Australia national cricket team

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the equal oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877 (defeating England by 45 runs).

As of the 20 January 2008, the Australian team has played 692 Test matches, winning 46.82%, losing 25.86% and drawing 27.02% of its games.^[1] It has also led the ICC Test Championship table for the majority of the time since the creation of the ICC Test table system in January 2001. The South African Cricket Team did lead this table for a brief period (January to May) in 2003, before Australia resumed the first position on the table.

They are also the first-ranked international one-day cricket team and winners of the last three Cricket World Cups. Australia won the Cricket World Cup 4 times in total; 1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007. As of 28 April 2007 they are undefeated in 29 consecutive World Cup matches. They have led the ICC One-Day International Championship table from its inception through to 18 February 2007, and then again from 7 April 2007. In 2002, they were named World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in recognition of their world record sequence of test match victories.

History

The history of the Australian cricket team is rich and diverse. Together with the English cricket team, it participated in the first Test match in 1877. A highlight of Australia's early history was the 1882 Test match against England at The Oval. In this match Fred Spofforth took 7/44 in the game's fourth innings to save the match by preventing England from making their 85-run target. After this match The Sporting Times, a major newspaper in London at the time, printed a mock obituary in which the death of English cricket was proclaimed and the announcement made that "the body was cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." This was the start of the famous Ashes series in which every two years Australia and England play a number of Test matches to decide the holder of the Ashes. To this day, the contest is one of the fiercest rivalries in sport.

In the first half-century or so, these contests were on the whole friendly but competitive with both sides enjoying the visit to another country, and getting to play against quality cricketers. The famous Bodyline series temporarily changed things. The series was marred by the tactics used by the English captain Douglas Jardine to control the batting of Don Bradman who completely destroyed the English bowling attack in the 1930 series. Jardine used his fast bowlers to bowl 6 bouncers an over at head height over leg stump with 6 or 7 fielders around the leg stump in a close catching position. Given the fact that there were no helmets around at the time the tactics were widely condemned by nearly all of Australia including many former Test cricketers and important politicians.

Australia continued its success up until the 1980s, built mainly around the likes of Richie Benaud, the Chappell brothers, Dennis Lillee, and Rod Marsh. The 1980s was a period of relative mediocrity after the retirements of several key players, and it was not until the captaincy of Allan Border that the team was restructured. The 1990s and modern era are arguably Australia's most successful period, unbeaten in all Ashes series played bar the famous 2005 series and achieving a hat-trick of World Cups. This extraordinary success has been attributed to the restructuring of the team and system by Border, successive shrewd captains, and the brilliance of several key players, most notably Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting.

South Africa national cricket team

The South African cricket team, also known as The Proteas are a national cricket team representing South Africa. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.

South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. Between February 18, 2007 and April 7, 2007, South Africa was ranked at the top of the ICC One-Day International rankings.

As of October 2007, the South African team has played 322 Test matches, winning 32.91%, losing 35.71% and drawing 31.36% of its games.

History

Cricket in South Africa was established by the British, and the first tour by a side from England took place in 1888-89. Here South Africa played its first Test match (against touring England at Port Elizabeth), becoming the third Test nation.

In 1970, the ICC voted to suspend South Africa from international cricket indefinitely because of its government's policy of apartheid, an overtly racist policy, which led them to play only against the white nations (England, Australia, New Zealand), and field only white players. This decision excluded players such as Graeme Pollock from partaking in international Test Cricket. It would also cause the emigration of future stars like Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, who both played for England, and Kepler Wessels, who initially played for Australia, before returning to South Africa.

The ICC reinstated South Africa as a Test nation in 1991 after the deconstruction of apartheid, and the team played its first sanctioned match since 1970 (and its first ever One-Day International) against India in Calcutta on 10 November 1991.

Since South Africa have been reinstated they have achieved mixed success, and hosted the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup in 2003. However, it is widely believed the sides containing the likes of Alan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Hansie Cronje grossly underachieved, gaining a reputation as chokers, due to them reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup three times, but failing to progress into the finals, with Herschelle Gibbs famously dropping Australian captain Steve Waugh in 1999 in a league game. They have also had bad press for choking in vital matches in other important tournaments including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.^[2]

The South African team at The Oval in August 2008.

With Donald retiring, Cronje banned for match-fixing and later killed in a plane crash, and Pollock nearing the end of his career, the team has once again changed shape. It is currently captained by Graeme Smith, although following injuries to Smith and Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince deputised as Test captain on July 12, 2006. At the age of 29, he became the first non-white man to captain the once all-white South African cricket team.

Due to a racial quota policy, the side was once required to contain black players, unlike the past. However, that policy has recently been removed.

England cricket team

The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1903 until the end of 1996.^[1][2]

England and Australia were the first teams to be granted Test status on 15 March 1877 and they gained full membership to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 15 June 1909. England and Australia also took part in the first One Day International (ODI) on 5 January 1971. England played their first Twenty20 match on 13 June 2005 and once again their opponents were Australia.

As of 2 September 2008 England have won 305 of the 877 Test matches they have played and are ranked fifth in the ICC Test Championship.^[3][4] They have finished runners-up in three Cricket World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992) and are ranked third in the ICC ODI Championship.^[5]

Peter Moores was appointed head coach on 1 May 2007, following the resignation of Duncan Fletcher. Moores subsequently named Andy Flower as his assistant coach.^[6] Kevin Pietersen was announced as both Test and ODI captain on 4 August 2008. Pietersen replaced Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, who resigned their roles as Test and ODI captains respectively.

History

The first recorded incidence of a team with a claim to represent England comes from 9 July 1739 when an "All-England" team which consisted of eleven gentlemen from any part of England, exclusive of Kent. This team played against 'the Unconquerable County' of Kent and lost by a 'very few notches'. Such matches were repeated on numerous occasions for the best part of the century.

In 1846 William Clarke formed the All-England Eleven, this team would eventually compete against a United All-England Eleven with annual matches occurring between 1857 to 1866. These matches were arguably the most important contest of the English season, if judged by the quality of the players.

The first overseas tour occurred in September 1859 with England going to North America. This team had six players from the All-England Eleven and six from the United All-England Eleven, and was captained by George Parr. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, attention turned to Australia and New Zealand with the inaugural tour of Australia taking place in 1861-2. England would visit New Zealand in 1863–64 with the tour being the first to be organised by the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). Most tours prior to 1877 were played "against odds", meaning the opposing team was permitted to have more than 11 players (usually 22) in order to make for a more even contest.^[8] As a result these matches were not considered first-class matches and were organised purely for commercial reasons.^[9]

James Lillywhite led the England team which sailed on the P&O steamship Poonah on 21 September 1876. They would play a combined Australian XI, for once on even terms of 11 a side. The match, starting on 15 March 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground came to be regarded as the first Test match. The combined Australian XI won this Test match by 45 runs with Charles Bannerman of Australia scoring the first Test century. At the time this match carried little significance and was classed as another tour match and was labelled as the James Lillywhite's XI v South Australia and New South Wales.^[10] The first Test match on English soil occurred in 1880 with England winning this series 1–0. The series was also the first for England to field a fully representative side with W.G. Grace being present in the team.^[11] England would lose their first home series 1–0 in 1882 with The Sporting Times famously printing an obituary on English cricket:

“

In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29th AUGUST, 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. N.B. - The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.[12]

”

As a result of this loss the tour of 1882–83 was dubbed by England captain Ivo Bligh as "the quest to regain the ashes". England with a mixture of amateurs and professionals won the series 2–1.^[13] Bligh was presented with an urn that contained some ashes, which have variously been said to be of a bail, ball or even a woman's veil and so The Ashes was born. A fourth match was then played which Australia won by 4 wickets but the match was not considered part of the Ashes series.^[14][15] England would dominate many of these early contests with England winning the Ashes series 10 times between 1884–98.^[16] During this period England also played their first Test match against South Africa in 1889 at Port Elizabeth.^[17]

The 1899 Ashes series was the first tour where the MCC and the counties appointed a selection committee. There were three active players: Lord Hawke, W.G. Grace and HW Bainbridge who was the captain of Warwickshire. Prior to this, England teams for home Tests had been chosen by the club on whose ground the match was to be played.

The turn of the century saw mixed results for England as they lost four of the eight Ashes series between 1900 and 1914.^[18] During this period England would lose their first series against South Africa in the 1905/06 season 4–1 as their batting faltered.^[19] The 1912 season saw England take part in a unique experiment. A nine Test triangular tournament involving England, South Africa and Australia was set-up. The series was hampered by a very wet summer and player disputes however and the tournament was considered a failure with The Daily Telegraph stating:^[20]

“

Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket, and contests between Australia and South Africa are not a great attraction to the British public.

”

With Australia sending a weakened team and the South African bowlers being ineffective England dominated the tournament winning four of their six matches. The Australia v South Africa match, at Lord's, was notable for a visit by King George V, the first time a reigning monarch had watched Test cricket.^[21] England would go on one more tour against South Africa before the outbreak of World War I.

England's first match after the war was in the 1920–21 season against Australia. Still feeling the effects of the war England went down to a series of crushing defeats, and suffered their first whitewash losing the series 5–0. Six Australians scored hundreds while Mailey spun out 36 English batsmen. Things were no better in the next few Ashes series losing the 1921 Ashes series 3–0 and the 1924–5 Ashes 4–1. England's fortunes were to change in 1926 as they regained the Ashes and were a formidable team during this period dispatching Australia 4–1 in the 1928–29 Ashes tour.

On the same year the West Indies became the fourth nation to be granted Test status and played their first game against England. England won each of these three Tests by an innings, and a view was expressed in the press that their elevation had proved a mistake although Learie Constantine did the double on the tour. In the 1929–30 season England went on two concurrent tours with one team going to New Zealand (who were granted Test status earlier that year) and the other to the West Indies. Despite sending two separate teams England won both tours beating New Zealand 1–0 and the West Indies 2–1.

Bill Woodfull evades a Bodyline ball. Note the number of leg-side fielders.

The 1930 Ashes series saw a young Don Bradman dominate the tour, scoring 974 runs in his seven Test innings. He scored 254 at Lord's, 334 at Headingley and 232 at the Oval. Australia regained the Ashes winning the series 3–1. As a result of Bradman's prolific run-scoring the England captain Douglas Jardine chose to develop the already existing leg theory into fast leg theory, or bodyline, as a tactic to stop Bradman. Fast leg theory involved bowling fast balls directly at the batsman's body. The batsman would need to defend himself, and if he touched the ball with the bat, he risked being caught by one of a large number of fielders placed on the leg side.

Using his fast leg theory England won the next Ashes series 4–1. But complaints about the Bodyline tactic caused crowd disruption on the tour, and threats of diplomatic action from the Australian Cricket Board, which during the tour sent the following cable to the MCC in London:

“

Bodyline bowling assumed such proportions as to menace best interests of game, making protection of body by batsmen the main consideration. Causing intensely bitter feeling between players as well as injury. In our opinion is unsportsmanlike. Unless stopped at once likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England.

”

Later, Jardine was removed from the captaincy and the laws of cricket changed so that no more than one fast ball aimed at the body was permitted per over, and having more than two fielders behind square leg were banned.

England's following tour of India in the 1933–34 season was the first Test match to be staged in the subcontinent. The series was also notable for Morris Nichols and Nobby Clark bowling so many bouncers that the Indian batsman wore solar topees instead of caps to protect themselves.

Australia won the 1934 Ashes series 2–1 and would keep the urn for the following 19 years. Many of the wickets of the time were friendly to batsmen resulting in a large proportion of matches ending in high scoring draws and many batting records being set.

The 1938–39 tour of South Africa saw another experiment with the deciding Test being a timeless Test that was played to a finish. England lead 1–0 going into the final timeless match at Durban. Despite the final Test being ‘timeless’ the game ended in a draw, after 10 days as England had to catch the train to catch the boat home. A record 1981 runs were scored, and the concept of timeless Tests was abandoned. England would go in one final tour of the West Indies in 1939 before the World War II, although a team for an MCC tour of India was selected more in hope than expectation of the matches being played.

After World War II, England fell under difficult times suffering a heavy defeat 3–0 to Australia. This followed by a 4–0 loss to Bradman's 'invincibles' and a stunning 2–0 loss to the West Indies. These loses were tempered by victories against India and South Africa.

Their fortunes would change in the 1953 Ashes tour as they won the series 1–0. England would not lose a series for five years and secured famous victories in the 1954–55 and 1956 Ashes series. The 1956 series was remembered for the bowling of Jim Laker who took 46 wickets at 9.62 which included bowling figures of 19/90 at Old Trafford. After drawing to South Africa, England defeated the West Indies and New Zealand comfortably. The England team would then leave for Australia in the 1958–59 season with a team that had been hailed as the strongest ever to leave on an Ashes tour but lost the series 4–0 as Richie Benaud's revitalised Australians were too strong.

The early and middle 1960s were poor periods for English cricket. Despite England's strength on paper, Australia held the Ashes for the entire decade and the West Indies dominated England in the early part of the decade. England would the end the 60s on a high however, regaining the Wisden Trophy in 1968 and drawing the Ashes series in the same year 1–1.

England carried their good form from the late 60s into the 70s regaining the Ashes in 1970 but then suffered a loss of form losing to India and a rising West Indian side. This culminated in a 4–1 defeat in the 1974 Ashes series. The inaugural 1975 Cricket World Cup saw England reach the semi-finals and was to be the turning point in England's fortunes. The results of the Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket were felt in Test cricket with Australia and Pakistan losing many of its star players. England replaced captain Tony Greig who had joined the league with Mike Brearley while Geoffrey Boycott returned from his England exile. England would defeat a divided Australian side 3–1 in the centenary Ashes series. This was followed by a comfortable 4–0 win against Pakistan and a World Cup final appearance against the West Indies.

With Ian Botham and Bob Willis at their peak with the ball, Boycott and Graham Gooch opening the batting, and a young David Gower in the middle order, England were a formidable team. Their results were initially promising, narrowly losing to the West Indies, the unofficial champions at the time. England would then fight back to win the 1981 Ashes series, often referred to as "Botham's Ashes" 2–1. The third Test at Headingley saw a revitalised Botham perform well with bat and ball, taking 6/95 and then scoring a unbeaten 149. England won by 18 runs after following-on, only the second time in the history of England v Australia Tests that this has been achieved. England suffered their second whitewash series against the West Indies in 1984 but continued to produce good results, defeating India 2–1 and regaining the Ashes in the 1985 season with a comfortable 3–1 victory.

Hopes that this victory could see a challenge mounted on the 1985–86 tour of the West Indies were dashed as England were soundly beaten 5–0. A shocked England team never truly recovered from this defeat and although England managed to retain the 1986–87 Ashes, they would only win one further Test series in the 80s against a relatively weak Sri Lanka side and suffered heavy defeats to Australia and the West Indies.

England continued their decline during the 90s. This was not helped by squabbles between key players and the chairman of selectors, Raymond Illingworth. Another reason for their poor performances were the demands of County Cricket teams on their players, meaning that England could rarely field a full strength team on their tours. This would eventually lead to the ECB taking over the MCC as the governing body of England and the implementation of central contracts.

In the early 90s players such as Botham, Gower and Allan Lamb came to the end of their international careers and, specifically in the case of Botham, England had trouble replacing them. This lead to a string of disappointing results as England did not win a Test match for two and half years. However, England’s performance in ODI cricket was still good, as they defeated Australia, the West Indies and South Africa to reach the final of the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Shortly after the World Cup Mike Atherton replaced Gooch as England captain but his captaincy was regarded as a failure with England winning only one Test series under his captaincy. A win against South Africa in 1998 was England’s first five Test series win since 1986–87, but this would be a false dawn as they were eliminated in the first round of the 1999 Cricket World Cup (which they hosted) and lost a home Test series against New Zealand 2–1, resulting in England being officially ranked as the worst Test nation.^[22]

With the appointment of Duncan Fletcher as coach and Nasser Hussain as captain, England began to rebuild their team. They won four consecutive Test series which included impressive wins against West Indies (a first in 32 years) and Pakistan. England were still left wanting against Australia and lost the 2001 Ashes 4–1. Promising results against India and Sri Lanka gave England some positive sentiments towards their chances against Australia in 2002-2003, yet a 4–1 defeat showed that they were still falling short. This setback did not stop England’s resurgence however as they defeated the West Indies 3–0 and followed this up with whitewashes against New Zealand and the West Indies at home. A victory in the first Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth meant England had won their eighth successive Test, their best sequence of Test match wins for 75 years.

In 2005, England, under Michael Vaughan's captaincy and aided by Kevin Pietersen's batting in his maiden series (most notably 158 at the Oval), and Andrew Flintoff's superb all-round performances, defeated Australia 2–1 to regain the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sinhalese: ; known as Ceylon before 1972) is an island nation in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast of India. It is home to around twenty million people.

Because of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia, and has been a center of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Today, the country is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation, with more than a quarter of the population following faiths other than Buddhism, notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population, with Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, forming the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include the Muslim Moors and Malays and the Burghers.

Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts and rubber, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy and the highest per capita income in South Asia. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist destination.

After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 16th century, before the control of the entire country was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. During World War II, Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese Empire.^[4] A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century with the aim of obtaining political independence, which was eventually granted by the British after peaceful negotiations in 1948.

History

Paleolithic human settlements have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South-western face of the Central Hills region. Anthropologists believe that some discovered burial rites and certain decorative artifacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of Southern India. Recent bioanthropological studies have however dismissed these links, and have placed the origin of the people to the northern parts of India. One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana, which described the emperor Ravana as monarch of the powerful kingdom of Lanka, which was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for Kubera, the treasurer of the Gods.[11] English historian James Emerson Tennent also theorized Galle, a southern city in Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory, peacocks and other valuables. The main written accounts of the country's history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavamsa.

The earliest-known inhabitants of the island now known as Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Wanniyala-Aetto people, also known as Veddahs and numbering roughly 3,000. Linguistic analysis has found a correlation of the Sinhalese language with the languages of the Sindh and Gujarat, although most historians believe that the Sinhala community emerged well after the assimilation of various ethnic groups. From the ancient period date some remarkable archaeological sites including the ruins of Sigiriya, the so-called "Fortress in the Sky", and huge public works. Among the latter are large "tanks" or reservoirs, important for conserving water in a climate that alternates rainy seasons with dry times, and elaborate aqueducts, some with a slope as finely calibrated as one inch to the mile. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the first in the world to have established a dedicated hospital in Mihintale in the 4th century BCE. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the world's leading exporter of cinnamon, which was exported to Egypt as early as 1400 BCE. Sri Lanka was also the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula (47–42 BC)

Since ancient times Sri Lanka was ruled by monarchs, most notably of the Sinha royal dynasty that lasted over 2000 years. The island was also infrequently invaded by South Indian kingdoms and parts of the island were ruled intermittently by the Chola dynasty, the Pandya dynasty, the Chera dynasty and the Pallava dynasty. The island was also invaded by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Orissa) and those from the Malay Peninsula. Buddhism arrived from India in the 3rd century BCE, brought by Bhikkhu Mahinda, who is believed to have been the son of Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Mahinda's mission won over the Sinhalese monarch Devanampiyatissa of Mihintale, who embraced the faith and propagated it throughout the Sinhalese population. The Buddhist kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist schools and monasteries, and support the propagation of Buddhism into Southeast Asia.

Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in the ancient world, and was increasingly frequented by merchant ships from the Middle East, Persia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The islands were known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants. A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1505 headed by the Lourenço de Almeida the son of Francisco de Almeida. At that point the island consisted of three kingdoms, namely Kandy in the central hills, Kotte at the Western coast, and Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. The Dutch arrived in the 17th century. Although much of the island came under the domain of European powers, the interior, hilly region of the island remained independent, with its capital in Kandy. The British East India Company established control of the island in 1796, declaring it a crown colony in 1802, although the island would not be officially connected with British India. The fall of the kingdom of Kandy in 1815 unified the island under British rule.

European colonists established a series of tea, cinnamon, rubber, sugar, coffee and indigo plantations. The British also brought a large number of indentured workers from Tamil Nadu to work in the plantation economy. The city of Colombo was established as the administrative centre, and the British established modern schools, colleges, roads and churches that brought Western-style education and culture to the native people. Increasing grievances over the denial of civil rights, mistreatment and abuse of natives by colonial authorities gave rise to a struggle for independence in the 1930s, when the Youth Leagues opposed the "Ministers' Memorandum," which asked the colonial authority to increase the powers of the board of ministers without granting popular representation or civil freedoms. Buddhist scholars and the Teetotalist Movement also played a vital role in this time. During World War II, the island served as an important Allied military base. A large segment of the British and American fleet were deployed on the island, as were tens of thousands of soldiers committed to the war against Japan in Southeast Asia.

Following the war, popular pressure for independence intensified. The office of Prime Minister of Ceylon was created in advance of independence on 14 October 1947, Don Stephen Senanayake being the first prime minister. On February 4, 1948 the country won its independence as the Commonwealth of Ceylon. On July 21, 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as prime minister, and became the world's first female prime minister and the first female head of government in post-colonial Asia. In 1972, during Sirimavo Bandaranaike's second term as prime minister, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka. The island enjoyed good relations with the United Kingdom and had the British Royal Navy stationed at Trincomalee.

Since 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organization who fight to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island.

Pakistan national cricket team

The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international cricket team representing Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.

Before the independence of Pakistan, cricket was played well before the first Pakistan national team was granted test match playing status. Documentation and archives show that during the 18th century, cricket was played on the western side of India and many successful Indian cricketers played for the English cricket team.^[3] It was not until July 28, 1952 that Pakistan started playing test match cricket. Their first match took place in Delhi against India on October of the same year. Their first international tour was to England during 1954. Over the half century, Pakistan has become one of the most challenging and unpredictable teams in the world, the team won the 1992 World Cup and were runners up in the 1999 World Cup. The country has produced several world-class players such as Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Mushtaq Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq,Saeed Anwar, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar.^[4]

As of October 2007, the Pakistani team has played 332 Test matches, winning 31.02%, losing 26.50% and drawing 42.46% of its games.^[5] The team is ranked sixth in the ICC Test Championship and fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship.^[6] On 28 August 2006, Pakistan won its debut Twenty20 International match in England and were runners up in the inaugral ICC World Twenty20 in September 2007.

History

Following the Partition of India in 1947, and the establishment of the separate nation state of Pakistan, cricket in the country developed steadily and Pakistan was given Test Match status at a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord's Cricket Ground on 28 July 1952 following recommendation by India,[7] which, being the successor state of the British Raj, did not have to go through such a process.

Pakistan’s first Test match was played in Delhi in October 1952 as part of a five Test series which India won 2-1. Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1-1 after a memorable victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets. Pakistan’s first home Test match was in Dacca in January 1955 against India, after which four more Test matches were played in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in test history[8]).

The team is considered a strong but unpredictable team. Traditionally Pakistani cricket has been filled with players of great talent but limited discipline, making them a team which could play inspirational cricket one day and then perform less than ordinarily another day. Over the years, competitions between India and Pakistan have always been emotionally charged and provide for intriguing contests, as talented teams from both sides of the border elevate their game to new levels to produce high-quality cricket. Pakistani contest with India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and elevated atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held.

The 1986 Australasia Cup, played in Sharjah, is remembered as a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero.[9] India batted first and set a target of 245 runs, leaving Pakistan with a required run rate of 4.92 runs per over. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number 3, and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Later recalling the match, Miandad stated that his main focus was to lose with dignity. With 31 runs needed in the last three overs, Miandad hit a string of boundaries while batting with his team's lower order, until four runs were required from the last delivery of the match. Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.[10][9]

At the 1992 World Cup Semi Final, having won the toss New Zealand chose to bat first and ended with a total of 262. Pakistan batted conservatively yet lost wickets at regular intervals. With the departure of Imran Khan and Saleem Malik shortly thereafter, Pakistan still required 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 per over with veteran Javed Miandad being the only known batsman remaining at the crease. A young Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had just turned 22 and was not a well-known player at the time, burst onto the international stage with a match-winning 60 off 37 balls. Once Inzamam got out, Pakistan required 36 from 30 balls, which wicketkeeper Moin Khan ended with a towering six over long off, followed by the winning boundary to midwicket. The match is seen as the emergence of Inzamam onto the international stage.[11][12][13]

The 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia & New Zealand marked Pakistan's first World Cup victory. It is remembered for the comeback Pakistan made after losing key players such as Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar, and being led by an injured captain in Imran Khan. Pakistan lost 4 of their first 5 matches and were nearly eliminated in the first round of the tournament after being bowled out for 74 against England, until the match was declared as a "no result" due to rain. Captain Imran Khan famously told the team to play as "cornered tigers", after which Pakistan won five successive matches, including, most famously, the semi-final against hosts New Zealand and the final against England.[14]

The 2007 Cricket World Cup was one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history when Pakistan was knocked out of the competition in a shock defeat to Ireland, who were playing in their first competition. Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the next stage after losing to the West Indies in their opening match, were put into bat by Ireland on a green pitch. They lost wickets regularly and only 4 batsmen crossed double figures. In the end they were bowled out by the resurgent Irish for 132. The Irish went on to win the match, helped by a knock of 72 from Niall O'Brien. This meant that Pakistan had been knocked out during the first round for the second consecutive World Cup.[15][16][17] Tragedy struck the team when coach Bob Woolmer died one day later on March 18, 2007 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaican police spokesman, Karl Angell, reported on March 23, 2007 that, "Mr Woolmer's death was due to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation", and that, "Mr Woolmer's death is now being treated by the Jamaica police as a case of murder."[18] Subsequent to his team's defeat and the death of Bob Woolmer, Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his resignation as captain of the team and his retirement from one-day cricket, stating that he would continue to take part in Test cricket but not as captain.[19]

On 23 March 2007, Pakistan players and officials were questioned by Jamaican police and submitted DNA samples along with fingerprints, as part of the routine enquiries in the investigation into Woolmer's murder.[20] Three days after leaving the West Indies for Pakistan, via London, the Pakistan team were ruled out as suspects. The deputy commissioner of Jamaican police. Mark Shields, the detective in charge of the investigation, announced, "It's fair to say they are now being treated as witnesses." "I have got no evidence to suggest it was anybody in the squad."[21] A memorial service was held in Sacred Heart Church, Lahore, for Bob Woolmer on 1 April 2007. Among the attendees were Pakistan players and dignitaries, including Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was quoted as saying, "After Woolmer's family, the Pakistan team was the most aggrieved by his death."[22] After the World Cup ended, serious doubts were raised about the investigation, with increasing speculation that Woolmer died of natural causes. This has now been accepted as fact, and the case has been closed.[23]

On 16 July 2007, Geoff Lawson, previously head coach of New South Wales, was appointed coach of the Pakistan for two years, becoming the third foreigner to take on the role.[2] In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan exceeded expectations to reach the final but ended as runners-up, after losing the final to India in a nail-biting finish.

Test Your Cricketing Knowledge

Fantasy Cricket: Test Your Cricketing Knowledge!

Many of us dream and aim for many things in our life, but it is not always that all our wishes are fulfilled. So how would you like to fulfill at least one of your dreams? If you are a cricket fan, you are simply going to love this. You cannot claim to be a true cricket fan if you have never dreamt of selecting your ideal dream team. Every other day, we see our team losing a match and start mumbling our disapproval about the team’s combination. In fact, all cricket fans feel that they are the ones, who can best understand the game and also select the best combination for playing a match.

Life gives very little chance to an individual to realize their dreams and so no one must ever let go this opportunity. Fantasy cricket is one such chance provided to cricket fans to realize their dream of selecting their own team. What is more important is, not only can you select your own dream team, but you can actually see them live in action. One more thing, you can choose players from several countries to represent your team. So your team can consist of leading players from all over the world and play in the field at the same time.

The concept of fantasy cricket is to play a virtual game of cricket. This game can be played online on any site that provides fans with the chance of playing the game. Playing the game is very simple. Whenever an international tournament gets underway, fans can log on to the site and play the game of fantasy cricket. The names of players who are playing in that particular tournament will be listed and points are allotted to them. The points are allotted based on several factors. The form of the player is taken care and also some of the previous performance of the player is taken into consideration before allotting the points.

Each player will be allotted a sum total of certain points within which they have to build the team. So, this means that the sum total of all the selected players cannot exceed the total allotted budget points. It is here that the actual knowledge of the cricket fan and his selection skills are put to test. So, if someone is really serious about this and wants to select his dream team, he can very easily do so. Find out how much you actually know about your favorite game and your favorite players.

Winning a game of fantasy cricket depends on the way your selected player performs on the field. So if you have selected a batsman who does not perform very well in the field during the course of the tournament, you could end up losing the game. So be very careful while selecting the members of your dream team. Never get swayed by reputation and big names while selecting your team. Go strictly by merit, as only merit will help you in successfully playing and winning fantasy cricket.

Role of an Umpire Cricket

Role of an Umpire in a Cricket Match

A bat – ball game that entertains the whole mass of people gathered and also the ones who watch it live in the televisions. Cricket a world class game captivates hearts and souls of many individuals across the world. People die to watch the game, literally starve to enter the gates of the ground in which the game is played. The fans all over the world know that cricket is definitely an entertaining game.

But in this game of cricket, can you guess who are the important players without bat and ball? They are the decision makers of the game who can make happiness or break it amongst teams. They ought to the good informers. They ought to be keen watchers of the game. They will have to be the wise decision makers irrespective of their favorites. They can earn good names if they are perfect. They are vulnerable to fans' critical comments. Their decision is very crucial for the match. The guess can never be as simple as this one is. Of course, they are umpires. Umpires are the most important players in the field. They are different types and they are three in number.

An umpire in the game of cricket plays crucial role. This word 'Umpire' is from the Old French word 'Nompere' which means not equal, i.e. not a member of one of the teams. He is the person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the International Laws of Cricket under ICC. Apart from making decisions about wicket appeals, delivery laws, legalities involved, conduct and the manners in the game, the umpire has a track of all the records. It involves all the deliveries and announcements of the completion of an over.

To preside over the match, there are two on-field umpires present. The umpires are different in the positions and that makes the difference. There is one umpire who stands just behind the bowler's wicket. He is the most important umpire and he decides and acts as a judiciary for most of them. There is another umpire standing with a side view from the batsman's view. He is called the square leg umpire, the reason of the name being the filed position is called square leg. He helps the main umpire for many decisions that concerns his views. If he is able to see better, then he helps the umpire. The professional matches have the other option called third umpire. Third umpire has the technology to support him. If there is a condition for the umpires on field to make flaws or if there are any difficulties, there is a third umpire who has an access to television replays.

World Cup Score to connect the game

World Cup Score To Keep You Constantly Connected With The Game!

World Cup 2007 is just round the corner and all cricket fans can think of is how to be in constant touch with the latest world cup score of all the matches. World cup is one cricketing event that every cricket fan looks forward to. Once every four years during the cricket world cup, fans put a hold to all their schedules just to be able to catch up with live and latest updated world cup score. Australia had won the last two world cup and they will for sure want to score a hatrick by winning it in 2007 as well. So need one say that this is going to be a very competitive world cup?

Making prior arrangements is good if you want to be in touch with all the matches that will be played during the world cup. These days, time constraint is a common factor for all people and this makes it difficult for cricket fans to catch up with all the ongoing action in a tournament. But thanks to technology that keeping track of any tournament has become very easy these days, no matter in which corner of the world the event is taking place. So when your team will sweat it out in the West Indies in 2007, you will be well aware of what is happening there.

The internet has revolutionized the way we see and come to know about events. So simply by sitting in the comfort of your bedroom, you can easily know the latest that is happening anywhere in the world as far as the cricket field is concerned. There are several online sites which work dedicatedly towards providing information about world cup score and all other information related to the event. In fact, such websites can become a one stop source for all world cup cricket related information.

That is not all, most of these online sites run several games where visitors can participate and win great prizes. So it is a great way for cricket fans to keep their cricket knowledge updated and also win great prizes. Records about all the past world cup events can be found in these sites. Well it is very much possible that fans know who the higher century maker is and who is the highest wicket taker in the world, but how many of us actually know who the highest run scorer in the world cup is. So all these sites have information on everything you want to know about the world cup.

In this World Cup, sixteen teams will be vying for the title and there is bound to be some great matches there. We will all have to wait and see what action unfolds in the ground and who actually goes about winning the tournament this time. Being informed about the world cup will surely help fans in understanding the game much better. After all, we would all love to know what things will be at stake when our favorite teams and players take the field in World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

Indian Cricket That Can Drive Fans Crazy

Cricket is the game of passion and enthusiasm; almost every country participates in cricket; be it as a team or as a viewer every country has developed taste for cricket. In fact, it the charm of cricket which made it so popular all over the world; as a result popularity of cricket is increasing by leaps and bounces and tournaments like world cup and T-20 are getting incredible response. India is one of the most admired participant team in world cricket; Indian cricket has its own flavor in world cricket since legendry players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar are there to make it more wonderful.

Indian cricket is the great combination of national and regional cricket teams. Each state in India has its own regional cricket team and all these teams participate in many tournaments like Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. The best players from these regional cricket teams move forward and get opportunity to prove themselves at international level. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the biggest cricket authority for India; it bear the responsibility of selection of national team and also undertake all other decisions regarding sponsorship and role determination of every player in national cricket team. Apart from BCCI, each state has its own cricket board that conducts and control state level teams and also prepares good players for future responsibilities. No doubt, that these state level cricket authorities play a vital role in deciding future of national team; in fact our team has now get many young and energetic players like Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Pathan with the effort of these state level authorities only.

Indian cricket team got approval as test team in 1932 that was a subject of great honor for every Indian; in the same year, the team played its first test cricket match against England at Lords and really proved their potential as a good test team. After that day Indian players never looked behind and went the on track of making and breaking records. In order to that, India won the cricket world cup in 1983 and T-20 world cup few months back this year. India got its first test victory against England at Madras in 1952; afterward the same year, the team won first Test series, which was against Pakistan. That was really an indescribable experience for entire nation and after their starting victories the team improved their game throughout the decade.

In 1971 the arrival of one day international cricket shaped a new dimension in the cricket world; initially India was not very much strong in ODIs, that caused consecutive loss of matches therefore, they did not manage to qualify for the second round in the first two cricket world cups. However, every Indian cricket fan knows that there is nothing that can stop the team from getting what it deserves; perhaps, it is their heartily wishes and support that made Indian team the world cup winner in 1983 and gave all Indians a reason to celebrate cricket.

Cricket Fans

Live Cricket Coverage Provides Adrenaline Rush To Cricket Fans

The word live is one word that always attracts the attention of any sports follower, and cricket fans are no exception to this. Catching up with live action excites all cricket admirers, no matter whether it is on the field action, in television or knowing the live score from an online website. Live cricket coverage has the capacity of sustaining the interest of cricket fans throughout the duration of the entire match. These days it is becoming increasingly difficult for cricket fans to keep pace with the amount of cricket matches being played.

But a die hard fan will always find time to watch and enjoy his favorite game, no matter what happens. Live cricket coverage is actually a source for all cricket fans to be in touch with the latest happenings of a live match. Advancement in the field of information technology has thrown up many options for cricket fans to be in touch and enjoy their favorite game. So there are many avenues which have opened up for cricket fans to be in touch with the latest on the field.

The cricket field is no longer the only place from which fans can be in touch with the match. The revolution in the IT sector has made it possible for fans to access any information about cricket with utmost ease. So you are just a few keyboard strokes away from the information that you wish to know. There are several sites in the World Wide Web which are entirely devoted to cricket.

Other then containing information about the entire on field and off field activities, there is a lot of other information on these websites. Many sites also provide the option to cricket fans to play fantasy cricket. Fantasy cricket is a game where fans can actually select their own dream team. Well this is every cricket fans dream, to select their ideal playing XI and see them in action. The best part of playing fantasy cricket is that fans are in complete charge of managing the entire team. In other words, they will captain the team that will be playing fantasy cricket.

People who have witnessed a live match in the stadium have often felt that it is a completely different experience to actually see all the players in action from such close quarters. While some may not like this form of live cricket overage. Some fans prefer to catch live cricket coverage sitting in their bedroom comfortably and watching the matches. So, that is why television is the best source for them.

Whatever may be the mode of live cricket coverage, cricket enthusiasts always find different ways of enjoying this game. The only things they have to do, is to find out the exact medium through which they can enjoy the live cricket coverage. So, basically it is a matter of personal choice to enjoy any kind of live cricket coverage.

Top 11 cricket

11 Best Cricket Players in the World

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Cricket is among the fastest growing sports in the world. Originated in England and having been popular in Asia, now its feat is in Europe too. Cricket is billion dollar industry due to its ever growing popularity in different countries. I selected some of the most influential cricketers of present age who are presenting the art of cricket to the world. Please give your opinion in the comment section if you think something regarding this article.

Sachin Tendulker

is one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He holds many records in both test cricket and one-day cricket. He is the highest run-scorer in one-day cricket and not so far away form being the highest run scorer in test cricket too. Sachin is the highest centurion in both Test and One-day cricket. It is surprising that Tendulker’s first cone-day international century at the 79^th match. This talented player is compared with the all time greatest Batsman Sir Don Bradman who himself praised him and could remembered his own batting watching Sachin. He is the first cricketer to cross 10000 runs in one day cricket. He is also thehighest run scorer in the world cup history. Once he was the captain of Indian cricket team.

Sachin is the father of two children Sara and Arjun. His wife Anjali Mehta is the daughter of Anand Mehta, an industrialist of Gujrat. Sachin is also involved some social activities. For example, 200 children are getting help which is sponsored by Sachin.

Ricky Ponting

This talented Australian batsman and present captain of Australia cricket team was born in Tasmania on 19 December, 1974. Ponting one of the successful batsmen in the cricket history. After his first appearance in 1995 against Sri Lanka he did not have to look behind. With the time being, he has been the most reliable batsman in the team. He is also very successful in his one-day career. In 2001-02 he was given the captaincy of Australian team which was followed by the test captaincy in 2004. He played three world cups and became the youngest centurion in the world cup history in 1996 world cup. He won two world cups with Australia and in the later one he was the captain of the Australia team in 2003. He has over 8000 test runs and over 9000 one-day runs.

Brian Lara

considered as one of the best batsmen to many cricket analysts. This West Indian is the first and only player who scored 400 in an innings of a test match. He has also the highest score in the first class cricket (501 runs not out in 1994) in an innings. He is the second batsmen in the cricket history who scored triple century for twice after the cricket legend Sir Don Bradman. He made his He is the present captain of West Indies for his second time in captaincy. His test debut was against Pakistan in 1990.

Stephen Fleming

To many cricket intellectuals,Stephen Fleming captain of the New Zealand cricket team, is the best captain in the world at present. His thought and talent regarding cricket make him world’s one of the famous cricketers. He made New Zealand cricket team one of the strongest teams with his genius. He played his first test match against India in 1994. He is the most successful captain for his country and the second best captaincy performance in the world. New Zealand won 27 tests under his captaincy. He led his team for 76 tests. This left handed batsman has some problem in making his half centuries to the centuries. He has over 6000 tests and over 7000 one-runs in his career. His career best test innings is . 274 against sri lanka in 2003

Muttiah Muralitharan

Muralitharan is the greatest off spinner in the cricket history who is the second leading test wicket taker in test cricket. Despite his controversy with his unorthodox bowling action, he could be able to prove his correctness and continue taking wicket all over the world. He has highest international wickets combining both ODI and test cricket which is more than 1000 wkt. He is the highest number of 5 and 10 wicket taker in an innings in test cricket. He is the only player who took 10 wickets in an innings for the consecutive four test matches. He is the only player who got 50 wickets against every test playing nations.This greatest bowler was born in 17 April, 1972 at Kandy in Sri Lanka.

Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock is one of the great fast medium bowlers in the world cricket. He is the highest wicket taker in both ODI and Test cricket for his country. He is now on the verge of being the tenth cricketer in the world to take 400 wickets in the test cricket. He also has over 300 wickets in the ODI cricket. Pollock also led South Africa in the world cup 2003 in his country. However, he was replaced by Graeme Smith after the poor performance of South Africa in the world cup as they had been thought as the favorite beforehand as the hosted nation. It is also true that as a captain he was successful. He is also a very useful batsman for his team has two centuries in test cricket and in ODI ctrcket he is known as a pinch hitter especially in the slog overs. He has over 3000 runs in test and over 2000 runs in ODI cricket. He has given the South Afrira Player’s Player award and the South Africa ODI Player of the Year award. His greatest achievement is to have been the 12^th best bowler in the list of all time best bowlers by the LG ICC ratings. Shaun Pollock is the nephew of famous South African cricket Graeme Pollock and his father Peter Pollock was also the former South African fast bowler.

Andrew Flintoff

This English all-rounder is considered as one of the best all-rounders of present age. From the very early of his career Flintoff compared with another legend all-rounder of England Ian Botham. However, after his debut match against South Africa in 1998 he had to face many controversies due to his poor and irregular performance in the international cricket and his overweight as well as unfitness. From 2003, he started proving his real talent in the international level. He continued his performance in the Ashes Series in 2005 and he had a significant role to regain the Ashes trophy form Australia. For his tremendous performance in the Ashes series, he was awarded Compton-Miller Medal and the prestigious Freedom of City award of Preston. He is the highest six heater in test cricket for his country. He became the WIsden Cricketer of the Year in 2004. He was also given the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the ICC Player of the year trophy sharing with South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis. Another award BBC Sports Personality of the year for 2005 was also honored to him. Flintoff became the captain of England due to the injury of Michael Vaughn. He also became the Wisden Leading Cricketer of the world in 2006.

Jacques Kallis

Kallis considered as one of the greatest all-rounders of the world cricket. He is still in the 1^st position in the test all-rounders’ list of ICC rankings. He has over 8000 test runs and he is now just a bit behind form his 8000 ODI runs. He has 24 test and 13 ODI centuries which prove his greatness. Kallis has also taken over 200 wickets in both Test and ODI cricket. His test cricket and ODI average is 55.78 and 43.92 respectively. Kallis has been the only second cricket in the test cricket after Sir Don Bradman to have made centuries in five consecutive test matches. He got the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the ICC Player of the Year in 2005 sharing with Flintoff.

Shane Warne

Shane Warne the Australian legendry leg spinner, is though to be one of the best legs spinners in the history of cricket. He is the leading wicket takers in the test cricket. He First took 650 wkt in test cricket. His flipper and accurate line and length make his bowls difficult to the batsmen. He is also I the verge of his 700 test and 300 ODI wickets. He holds the world record for taking highest 976 wickets in a calendar year. He is just a few runs behind from his 3000 test runs and he sis the highest test run corers without making any century. His test career started against India in 1991 but his debut match was and series was a nightmare for him. His famous wicket known as ‘Ball of the Century’ against Mike Gatting in the Ashes series in 1993 is considered as his best delivary where the ball pitching outside of the leg stamp and bouncing a bit made Gatting played on. He is involved in many controversies including his being positive in drug test during the 2003 world cup which resulted his 1 year ban form international cricket, controversy involving women and bookmakers. In spite of theses incidents he is still creating fear to the opponent batsmen and there is no doubt about his greatness.

Shoaib Akhtar

This Pakistani Speed Star, known as Rawalpindi express, was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on 13 August, 1975. He is thought to be the first bowler in the history to exceed the 100 miles. Shoaib Akhtar could bowl in both ODI and Test cricket over 100 miles/hour (160 kmh). He has the ability to turn the match any stage which made him an influential bowler of Pakistan. He is skilled in swing both side and also in reverseswing. Swing is the movement of the ball after pitching with the help of wind. His test bowling average is 25.69 whereas his ODI average is 23.54. He can not be regular in the field because of his injury from the earli8er of his career.

Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist is considers as the best wicketkeeper-batsman of this time. After Ian Hilly, he has been the first choice of the wicket keeping position in the Australia team. He is a hard hitter in his batting and he holds the record of scoring highest number of sixes in one’s test career with 93 sixes. He has over 5000 runs in test cricket and over 8000 runs in ODI cricket. He won world cup for twice with Australia where he had a significant contribution. His test strike rate is 81.59 in test cricket 96.76 and in ODI. He has over 350 dismissals in test cricket and a few left to get his 400 ODI dismissals. He has been one of the five cricketers awarded for Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 2002. H has got the recognition as ‘World’s Scariest Batsman’ by a pool of international bowler.

Caught

Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being out caught is the most common method of dismissal. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 32 of the Laws of cricket which reads:

A batsman is out caught if a fielder catches the ball fully within the field of play without it bouncing once the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat. If a batsman could be given out caught or by any other method except bowled, 'caught' takes precedence.

This means that the batsman cannot be out caught if:

* The ball is called a no ball or dead ball.
* The batsman does not hit the ball with his bat or the gloved hand holding the bat.
* The ball, having been hit, makes contact with the field before a fielder catches the ball.
* The ball does not remain under the control of the fielder.
* The ball is hit and lands beyond the boundary; (six runs).
* A fielder taking the catch makes contact with the boundary rope or the area outside the boundary.

If a batsman is out caught, any runs scored off that delivery are voided. If the catch is taken by the wicket-keeper, then informally it is known as a "caught behind". A catch by the bowler is known as a "caught and bowled" (this has nothing to do with the dismissal bowled), and is usually annotated on a scorecard as c. and b. or c&b followed by the bowler's name.

If the catch taken is pronounced or obvious, the players need not appeal to the umpire; the batsman normally chooses to acknowledge the dismissal himself. However, in the event that the ball brushes the edge of the bat, or the catch is taken very close to the ground, or the ball appears to have bounced off the batsman's foot (so it has not touched the ground), or the ball appearing to come off the bat very close to the pitch surface (bump ball), or if the batsman is reluctant to accept that he has been dismissed, the fielding team has to appeal to the umpire for this decision.

If a batsman is caught, the bowler is credited with the batsman's wicket. If the two batsmen cross each other, in attempting to take a run, before the catch was taken, the new incoming batsman becomes the non-striker with the exception being when the wicket falling in the last ball of an over, when if the batsmen cross the new batsman will be on strike.


Celebration

Before 2000, the Laws of Cricket defined a catch as being completed when the player had "complete control over the further disposal of the ball". In the very strictest sense, this meant that the player did not finish catching the ball until he or she threw it away, either to another player or to no person in particular.

For this reason, even today cricketers celebrate a catch by lobbing the ball high into the air.

Cricket World Cup Teams

The stakes are much higher this time! It has never been this big before and all cricket world cup teams are gearing up for the showdown. World Cup 2007 promises fans cricket of the highest levels from all the participating cricket world cup teams.

All the teams are eager to prove their worth in the West Indies World Cup 2007. And why not, after all it is not always that one gets selected to cricket world cup teams. Here is a look at some of the participating cricket world cup teams.

Australia: Reigning world champions and currently favorite among cricket world cup teams to win the title again. They have the ability and talent to end up as world champions once gain.

Bangladesh: The minnows will have to play exceptionally good cricket. There has been a cry from many quarters to strip them of their test status, so their cricket world cup team would love to prove a thing or two to their critics.

England: The only cricket world cup team to have reached the finals thrice without ever winning the title. Recent from suggest that the team is not doing too well, but World Cup is a special event and we can expect exceptional performances from this team.

India: The team boasts of having the best batting line up among cricket world cup teams. Fans and players alike will hope that the team clicks and they go on to win the tournament.

New Zealand: This cricket world cup team has immense potential. Strangely however they have never come good on big tournaments such as the World cup. This time around things might be entirely different.

Pakistan: The one cricket world cup team that has been in news most of the times for reasons other than their performance on the field. For once they would live to be in news for all the right reasons, such as say winning the World Cup!

South Africa: This team led by a young captain has players of huge potential. Like New Zealand, they have also somehow failed to raise their performance levels when most needed. 2007 might just turn out to be their year.

Sri Lanka: The only host country among the cricket world cup teams to win the title. Though the team does not have too many big names, yet the few talented players are capable of springing in a surprise.

West Indies: Once the unparalleled champions of the cricketing world, this time around being hosts they will like to regain back their lost glory. It remains to be seen how far they will be able to make use of home conditions in their quest of being world champions.

Bermuda, Canada, Holland (Netherlands), Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, and Zimbabwe are the other cricket world cup teams that are participating in the West Indies World Cup 2007.

On paper these cricket world cup teams may not appear to be too strong, but on their day they can give the best teams a run for their money, if the opposition takes them lightly.

Mentioned below is the list of cricket teams that will be participating in World Cup 2007 in West Indies (in alphabetical order):

Australia Bangladesh Bermuda Canada England Holland ( Netherlands) India Ireland

Kenya New Zealand Pakistan Scotland South Africa Sri Lanka West Indies Zimbabwe

Pakistan cricket news

Pakistan Cricket Board allows Akhtar to play in English County Championship

5 hours ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistan Cricket Board will allow fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to play in the English County Championship.

"He (Akhtar) had requested for a No Objection Certificate, which we have issued to him, and we have no problems if he wants to play in county cricket," PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Akhtar, who has not played first class cricket since a Test match against India in December, is expected to join English county Surrey, which is placed at the bottom of the Division 1 table with three matches to go.

"Akhtar has not played competitive cricket for months and he needs to regain match fitness," Naghmi said. "We believe a short county stint might help him in doing that."

The 33-year-old Akhtar has previously played for English counties Somerset, Worcestershire and Durham.

The fast bowler - known as "Rawalpindi Express" - had a troubled 2008 in which he managed to win selection in the Pakistan team for the Champions Trophy limited-overs tournament after a court in Lahore suspended his 18-month.

The International Cricket Council subsequently postponed the Champions Trophy for a year after four leading teams - England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand - expressed security concerns over playing in Pakistan.

In the recent past, the PCB had strong reservations over its cricketers - especially fast bowlers - competing in county cricket. Over the last two years it has refused permission to pacemen Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar to play in English County Championship.

"Akhtar's case is a bit different," Naghmi said. "He needs some matches to test his fitness."

Watch Live Streaming Cricket - Twenty20 World Cup

While you can also use the previous post on Live Streaming Cricket which I had put up during the previous India-England ODI series, here is an update on sites where you can watch live streaming videos of the Twenty20 World Cup which starts with the South-Africa West Indies match at Johannesburg on September 11th 2007.

Before we go into the discussion on sites where you can watch live cricket, let me give you the caution:

With the ICC not sanctioning any official sites for live webcasting of cricket matches, this is largely an unorganized sector. Some of them may be ‘illegal’ and please be careful while paying for the sites. Do some cross-checking if possible. Also please see if you won’t get into legal trouble depending on your country of residence.

The Desikotha Network: This appears to be a Bangladesh site with the byline “Voice of the Bangladesh People”. So those of you who understand Hindi please don’t get ideas because of the word ‘kotha’ in the name. Kotha in Bangla simply means a ‘tale’ or ‘story’.

This guys claim to have beamed the ODI World Cup action live here and are planning to repeat it for the Twenty20 World Cup. The plan here is to have 2 sopcast channels for the cricket action – one sopcast for the low bandwith users and the other a high quality sopcast.

Is it paid? Yes and no. If you want it for free you will have to actively participate in their forums, else you can pay and watch.

Package Charges: 12 $ / 24 $ for the entire duration (26 games)

Willow.TV : They are currently obsessed with the India-England series and there is absolutely no mention of the Twenty20 Cup. But this is one place you should check out before anything else. Of all the places I checked this one is the one which looked ‘non-shoddy’. WillowTV also provides features on-demand cricket highlights and on-demand replays.

Types of cricket

Main article: End of an innings (cricket)

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An innings is closed when:

1. Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be "all out"
2. The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be "all out"
3. The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match
4. The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, most commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
5. A captain declares his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)

Results

Main article: The result in cricket

If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by n runs" (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets would have won "by four wickets".

In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores.

If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.

If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.
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Types of match and competition

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Cricket is a multi-faceted sport which, in very broad terms, can be divided into major cricket and minor cricket based on playing standards. A more pertinent division, particularly in terms of major cricket, is between matches in which the teams have two innings apiece and those in which they have a single innings each. The former, known as first-class cricket, has a duration of three to five days (there have been examples of "timeless" matches too); the latter, known as limited overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50 overs, has a planned duration of one day only (a match can be extended if necessary due to bad weather, etc.).

Typically, two-innings matches have at least six hours of playing time each day. Limited overs matches often last six hours or more. There are usually formal intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings.

Historically, a form of cricket known as single wicket has been extremely successful and many of these contests in the 18th and 19th centuries qualify as major cricket matches. In this form, although each team may have from one to six players, there is only one batsman at a time and he must face every delivery bowled while his innings lasts. Single wicket has rarely been played since limited overs cricket began.
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Test cricket

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Test cricket is the highest standard of first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of the ICC.
A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The men wearing black trousers on the far right are the umpires. Teams in Test cricket, first-class cricket and club cricket wear traditional white uniforms and use red cricket balls, while professional limited overs teams usually wear multi-coloured uniforms and use white balls.
A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The men wearing black trousers on the far right are the umpires. Teams in Test cricket, first-class cricket and club cricket wear traditional white uniforms and use red cricket balls, while professional limited overs teams usually wear multi-coloured uniforms and use white balls.

Although the term "Test match" was not coined until much later, Test cricket is deemed to have begun with two matches between Australia and England in the 1876-77 Australian season. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved Test status: South Africa (1889), West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1929), India (1932), Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000).

It should be noted Welsh players are eligible to play for England, which is in effect an England and Wales team. The West Indies team comprises players from numerous states in the Caribbean, most notably Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.

Test matches between two teams are usually played in a group of matches called a "series". Matches generally last up to five days and a series normally consists of three to five matches. Test matches that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn.

Since 1882, most Test series between England and Australia have been played for a trophy known as The Ashes. Some other series have individual trophies too: for example, the Wisden Trophy is contested by England and West Indies; the Frank Worrell Trophy by Australia and West Indies.
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Limited overs
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Limited overs cricket is sometimes called "one day cricket" because each match is scheduled for completion in a single day. In practice, matches sometimes continue on a second day if they have been interrupted or postponed by bad weather. The main objective of a limited overs match is to produce a definite result and so a conventional draw is not possible, but matches can be undecided if the scores are tied or if bad weather prevents a result. Each team plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs. Typically, the limit is 40 or 50. In Twenty20 cricket, each team faces 20 overs only.

Standard limited overs cricket was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs. In 1969, a national league competition was established. The concept was gradually introduced to the other major cricket countries and the first limited overs international was played in 1971. In 1975, the first Cricket World Cup took place in England. Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations including the use of multi-coloured kit and floodlit matches using a white ball.

Twenty20 is a new variant of limited overs itself with the purpose being to complete the match within about three hours, usually in an evening session. The original idea, when the concept was introduced in England in 2003, was to provide workers with an evening entertainment. It has been commercially successful and has been adopted internationally. The inaugural Twenty20 World Championship was held in 2007.
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National championships

First-class cricket includes Test cricket but the term is generally used to refer to the highest level of domestic cricket in those countries with full ICC membership, although there are exceptions to this. First-class cricket in England is played for the most part by the 18 county clubs which contest the County Championship. The concept of a champion county has existed since the 18th century but the official competition was not established until 1890. The most successful club has been Yorkshire County Cricket Club with 30 official titles.

Australia established its national first-class championship in 1892-93 when the Sheffield Shield was introduced. In Australia, the first-class teams represent the various states. New South Wales has won the most titles with 45 to 2008.

National championship trophies to be established elsewhere included the Ranji Trophy (India), Plunket Shield (New Zealand), Currie Cup (South Africa) and Shell Shield (West Indies). Some of these competitions have been updated and renamed in recent years.

Domestic limited overs competitions began with England's Gillette Cup knockout in 1963. Countries usually stage seasonal limited overs competitions in both knockout and league format. In recent years, national Twenty20 competitions have been introduced, usually in knockout form though some incorporate mini-leagues.
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Minor Cricket
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Various leagues, often organised on a state, county or regional basis, that include clubs which are classed as "minor" although in many cases the playing standards are anything but minor. Give examples like Australia's grade structure and the Minor Counties Championship.

Village cricket and significant local leagues like the Lancashire League.
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Schools cricket.
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Other types of cricket

Main article: Forms of cricket

There are numerous informal variations of the sport played throughout the world that include indoor cricket, French cricket, beach cricket, Kwik cricket and all sorts of card games and board games that have been inspired by cricket. In these variants, the rules are often changed to make the game playable with limited resources or to render it more convenient and enjoyable for the participants.

Indoor cricket is played in a netted, indoor arena, and is quite formal but most of the outdoor variants are very informal.Families and teenagers play backyard cricket in suburban yards or driveways, and the teeming cities of India and Pakistan play host to countless games of "Gully Cricket" or "tapeball" on their streets (played in long narrow streets) with rules like the one bounce catch. Such rules and, usually, lack of space ensure the batsmen have to play cautiously. Tennis balls and homemade bats are often used, and a variety of objects may serve as wickets: for example, the batter's legs as in French cricket, which did not in fact originate in France, and is usually played by small children. Sometimes the rules are improvised: e.g., it may be agreed that fielders can catch the ball with one hand after one bounce and claim a wicket; or if only a few people are available then everyone may field while the players take it in turns to bat and bowl.

In Kwik cricket, the bowler does not have to wait for the batsman to be ready before a delivery, leading to a faster, more exhausting game designed to appeal to children, which is often used PE lessons at English schools. Another modification to increase the pace of the game is the "Tip and Run", "Tipity" Run, "Tipsy Run" or "Tippy-Go" rule, in which the batter must run when the ball touches the bat, even if it the contact is unintentional or minor. This rule, seen only in impromptu games, speeds the match up by removing the batsman's right to block the ball.

In Samoa a form of cricket called Kilikiti is played in which hockey stick-shaped bats are used. In original English cricket, the hockey stick shape was replaced by the modern straight bat in the 1760s after bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it.

In Estonia, teams gather over the winter for the annual Ice Cricket tournament. The game juxtaposes the normal summer pursuit with harsh, wintry conditions. Rules are otherwise similar to those for the six-a-side game.