষে, রাজকোট, ২০০৯)।
বাংলাদেশের মাটিতে সর্বোচ্চ ইনিংস। আগের সর্বোচ্চ ১৪১, টেন্ডুলকার, ভারত-অস্ট্রেলিয়া, ১৯৯৮।
মিরপুরে সর্বোচ্চ ব্যক্তিগত ইনিংস। আগের সর্বোচ্চ অপরাজিত ১২৯, সালমান বাট, পাকিস্তান-ভারত, ২০০৮।
বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে ২য় সর্বোচ্চ, সর্বোচ্চ ১৯৪*, চার্লস কভেন্ট্রি, জিম্বাবুয়ে, ২০০৯।
শেবাগের ১৪তম ওয়ানডে সেঞ্চুরি।
বিশ্বকাপে শেবাগের ২য় সেঞ্চুরি, বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে প্রথম।
ভারতের ৩৭০
বাংলাদেশের মাটিতে সর্বোচ্চ রান
বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে ভারতের সর্বোচ্চ
বিশ্বকাপের উদ্বোধনী ম্যাচের সর্বোচ্চ রান
ওয়ানডেতে বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে ৩য় সর্বোচ্চ
বাংলাদেশের মাটিতে তিন শ পেরোনো ১৫তম স্কোর।
কোহলির ১০০*
ওয়ানডেতে ভারতীয় ব্যাটসম্যানের পঞ্চম সেঞ্চুরি।
বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে কোহলির দ্বিতীয় সেঞ্চুরি (আগেরটিও ছিল মিরপুরে)।
২০৩ রানের জুটি
শেবাগ-কোহলির ২০৩ রানের জুটি তৃতীয় উইকেটে মিরপুরে সর্বোচ্চ (আগের রেকর্ড ১৩০*, আশরাফুল-নাফিসের, আয়ারল্যান্ডের বিপক্ষে, ২০০৮)।
বিশ্বকাপে যেকোনো উইকেটে অষ্টম সেরা।
বিশ্বকাপে তৃতীয় উইকেট জুটিতে তৃতীয় সর্বোচ্চ। সেরা টেন্ডুলকার-দ্রাবিড়ের অপরাজিত ২৩৭ (কেনিয়ার বিপক্ষে, ১৯৯৯)।
বাংলাদেশের বিপক্ষে যেকোনো জুটিতে ষষ্ঠ সর্বোচ্চ রান।
বাংলাদেশের মাটিতে ৫ম ও মিরপুরের ৪র্থ সর্বোচ্চ জুটি।
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
টেন্ডুলকারই এ যুগের ব্রাডম্যান: লারা
মাত্র কয়েক বছর আগেও শচীন টেন্ডুলকার আর ব্রায়ান লারার শ্রেষ্ঠত্বের বিতর্ক বেশ ভালোই চালু ছিল ক্রিকেট অঙ্গনে। এখনো মাঝে মাঝে এই বিতর্কটা উঠে এলেও বাস্তবে লারাকে ছাড়িয়ে এখন অনেক দূরে এগিয়ে গেছেন টেন্ডুলকার। ২০০৬ সালে লারা যেখানে টেস্টে ১১ হাজার ৯৫৩ রান নিয়ে অবসরের ঘোষণা দিয়েছিলেন, সেখানে টেন্ডুলকারের সংগ্রহ এখন পর্যন্ত ১৪ হাজার ২৪০ রান। বেশির ভাগ ব্যাটিং রেকর্ডই নিজের দখলে নিয়েছেন ভারতের এই ব্যাটিং-জিনিয়াস। অনেকেই তাঁকে স্থান দিয়েছে সর্বকালের সেরা ব্যাটসম্যান ডন ব্রাডম্যানের পাশে। এবার খোদ ব্রায়ান লারাও বললেন, টেন্ডুলকারই এ যুগের ব্রাডম্যান। তবে দুজনের মধ্যে কোনো তুলনা টানতে রাজি হননি লারা।
টেন্ডুলকার আর ব্রাডম্যান—দুজন ভিন্ন ভিন্ন সময়ে পা রেখেছিলেন ক্রিকেট অঙ্গনে। ক্রিকেটের নিয়ম-কানুন, খেলার ধরন ইত্যাদি অনেক বদলে গেছে বলে এই দুই যুগের তুলনা টানা সম্ভব নয়—এ মন্তব্য করে লারা বলেছেন, ‘আমি অনেক পুরোনো দিনের মানুষের সঙ্গে কথা বলেছি, আর তাঁরা সবাই স্বীকার করেছেন, ব্রাডম্যানও এ সময়ের ক্রিকেটে ৯৯.৯৬ গড়ে রান করতে পারতেন না। এ জন্যই আমার মনে হয় টেন্ডুলকারই আমাদের যুগের ব্রাডম্যান।’
মাত্র ১৬ বছর বয়সে ক্যারিয়ার শুরু করে ২১ বছর ধরে টেন্ডুলকার যেভাবে খেলে যাচ্ছেন, সেটা অন্য অনেকের মতোই বিস্ময়কর মনে হয় ব্রায়ান লারার কাছেও। যতদিন খেলা চালিয়ে যাবেন, ততদিনে টেন্ডুলকার আরও অনেক রেকর্ড নিজের অধীনে নিয়ে আসবেন বলে মন্তব্য করেছেন ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজের এই ব্যাটিং কিংবদন্তি।
ব্রাডম্যানের সঙ্গে নিজের এই তুলনার কথা এর আগেও অনেকের মুখেই শুনেছেন টেন্ডুলকার। তবে লারার মতো আরেক ব্যাটিং কিংবদন্তির এই কথাটায় নিশ্চয়ই একটু আলাদা গুরুত্ব দেবেন তিনি!
টেন্ডুলকার আর ব্রাডম্যান—দুজন ভিন্ন ভিন্ন সময়ে পা রেখেছিলেন ক্রিকেট অঙ্গনে। ক্রিকেটের নিয়ম-কানুন, খেলার ধরন ইত্যাদি অনেক বদলে গেছে বলে এই দুই যুগের তুলনা টানা সম্ভব নয়—এ মন্তব্য করে লারা বলেছেন, ‘আমি অনেক পুরোনো দিনের মানুষের সঙ্গে কথা বলেছি, আর তাঁরা সবাই স্বীকার করেছেন, ব্রাডম্যানও এ সময়ের ক্রিকেটে ৯৯.৯৬ গড়ে রান করতে পারতেন না। এ জন্যই আমার মনে হয় টেন্ডুলকারই আমাদের যুগের ব্রাডম্যান।’
মাত্র ১৬ বছর বয়সে ক্যারিয়ার শুরু করে ২১ বছর ধরে টেন্ডুলকার যেভাবে খেলে যাচ্ছেন, সেটা অন্য অনেকের মতোই বিস্ময়কর মনে হয় ব্রায়ান লারার কাছেও। যতদিন খেলা চালিয়ে যাবেন, ততদিনে টেন্ডুলকার আরও অনেক রেকর্ড নিজের অধীনে নিয়ে আসবেন বলে মন্তব্য করেছেন ওয়েস্ট ইন্ডিজের এই ব্যাটিং কিংবদন্তি।
ব্রাডম্যানের সঙ্গে নিজের এই তুলনার কথা এর আগেও অনেকের মুখেই শুনেছেন টেন্ডুলকার। তবে লারার মতো আরেক ব্যাটিং কিংবদন্তির এই কথাটায় নিশ্চয়ই একটু আলাদা গুরুত্ব দেবেন তিনি!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cricket in the USA
Important dates in US cricket history
To some cricket enthusiasts it may appear presumptuous of the United States to claim a modest place in cricket history. A generation reared in the belief that baseball and American-rules football are the main sporting endeavours of the United States may be surprised to learn that cricket has been played more or less seriously for over 200 years. There was a time indeed when Philadelphia cricket was judged good enough to play the full strength of Australia and the first-class English counties, and when an American player on tour in England headed the first-class English bowling averages. The glory has long since departed but the tiny cricketing fraternity in the United States would like to consider that their efforts have upheld the best traditions of the game. One of the earliest mentions of cricket played in the American colonies appears to have been made by William Stephens, a planter living in Georgia. In 1737 he reported, "Many of our townsmen, freeholders, inmates and servants were assembled in the principal square at cricket and divers other athletick sports." Stephens knew of cricket as he was educated at Winchester and Cambridge University before engaging as a planter in the colonies.
The New York Weekly Post Boy reported a match between XI of London and XI of New York, played in New York in 1751 and won by the New Yorkers, the scores being 8o and 86 against 43 and 47. It appears most likely that both XIs were drawn from residents of New York, as it is difficult to believe that a touring group would cross the Atlantic for one match, or that the state of the game would encourage such a tour. There was a notice of a cricket match at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1754 and an advertisement for cricket equipment in the New York Independent journal for 19 April, 1786. The American Revolution alienated a great deal of interest in all matters English, one of the victims being the game of cricket. Before the Revolution there was an active interest in the game, and as far as possible in those days, there was some encouragement for the younger players. Even after the Revolution, the question of a name for the chief executive officer of the newly formed United States was brought up and John Adams remarked that "there are Presidents of fire companies and cricket clubs". It is interesting to reflect that the word President, as used for the chief executive of the United States, may have come about through its use by a humble cricket club.
About 1856 the idea of a visit from an England XI was discussed. (Bear in mind no England XI had ever visited any foreign country at this date.) An industrial depression gripped the United States in 1857, and talks were postponed. A Mr Waller of New York was instrumental in guaranteeing £500 for 2 matches in the United States, and on 6 September 1859, 12 professional cricketers of England met at the George Hotel, Liverpool, to embark for America on the steamer Nova Scotian the following morning. The team comprised Caffyn, Lockyer, H. H. Stephenson and Julius Caesar (all of Surrey), Parr, Grundy and Jackson (Notts), Wisden and John Lillywhite (Sussex), Carpenter, Hayward and Diver (Cambridgeshire) and Fred Lillywhite who acted as scorekeeper, historian and manager of the trip. History was made since it was the first overseas tour of an English Cricket XI. The little book describing the tour, first of a plethora of touring literature, is a classic of the game. The experiences of a rough passage are humorously described.
The first international game took place between England and XXII of the United States at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 3, 4 and 5 October 1859, England scoring 156 and dismissing the USA XXII for 38 and 54. There was no disgrace in the England team taking on a XXII. The early Australian games were on the same basis, and cricket in the United States was probably more advanced at that time than in Australia. At Philadelphia the XXII scored 94 and 6o. England scoring 126 and 29 for 3 wickets. The little party of cricket pioneers travelled over 7,000 miles in two months to play five matches, a prodigious adventure in those mid-Victorian times. If this first tour had been followed up Test Matches between the United States and England might have followed in due course. The bitter Civil War which broke out in 1861 between the Northern and Southern States had many unforseen results, one of which was to establish baseball beyond all doubt as the national game of the United States. Before the war cricket was an established game and baseball was played more by students and children. The difficulties of getting proper cricket equipment and of marking and maintaining pitches were too great during the 4 years of war; it was easy to throw down 4 bags to mark bases and to play baseball on any ground available. Thousands of soldiers learned the game of baseball during the Civil War. When they returned to civil life the future of baseball was assured. With the ruinous war proceeding in America, the attention of English cricket tour organisers turned to Australia.
One result of the international tour, however, was to popularise cricket in Philadelphia. English XIs began to play there and good coaching and frequent games against first-class English cricketers began to lift Philadelphia cricket to an exalted spot. Jupp's English XI of 1868 played 2 games at Philadelphia, winning both easily. A study of the scoring in these early games leads one to the conclusion that the Americans were deficient in batting and bowling. Lack of coaching was evident in the batting which apparently was suffering from poor defensive methods. A batsman simply did not know how to cope with the English bowling. Over-arm bowling had been authorized by MCC in 1864 but there is no doubt that the Americans were playing an old-fashioned game and had not learned how to cope with the new type of bowling. As late as 188o an Under-arm XI defeated a Round-arm XI at Merion, Pennsylvania, 121 to 94. This was almost loo years after round-arm bowling was introduced in England.
Philadelphia cricket was helped by the visit of R. A. FitzGerald's amateur XI in 1872, humorously described by Mr FitzGerald in his book Wickets in the West. W. G. Grace made his only appearance in the United States with this team and it is of interest to record his scores : At New York v XXII of St George's Club -- 68 and 11 wkts for 8 runs. At Philadelphia v XXII of Philadelphia -- 14 and 7 and 20 wkts for 68 runs. At Boston v XXII of Boston -- 26 and 13 wkts for 35 runs.
Most early professional baseball players were former cricketers, including Harry Wright and A. G. Spalding, both of whom founded sporting goods firms which are still active today. The Philadelphians continued to outstrip other centres until the city became the focal point of American cricket. Tours were regularly made to England and the Australian XIs began to return through the United States, playing games at Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. These visits were too irregular to be educational, but in 1878 the Australian XI captained by D. W. Gregory, after finishing its first tour of England, met Philadelphia on 3, 4 and 5 October. This Australian team was the historic XI which had beaten MCC at Lord's in one day, but at Philadelphia they earned only a drawn game in a match which has become historic. it was the first time an American team had played on even terms in an international match. The full Australian team - Spofforth, Blackham, the Bannermans, Murdoch, Boyle and all included - were led by 46 on first innings and honours were even at the finish. This game made the fame of Philadelphia cricket. Enthusiasm ran high in the district, young men took up the game, rich men supported it and the clubs built luxurious club houses. The cricket clubs of Philadelphia became the country clubs of their time. To this day United States international tennis matches are played at Longwood Cricket Club or at Merion. In both places, alas, regular cricket is played no more.
The Philadelphians organized a visit to England in 1884 and another in 1889, playing good clubs with some success. Lord Hawke brought a team of first-class English amateurs to Philadelphia in 1891 and the Australian team of 1893 played 2 games in the city. In the first match Philadelphia made the highest score made by an American team in first-class cricket, amassing 525 and putting the Australian Test team out twice. The Australians lost the match by an innings and 68 runs. The real hero of this game, however, was a humble railway car. The liner Germanic was bringing the Australian team from England and, in an effort to save valuable time, it was arranged to pick up the team at Jersey City and put them aboard railway car No. 30! Any cricketer who can imagine himself taking a long ocean voyage, being picked up by a private train, rushed too miles, changing at breakneck speed into flannels, then stepping out to play an international match, will appreciate the position of the Australian team. Never by a look did they excuse themselves. They took their defeat in good spirit.
The Australian XI of 1896 under GHS Trott visited Philadelphia and played three games on level terms. The first two games were lost by handy margins but Philadelphia won the third by an innings and 99 runs. It was after these experiences that the city cricketers determined to try a first-class tour of England in 1897. The Philadelphian tour of 1897 was a great success and showed the heights to which their cricket had soared in a few short years. The tour was entirely first-class; after this tour all Philadelphia matches with English county opponents were reckoned first-class until 1914. The team beat Sussex and Warwickshire and drew with Somerset, Yorkshire Notts and Oxford University.
This tour also saw Bart King spring into the limelight for the first time. King, one of the world's greatest bowlers, accomplished the best performance of the tour when he took 7 for 13 against Sussex on a good wicket at Brighton. King bowled a ball which he called the `Angler' and which he has described as an in-swinger which, if properly bowled, would change direction sharply in the last 10 or 15 feet of flight. King used this ball sparingly and against good batsmen, but he did it so successfully that from 1893 to 1912 he was one of the most feared bowlers in the world and in 1908 actually headed the first-class English bowling averages. King was undoubtedly the finest cricketer produced in America, not only for his bowling in the Golden Age of American cricket, but also for his batting, and his personal characteristics endeared him to generations of friends. This giant of the game died in 1965.
In 1897 and 1899 P. F. Warner and K. S. Ranjitsinhji took teams to Philadelphia, both with great success. The Philadelphia tours of 1903 and 1908 more than held their own against the first-class counties, but the end of the glory of Philadelphia was in sight. After 1908 they played no more first-class cricket in England. The Australian team of 1912 lost to Philadelphia by 2 runs in an exciting match, and an Australian XI, visiting the United States and Canada in 1913, lost to XII of Germantown CC by two wickets in a game which was virtually the last American first-class match. Although the Philadelphian Pilgrims had an enjoyable tour in 1921, the games were not first-class. Since that time, apart from Haverford College, no American team toured in England until 1961 when Winnetka Cricket Club of Chicago made a valiant effort to play some club games in England - and with to volunteers at that!
Many reasons have been advanced for the decline of cricket as a popular game in the United States. The fact remains that the national temperament is not altogether suited for cricket's leisurely pace. Perhaps there are other reasons such as the many counter-attractions for the young generation of Americans, the lack of interest by cricket's governing bodies, the tremendous increase of spectator sports, the greater interest in sports such as golf, tennis and swimming as against team sports. The United States was one of the first countries outside England to have a magazine devoted exclusively to cricket. The American Cricketer was founded on 28 June 1877, and had a life of over 50 years. The last issue appeared in April 1929, but by that time much of its space was devoted to tennis and other sports, and cricket had been relegated to the back page, Complete sets of The American Cricketer are preserved in the library of Haverford College and the Philadelphia Library of the Historical Society of Philadelphia. The C. C. Morris Cricket Library Association was dedicated at Haverford in 1968. The organization has on view a very large collection of other American cricket memorabilia consisting of books, records, periodicals, photographs and trophies. No real central authority existed in the United States until 1961 when the United States Cricket Association was formed.
Whilst Philadelphia cricket ascended to the heights of the first-class game, there were other centres in which good class cricket was and still is played. In New York the game flourished principally because of English players who had settled in that city. The first match between the United States and Canada took place on the grounds of the St. George's Club of New York on 24 and 26 September, 1844. This game was played for $1,000 a side. The value of a dollar was much higher in those carefree days; so a great deal of importance must have been attached to this match. After a break of 51 years, the series was revived in 1963. In the first 16 games the United States and Canada each had six victories and four were drawn. The New York clubs never attained the heights of the Philadelphians but they had some good players, amongst them J. L. Poyer and B. J. Kortlang.
Cricket was televised in Los Angeles in 1958. Two hours were allotted by a local station and part of a match between Corinthians and Hollywood was shown. The match proved to be exciting, and the television station received many calls and letters congratulating it on its enterprise. Due to the enthusiasm engendered, the Harlequins CC was formed entirely of ex-cricketers who had watched the transmission. Sir Aubrey Smith deserves many plaudits for his share in the encouragment of cricket. He was born in 1863, the son of a doctor. He was educated at Charterhouse where he was in the XI, and later won a blue at Cambridge. He was principally famous for his bowling which earned him the name of Round-the-Corner Smith, due to a slanting run-up. His bowling was fast-medium and good enough to win him a place for Sussex from 1882 to 1896 as well as frequent games with the Gentlemen. In 1888-89 he captained the first English XI to play in South Africa. He arrived in Hollywood as an accomplished actor, world famous in his field, but his first love was cricket and he aided it by every means in his power. He was knighted in 1944 as a tribute to his efforts to further Anglo-American friendship. The cricket grounds at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, were officially named the Sir C. Aubrey Smith grounds.
Cricket has been played in American universities for many years, but mostly by foreign students who are from cricket-playing countries. Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Cornell have all fielded teams. The Universities of California, Ursinus, Southern Illinois and many other universities field teams irregularly. Haverford College, a small school at Haverford, Pennsylvania, has kept the flag of inter-collegiate cricket flying in the United. In 1836 the school engaged an English gardener named William Carvill who must have been a very enthusiastic cricketer. He introduced the game to some students who took it up immediately. A diary kept by an unknown student has this entry in it: "About this time a new game was introduced amongst the students called cricket. The school was shortly divided into several clubs or associations each of which was provided with the necessary instruments for playing the game."
The school sent teams over to England in 1896, 1900, 1904, 1910 and 1914 and the last Haverford College tour was in 1925. Haverford still tours Ontario as well as playing a programme of matches against eastern clubs.
American cricket, from its earliest days, has been characterised by its bonhomie and good fun. Professionalism, except for paid coaches from England who held sway in Philadelphia, has never intruded on the American scene. In a land which is probably more than most given up to materialism in sport, cricket is one of the rare sports a man indulges in for its own sake.
Cricket in the United States is played on turf wickets, on matting rolled over concrete, on matting stretched over abominable grass uncut and unrolled; in short, wherever an enthusiast stakes a claim, a cricket ground arises and for a short spell the magic of bat and ball can hold sway. Most of all, American cricket owes its being to enthusiasts for whom the charm of the game can never die and who lose no time in their new surroundings in spreading their gospel. Cricket was sometimes played in October or November, with icy conditions prevailing.
The first tourists of all time, Lillywhite'a team of 1859, played at Rochester, New York, in greatcoats and mufflers. The first cricket teams from England and Australia crossed the Great Plains in tiny rickety trains, in which depredations by bands of armed, painted Indians, in the best traditions of the Old West, were not unlikely.
Admitted to associate membership of the International Cricket Conference in 1965, the USA participated in the ICC Trophy from the first tournament in 1979 and from the mid 1980s the side's performances steadily improved. This was, however, largely due to the increase in expats from the Caribbean and the subcontinent rather than products from American-born players. It was an issue that became an increasing concern as the side pressed for more international recognition.
In 2004 the USA qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy courtesy of an unexpected win in the Six Nations event, but their participation was a poor advertisement, and an ageing and limited side were never competitive.
Behind the scenes, the USA Cricket Association had become a deeply divided group, and in 2005 it was suspended from the ICC for being "dysfunctional" and barred from official tournaments. Although that ban was subsequently lifted, the internal sniping continued, the board remained unaccountable, and the only losers were the USA cricketers.
John Marder and Adrian Cole
Adapted from Barclays World of Cricket (Collins 1980)
Important dates in US cricket
1709 William Byrd of Westover, Virginia, playing cricket with his friends
1737 Mention of cricket in Georgia
1742 Highland Scots celebrate St Andrew's Day in Savannah (Georgia) - founded only nine years before - by playing cricket
1751 A match recorded between New York and a London XI. played "according to the London method"; i.e. presumably in accordance with the 1744 rules
1785 Canadians playing in Montreal
1838 Mexican CC in existence
1844 First match between Canada and the USA
First known century scored in North America - 120 by J. Turner
1859 First touring team to leave England (captain, George Parr) visit the USA and Canada. Their matches drew large crowds and, together with their general experiences on the tour, were well-described by their scorer, Fred Lillywhite, in the first book in the long catalogue of "touring literature"
1874 First team from USA to visit England: team of baseballers who also played cricket
1878 The Australian team visits America on their way back from England
1880 First team from Canada visited England: not representative and the tour terminated prematurely
1884 First Gentlemen of Philadelphia team to visit England
1896 Haverford College toured and played English Public Schools
1903 Kent visit USA
1905 First MCC team visited USA and Canada; captain E. W. Mann
1961 United States Cricket Association founded
1963 Revival of USA v Canada match, last played in 1912
1965 United States elected to Associate membership of ICC
1968 Canada elected to associate membership of ICC
2004 USA wins ICC Six Nations tournament and qualifes for the Champions Trophy
2004 ICC anounces Project USA, a multi-million dollar plan to expand the game. This scrapped in 2005 after a major falling out with the USACA and serious governance issues within the US administration
2005 USACA suspended by the ICC (see above) and banned from all major events
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
To some cricket enthusiasts it may appear presumptuous of the United States to claim a modest place in cricket history. A generation reared in the belief that baseball and American-rules football are the main sporting endeavours of the United States may be surprised to learn that cricket has been played more or less seriously for over 200 years. There was a time indeed when Philadelphia cricket was judged good enough to play the full strength of Australia and the first-class English counties, and when an American player on tour in England headed the first-class English bowling averages. The glory has long since departed but the tiny cricketing fraternity in the United States would like to consider that their efforts have upheld the best traditions of the game. One of the earliest mentions of cricket played in the American colonies appears to have been made by William Stephens, a planter living in Georgia. In 1737 he reported, "Many of our townsmen, freeholders, inmates and servants were assembled in the principal square at cricket and divers other athletick sports." Stephens knew of cricket as he was educated at Winchester and Cambridge University before engaging as a planter in the colonies.
The New York Weekly Post Boy reported a match between XI of London and XI of New York, played in New York in 1751 and won by the New Yorkers, the scores being 8o and 86 against 43 and 47. It appears most likely that both XIs were drawn from residents of New York, as it is difficult to believe that a touring group would cross the Atlantic for one match, or that the state of the game would encourage such a tour. There was a notice of a cricket match at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1754 and an advertisement for cricket equipment in the New York Independent journal for 19 April, 1786. The American Revolution alienated a great deal of interest in all matters English, one of the victims being the game of cricket. Before the Revolution there was an active interest in the game, and as far as possible in those days, there was some encouragement for the younger players. Even after the Revolution, the question of a name for the chief executive officer of the newly formed United States was brought up and John Adams remarked that "there are Presidents of fire companies and cricket clubs". It is interesting to reflect that the word President, as used for the chief executive of the United States, may have come about through its use by a humble cricket club.
About 1856 the idea of a visit from an England XI was discussed. (Bear in mind no England XI had ever visited any foreign country at this date.) An industrial depression gripped the United States in 1857, and talks were postponed. A Mr Waller of New York was instrumental in guaranteeing £500 for 2 matches in the United States, and on 6 September 1859, 12 professional cricketers of England met at the George Hotel, Liverpool, to embark for America on the steamer Nova Scotian the following morning. The team comprised Caffyn, Lockyer, H. H. Stephenson and Julius Caesar (all of Surrey), Parr, Grundy and Jackson (Notts), Wisden and John Lillywhite (Sussex), Carpenter, Hayward and Diver (Cambridgeshire) and Fred Lillywhite who acted as scorekeeper, historian and manager of the trip. History was made since it was the first overseas tour of an English Cricket XI. The little book describing the tour, first of a plethora of touring literature, is a classic of the game. The experiences of a rough passage are humorously described.
The first international game took place between England and XXII of the United States at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 3, 4 and 5 October 1859, England scoring 156 and dismissing the USA XXII for 38 and 54. There was no disgrace in the England team taking on a XXII. The early Australian games were on the same basis, and cricket in the United States was probably more advanced at that time than in Australia. At Philadelphia the XXII scored 94 and 6o. England scoring 126 and 29 for 3 wickets. The little party of cricket pioneers travelled over 7,000 miles in two months to play five matches, a prodigious adventure in those mid-Victorian times. If this first tour had been followed up Test Matches between the United States and England might have followed in due course. The bitter Civil War which broke out in 1861 between the Northern and Southern States had many unforseen results, one of which was to establish baseball beyond all doubt as the national game of the United States. Before the war cricket was an established game and baseball was played more by students and children. The difficulties of getting proper cricket equipment and of marking and maintaining pitches were too great during the 4 years of war; it was easy to throw down 4 bags to mark bases and to play baseball on any ground available. Thousands of soldiers learned the game of baseball during the Civil War. When they returned to civil life the future of baseball was assured. With the ruinous war proceeding in America, the attention of English cricket tour organisers turned to Australia.
One result of the international tour, however, was to popularise cricket in Philadelphia. English XIs began to play there and good coaching and frequent games against first-class English cricketers began to lift Philadelphia cricket to an exalted spot. Jupp's English XI of 1868 played 2 games at Philadelphia, winning both easily. A study of the scoring in these early games leads one to the conclusion that the Americans were deficient in batting and bowling. Lack of coaching was evident in the batting which apparently was suffering from poor defensive methods. A batsman simply did not know how to cope with the English bowling. Over-arm bowling had been authorized by MCC in 1864 but there is no doubt that the Americans were playing an old-fashioned game and had not learned how to cope with the new type of bowling. As late as 188o an Under-arm XI defeated a Round-arm XI at Merion, Pennsylvania, 121 to 94. This was almost loo years after round-arm bowling was introduced in England.
Philadelphia cricket was helped by the visit of R. A. FitzGerald's amateur XI in 1872, humorously described by Mr FitzGerald in his book Wickets in the West. W. G. Grace made his only appearance in the United States with this team and it is of interest to record his scores : At New York v XXII of St George's Club -- 68 and 11 wkts for 8 runs. At Philadelphia v XXII of Philadelphia -- 14 and 7 and 20 wkts for 68 runs. At Boston v XXII of Boston -- 26 and 13 wkts for 35 runs.
Most early professional baseball players were former cricketers, including Harry Wright and A. G. Spalding, both of whom founded sporting goods firms which are still active today. The Philadelphians continued to outstrip other centres until the city became the focal point of American cricket. Tours were regularly made to England and the Australian XIs began to return through the United States, playing games at Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. These visits were too irregular to be educational, but in 1878 the Australian XI captained by D. W. Gregory, after finishing its first tour of England, met Philadelphia on 3, 4 and 5 October. This Australian team was the historic XI which had beaten MCC at Lord's in one day, but at Philadelphia they earned only a drawn game in a match which has become historic. it was the first time an American team had played on even terms in an international match. The full Australian team - Spofforth, Blackham, the Bannermans, Murdoch, Boyle and all included - were led by 46 on first innings and honours were even at the finish. This game made the fame of Philadelphia cricket. Enthusiasm ran high in the district, young men took up the game, rich men supported it and the clubs built luxurious club houses. The cricket clubs of Philadelphia became the country clubs of their time. To this day United States international tennis matches are played at Longwood Cricket Club or at Merion. In both places, alas, regular cricket is played no more.
The Philadelphians organized a visit to England in 1884 and another in 1889, playing good clubs with some success. Lord Hawke brought a team of first-class English amateurs to Philadelphia in 1891 and the Australian team of 1893 played 2 games in the city. In the first match Philadelphia made the highest score made by an American team in first-class cricket, amassing 525 and putting the Australian Test team out twice. The Australians lost the match by an innings and 68 runs. The real hero of this game, however, was a humble railway car. The liner Germanic was bringing the Australian team from England and, in an effort to save valuable time, it was arranged to pick up the team at Jersey City and put them aboard railway car No. 30! Any cricketer who can imagine himself taking a long ocean voyage, being picked up by a private train, rushed too miles, changing at breakneck speed into flannels, then stepping out to play an international match, will appreciate the position of the Australian team. Never by a look did they excuse themselves. They took their defeat in good spirit.
The Australian XI of 1896 under GHS Trott visited Philadelphia and played three games on level terms. The first two games were lost by handy margins but Philadelphia won the third by an innings and 99 runs. It was after these experiences that the city cricketers determined to try a first-class tour of England in 1897. The Philadelphian tour of 1897 was a great success and showed the heights to which their cricket had soared in a few short years. The tour was entirely first-class; after this tour all Philadelphia matches with English county opponents were reckoned first-class until 1914. The team beat Sussex and Warwickshire and drew with Somerset, Yorkshire Notts and Oxford University.
This tour also saw Bart King spring into the limelight for the first time. King, one of the world's greatest bowlers, accomplished the best performance of the tour when he took 7 for 13 against Sussex on a good wicket at Brighton. King bowled a ball which he called the `Angler' and which he has described as an in-swinger which, if properly bowled, would change direction sharply in the last 10 or 15 feet of flight. King used this ball sparingly and against good batsmen, but he did it so successfully that from 1893 to 1912 he was one of the most feared bowlers in the world and in 1908 actually headed the first-class English bowling averages. King was undoubtedly the finest cricketer produced in America, not only for his bowling in the Golden Age of American cricket, but also for his batting, and his personal characteristics endeared him to generations of friends. This giant of the game died in 1965.
In 1897 and 1899 P. F. Warner and K. S. Ranjitsinhji took teams to Philadelphia, both with great success. The Philadelphia tours of 1903 and 1908 more than held their own against the first-class counties, but the end of the glory of Philadelphia was in sight. After 1908 they played no more first-class cricket in England. The Australian team of 1912 lost to Philadelphia by 2 runs in an exciting match, and an Australian XI, visiting the United States and Canada in 1913, lost to XII of Germantown CC by two wickets in a game which was virtually the last American first-class match. Although the Philadelphian Pilgrims had an enjoyable tour in 1921, the games were not first-class. Since that time, apart from Haverford College, no American team toured in England until 1961 when Winnetka Cricket Club of Chicago made a valiant effort to play some club games in England - and with to volunteers at that!
Many reasons have been advanced for the decline of cricket as a popular game in the United States. The fact remains that the national temperament is not altogether suited for cricket's leisurely pace. Perhaps there are other reasons such as the many counter-attractions for the young generation of Americans, the lack of interest by cricket's governing bodies, the tremendous increase of spectator sports, the greater interest in sports such as golf, tennis and swimming as against team sports. The United States was one of the first countries outside England to have a magazine devoted exclusively to cricket. The American Cricketer was founded on 28 June 1877, and had a life of over 50 years. The last issue appeared in April 1929, but by that time much of its space was devoted to tennis and other sports, and cricket had been relegated to the back page, Complete sets of The American Cricketer are preserved in the library of Haverford College and the Philadelphia Library of the Historical Society of Philadelphia. The C. C. Morris Cricket Library Association was dedicated at Haverford in 1968. The organization has on view a very large collection of other American cricket memorabilia consisting of books, records, periodicals, photographs and trophies. No real central authority existed in the United States until 1961 when the United States Cricket Association was formed.
Whilst Philadelphia cricket ascended to the heights of the first-class game, there were other centres in which good class cricket was and still is played. In New York the game flourished principally because of English players who had settled in that city. The first match between the United States and Canada took place on the grounds of the St. George's Club of New York on 24 and 26 September, 1844. This game was played for $1,000 a side. The value of a dollar was much higher in those carefree days; so a great deal of importance must have been attached to this match. After a break of 51 years, the series was revived in 1963. In the first 16 games the United States and Canada each had six victories and four were drawn. The New York clubs never attained the heights of the Philadelphians but they had some good players, amongst them J. L. Poyer and B. J. Kortlang.
Cricket was televised in Los Angeles in 1958. Two hours were allotted by a local station and part of a match between Corinthians and Hollywood was shown. The match proved to be exciting, and the television station received many calls and letters congratulating it on its enterprise. Due to the enthusiasm engendered, the Harlequins CC was formed entirely of ex-cricketers who had watched the transmission. Sir Aubrey Smith deserves many plaudits for his share in the encouragment of cricket. He was born in 1863, the son of a doctor. He was educated at Charterhouse where he was in the XI, and later won a blue at Cambridge. He was principally famous for his bowling which earned him the name of Round-the-Corner Smith, due to a slanting run-up. His bowling was fast-medium and good enough to win him a place for Sussex from 1882 to 1896 as well as frequent games with the Gentlemen. In 1888-89 he captained the first English XI to play in South Africa. He arrived in Hollywood as an accomplished actor, world famous in his field, but his first love was cricket and he aided it by every means in his power. He was knighted in 1944 as a tribute to his efforts to further Anglo-American friendship. The cricket grounds at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, were officially named the Sir C. Aubrey Smith grounds.
Cricket has been played in American universities for many years, but mostly by foreign students who are from cricket-playing countries. Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Cornell have all fielded teams. The Universities of California, Ursinus, Southern Illinois and many other universities field teams irregularly. Haverford College, a small school at Haverford, Pennsylvania, has kept the flag of inter-collegiate cricket flying in the United. In 1836 the school engaged an English gardener named William Carvill who must have been a very enthusiastic cricketer. He introduced the game to some students who took it up immediately. A diary kept by an unknown student has this entry in it: "About this time a new game was introduced amongst the students called cricket. The school was shortly divided into several clubs or associations each of which was provided with the necessary instruments for playing the game."
The school sent teams over to England in 1896, 1900, 1904, 1910 and 1914 and the last Haverford College tour was in 1925. Haverford still tours Ontario as well as playing a programme of matches against eastern clubs.
American cricket, from its earliest days, has been characterised by its bonhomie and good fun. Professionalism, except for paid coaches from England who held sway in Philadelphia, has never intruded on the American scene. In a land which is probably more than most given up to materialism in sport, cricket is one of the rare sports a man indulges in for its own sake.
Cricket in the United States is played on turf wickets, on matting rolled over concrete, on matting stretched over abominable grass uncut and unrolled; in short, wherever an enthusiast stakes a claim, a cricket ground arises and for a short spell the magic of bat and ball can hold sway. Most of all, American cricket owes its being to enthusiasts for whom the charm of the game can never die and who lose no time in their new surroundings in spreading their gospel. Cricket was sometimes played in October or November, with icy conditions prevailing.
The first tourists of all time, Lillywhite'a team of 1859, played at Rochester, New York, in greatcoats and mufflers. The first cricket teams from England and Australia crossed the Great Plains in tiny rickety trains, in which depredations by bands of armed, painted Indians, in the best traditions of the Old West, were not unlikely.
Admitted to associate membership of the International Cricket Conference in 1965, the USA participated in the ICC Trophy from the first tournament in 1979 and from the mid 1980s the side's performances steadily improved. This was, however, largely due to the increase in expats from the Caribbean and the subcontinent rather than products from American-born players. It was an issue that became an increasing concern as the side pressed for more international recognition.
In 2004 the USA qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy courtesy of an unexpected win in the Six Nations event, but their participation was a poor advertisement, and an ageing and limited side were never competitive.
Behind the scenes, the USA Cricket Association had become a deeply divided group, and in 2005 it was suspended from the ICC for being "dysfunctional" and barred from official tournaments. Although that ban was subsequently lifted, the internal sniping continued, the board remained unaccountable, and the only losers were the USA cricketers.
John Marder and Adrian Cole
Adapted from Barclays World of Cricket (Collins 1980)
Important dates in US cricket
1709 William Byrd of Westover, Virginia, playing cricket with his friends
1737 Mention of cricket in Georgia
1742 Highland Scots celebrate St Andrew's Day in Savannah (Georgia) - founded only nine years before - by playing cricket
1751 A match recorded between New York and a London XI. played "according to the London method"; i.e. presumably in accordance with the 1744 rules
1785 Canadians playing in Montreal
1838 Mexican CC in existence
1844 First match between Canada and the USA
First known century scored in North America - 120 by J. Turner
1859 First touring team to leave England (captain, George Parr) visit the USA and Canada. Their matches drew large crowds and, together with their general experiences on the tour, were well-described by their scorer, Fred Lillywhite, in the first book in the long catalogue of "touring literature"
1874 First team from USA to visit England: team of baseballers who also played cricket
1878 The Australian team visits America on their way back from England
1880 First team from Canada visited England: not representative and the tour terminated prematurely
1884 First Gentlemen of Philadelphia team to visit England
1896 Haverford College toured and played English Public Schools
1903 Kent visit USA
1905 First MCC team visited USA and Canada; captain E. W. Mann
1961 United States Cricket Association founded
1963 Revival of USA v Canada match, last played in 1912
1965 United States elected to Associate membership of ICC
1968 Canada elected to associate membership of ICC
2004 USA wins ICC Six Nations tournament and qualifes for the Champions Trophy
2004 ICC anounces Project USA, a multi-million dollar plan to expand the game. This scrapped in 2005 after a major falling out with the USACA and serious governance issues within the US administration
2005 USACA suspended by the ICC (see above) and banned from all major events
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
cricket history
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.
Resources relating to the history of cricket
General
•A history of 18th Century cricket literature by AR Littlewood
•The measurements of cricket - the origin of the dimensions of cricket by AR Littlewood.
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.
Resources relating to the history of cricket
General
•A history of 18th Century cricket literature by AR Littlewood
•The measurements of cricket - the origin of the dimensions of cricket by AR Littlewood.
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