History
Cricket was first introduced to the world in the late 19th century by the British. Australia were their first rivals and a series of England vs Australia test matches were the first few cricket matches that were ever played. At first, the tests were timeless and the matches went on till a result was achieved, however overtime the format was adjusted and the 5-day version of cricket, as we know it now, was formed.
The British also brought the game to the Indian subcontinent as they ruled the region for the better part of the first half of the 20th century. The game flourished in India, and later in Pakistan, before it was taken up by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the latter half of the 1900s.
New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, and Zimbabwe were also introduced to the game during the 20th century and along with England, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh comprise of the top 10 international teams that regularly play cricket on bilateral tours.
In the early 1970s, when a test match between England and Australia could not produce a result due to rain on the first few days, both teams decided to play a limited overs match. That match was the first ever limited overs international that ever played. We know that game as One-Day Internationals (ODIs) today.
The one-day format of the game has been the major driver of the growth of cricket over the last 40 years. Though players maintain that test cricket is the purest form of the game, it is the ODIs that attracted the masses, sponsors, media persons, and the big dollars towards cricket.
A first ever world cup was played in 1975, and since then the tournament has taken place every 4 years, with the next edition due in 2011. The fast pace of the matches, aggressive stroke play from the batsmen, and a definite result of ODIs as compared to test cricket is what led to increased interest among the public.
As times went on and life got even more fast paced during the 21st century, the interest in ODIs also started to wane. 7 to 8 hours was far too much for a lot of people to spend at a cricket ground or in front of the television to watch a complete cricket match. Due to this dwindling interest, in 2004, 20-20 cricket was introduced to the world. It was the British again who brought this concept into life as the England Cricket Board launched a 20-20 domestic tournament in order to attract more people to their grounds.
Even though 20 overs a side matches have always been played in places like Pakistan in unofficial leagues and club cricket competitions, it was in 2004 that the world for the first time witnessed the phenomenon of an even more aggressive form of the sport. Such was the craze for 20-20 cricket, that within 3 years of its conceptualization, a world cup was played. The concept took the world by storm as all the cricket playing nations included a 20-20 competition within their domestic season.
With India launching the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, a domestic 20-20 tournament that attracts international players from all over the world to play for Indian regional teams, 20-20 cricket changed the way cricket had always been played and viewed. Other cricket boards are looking to replicate the success by planning to launch 20-20 leagues on the lines of the IPL.
Who knows that probably in a decade or so, we would be witnessing cricket on similar lines as football -- with 20-20 club cricket dominating the sport, and international tours being sidelined. The sport has progressed so far in a century, from playing timeless test matches to 20 overs-a-side games, that anything is possible going forward.
