- 15th March is memorable for billions of cricket fans as on this day in 1877, the game took the formal route
- It started as a game rooted in colonialism, but over the period of time, game evolved as a favourite of erstwhile colonies
- In last 145 years, game has witnessed massive shifts, but its fundamental nature is still intact
15th March is very special for the world of Cricket. On this day in 1877, the first-ever official test match was played between England and Australia. At that time, Australia was still a British colony. The current Gentlemen game has evolved from being a one format game to that of three.
Rooted in Colonialism
The world’s first cricket club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760s. The first effort to write the law of cricket was in 1744. And later after the foundation of The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787, MCC published its first revision of the laws and became the guardian of game regulations. Later, International Cricket Council (ICC) became the global governing body for cricket. Except for laws regarding playing rules (which is still taken care of by MCC) the code of conduct, playing conditions and other regulations are now made by ICC.
The origin of Cricket can be traced back to the pre-industrial era. This can be seen through the equipment through which the game is played. Most of the materials used in cricket like bats are made of wood. Same holds true for the ball as well. The ball is made with leather, twine and cork. All these materials show the rural and pre-industrial traces of the game.
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Took time to blossom
Cricket remained a colonial game. It was its colonial oddness that made it difficult to be accepted by the average person colonised by Britishers. It was only played in colonies by the white settlers or the local elites who wanted to copy their white masters. This game became very popular in the Caribbean world. Success in cricket became a measure of racial equity and political progress for them.
When the colonies became independent, Cricket witnessed a massive growth in its popularity. The growth can be directly attributed to the rawness of the tools used to play the game. India entered the world of Test cricket in 1932, a decade and a half before it became an independent nation. C.K. Nayudu, an outstanding Indian batsman of his time was the country’s first Test captain.
Greats help in pulling money
The popularity of the game is due to the extraordinary levels of skills played by legendary cricketers. Sir Donald Bradman (The Don) of Australia, is one of the most iconic sportsmen, and widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time for his unparalleled batting average. Another legend in this sport is Sachin Tendulkar, a modern-day legend also known as the God of Cricket. Many other legendary players like Sir Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralidhara, Kapil Dev have also made significant contributions to the game.
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MarketWatch estimated in 2021, the Global Equipment market of cricket is around 13.35 Million USD and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 3.39% from 2021 to 2027. The top list players like Gray-Nicolls, Gunn & Moore, Sanspareils Greenlands, Kookaburra, Sareen Sports, Slazenger, etc. are operating in this market.
Popularity keeps rising
According to ICC market research on the sports, cricket has over one billion fans globally of which two-thirds of the fans were interested in all three international formats of the game. The importance and popularity of ICC global events is evident from the fact that about 95% of the fans are interested in the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC World T20..
As the World is moving fast, three formats of the game are also witnessing a rapid shift in their popularity. T20, the shortened format of the game has gained popularity. Other than the ICC T20 event, many local and regional leagues have started around the world like Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and India Premier League (IPL). IPL is the largest cricket league in franchise tournaments around the world.
From the day when the first Formal Test Cricket was played till now, with the evolution of time, Cricket has also evolved. Earlier known as the elite sports, it is now one of the most popular games. And most importantly, the Indian subcontinent is ruling the roster.