Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players each on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 20-yard (18-metre) pitch with a target at each end called the wicket. The game is played by 120 million players in many countries, making it the world's second most popular sport after association football.
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.
There is evidence that cricket was being played in southern England in the 16th century. It is believed that the first ever international cricket match was played between teams from England and the Netherlands in 1646.
The first recorded use of the term "cricket" was in 1598. The game acquired its name from the Old English word "cryce", meaning a stick; or the Middle Dutch word "krickstoel", meaning a type of stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long, low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.
Cricket is generally believed to have originated as a children's game in the south-eastern counties of England, sometime during the medieval period. Originally, it would seem, cricket was a game played by children on improvised pitches using whatever they could find as bats and balls.
The earliest definite reference to cricket being played comes from a court case in England in 1597 (see box, below). A 59-year-old coroner, John Derrick, testified that he and his school friends had played cricket in their school playground. Derrick's account proves beyond doubt that cricket was being played by children in Surrey half a century before it had become an adult pastime.
It is interesting to note that the first reference to cricket in print is also from Surrey. In 1611, two men from Guildford were prosecuted for playing cricket on Sunday instead of going to church. One of them, Thomas Purfoot, was a bailiff of the town at the time.
The game continued to grow in popularity and by the early 18th century was being played by both sexes in many different parts of England. The first reference to women playing cricket comes from a newspaper report in 1745 which mentions a match between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon.
The game really began to take off in the second half of the 18th century when it started to spread outside its southern heartland. One of the first places to embrace cricket was Kent, where a number of famous clubs were founded, such as Sevenoaks, Dartford and Maidstone.
Cricket also began to be played in London at this time and the first known reference to the game being played in the capital comes from a court case in 1727. A young man called William Bedle was prosecuted for playing cricket on a Sunday instead of going to church.
The game continued to grow in popularity throughout the 18th century and by the early 19th century was well established in both England and Australia. The first ever international cricket match was played between England and Australia in 1877.
Since then, cricket has gone from strength to strength and is now played all over the world by millions of people. The modern game is very different from the one that was played in the 18th century but the basic principles are still the same. Cricket is a sport that is enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life. It is a game that can be played by anyone, regardless of their level of fitness or ability.
Whether you are a keen player or simply enjoy watching the game, cricket is a great sport to get involved in. So why not give it a go? You might just find that you have a hidden talent for the game.