The game of cricket has a known history spanning from 16th century to the present

day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of
international test began in 1877. During this time, the game developed from its
origins in England into a game which is now played professionally in most of the
Commonwealth of Nations.
The first evidence of cricket being played was recorded in the year 1550, by the
pupils of Royal Grammar School, Guildford. In the year 1611 it is reported that two
young men from Sussex were punished for playing cricket instead of going to the
church. The first match is recorded to have been played at Coxheath in Kent in the
year 1646.
Cricket was in fact a major gambling sport towards the end of the 17th century. It
is recorded that in the year 1679, a 11-a-side match was played with stakes as high
as 50 guineas per side.
During the 18th century survived and thrived due to the huge amounts of money via
monetary backing and gambling.
The first instance of a match to be played between countries in England is recorded
to be on 29th June in the year 1709. This match was played between Surrey and Kent
at Dartford Brent
Cricket is a bat and ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval
shaped field, at the center of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team
bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and
fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting
team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat,
running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without
being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an
innings.
In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from 20 overs of six bowling
deliveries per side to Test cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are
maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day
Internationals.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer. The ICC, the
game's governing body, has ten full members. The game is played particularly in
Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies, Southern Africa and England.