NCERT Textbook: The Story of Cricket - Class 7 PDF Download

 Page 1


10
ricket grew out of the many stick-and-
ball games played in England 500 years
ago. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that
simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth
century, cricket had evolved enough to be
recognisable as a distinct game. Till the middle of
the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same
shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the ball
was bowled underarm, along the ground and the
curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the
best chance of making contact.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a
Test match can go on for five days and still end
C
Before you read
Sport is an integral part of a healthy life. It is one way in
which we amuse ourselves, compete with each other and
stay fit. Among the various sports such as hockey, football
and tennis, cricket appears to be the most appealing
national entertainment today. How much do we really
know about the game called ‘cricket’?
   The Story of
   Cricket
   I
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
2022-23
Page 2


10
ricket grew out of the many stick-and-
ball games played in England 500 years
ago. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that
simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth
century, cricket had evolved enough to be
recognisable as a distinct game. Till the middle of
the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same
shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the ball
was bowled underarm, along the ground and the
curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the
best chance of making contact.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a
Test match can go on for five days and still end
C
Before you read
Sport is an integral part of a healthy life. It is one way in
which we amuse ourselves, compete with each other and
stay fit. Among the various sports such as hockey, football
and tennis, cricket appears to be the most appealing
national entertainment today. How much do we really
know about the game called ‘cricket’?
   The Story of
   Cricket
   I
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
2022-23
140/HONEYCOMB
in a draw. No other modern team sport takes even
half as much time to complete. A football match
is generally over in an hour-and-a-half. Even
baseball completes nine innings in less than half
the time that it takes to play a limited-overs match,
the shortened version of modern cricket!
Another curious characteristic of cricket is that
the length of the pitch is specified—22 yards—
but the size or shape of the ground is not. Most
other team sports such as hockey and football
lay down the dimensions of the playing area.
Cricket does not. Grounds can be oval like the
Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in
Chennai. A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
needs to clear much more ground than it does at
Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
There’s a historical reason behind both these
oddities.  Cricket was the earliest modern team
sport to be codified. The first written ‘Laws of
Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744. They stated,
“the principals shall choose from amongst the
gentlemen present two umpires who shall
absolutely decide all disputes. The stumps must
be 22 inches high and the bail across them six
inches. The ball must be between five and six
ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22 yards
The oldest cricket bat in existence
(Note the curved end, similar to a hockey stick.)
________________
________________
________________
draw: result
of a game in
which neither
side wins or
loses
baseball:
game (populr
in the U.S.A.)
played with a
bat and ball
by two teams
of nine
players each
on a field
with four
bases
dimensions:
length,
breadth, etc.
oval: shaped
like an egg
codified:
standardised
with rules and
regulations
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
Page 3


10
ricket grew out of the many stick-and-
ball games played in England 500 years
ago. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that
simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth
century, cricket had evolved enough to be
recognisable as a distinct game. Till the middle of
the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same
shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the ball
was bowled underarm, along the ground and the
curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the
best chance of making contact.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a
Test match can go on for five days and still end
C
Before you read
Sport is an integral part of a healthy life. It is one way in
which we amuse ourselves, compete with each other and
stay fit. Among the various sports such as hockey, football
and tennis, cricket appears to be the most appealing
national entertainment today. How much do we really
know about the game called ‘cricket’?
   The Story of
   Cricket
   I
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
2022-23
140/HONEYCOMB
in a draw. No other modern team sport takes even
half as much time to complete. A football match
is generally over in an hour-and-a-half. Even
baseball completes nine innings in less than half
the time that it takes to play a limited-overs match,
the shortened version of modern cricket!
Another curious characteristic of cricket is that
the length of the pitch is specified—22 yards—
but the size or shape of the ground is not. Most
other team sports such as hockey and football
lay down the dimensions of the playing area.
Cricket does not. Grounds can be oval like the
Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in
Chennai. A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
needs to clear much more ground than it does at
Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
There’s a historical reason behind both these
oddities.  Cricket was the earliest modern team
sport to be codified. The first written ‘Laws of
Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744. They stated,
“the principals shall choose from amongst the
gentlemen present two umpires who shall
absolutely decide all disputes. The stumps must
be 22 inches high and the bail across them six
inches. The ball must be between five and six
ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22 yards
The oldest cricket bat in existence
(Note the curved end, similar to a hockey stick.)
________________
________________
________________
draw: result
of a game in
which neither
side wins or
loses
baseball:
game (populr
in the U.S.A.)
played with a
bat and ball
by two teams
of nine
players each
on a field
with four
bases
dimensions:
length,
breadth, etc.
oval: shaped
like an egg
codified:
standardised
with rules and
regulations
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
THE STORY OF CRICKET/141
apart”. The world’s first cricket club was formed
in Hambledon in the1760s and the Marylebone
Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787.
During the 1760s and 1770s it became common
to pitch the ball through the air rather than roll
it along the ground. This change gave bowlers
the options of length, deception through the air,
plus increased pace. It also opened new
possibilities for spin and swing. In response,
batsmen had to master timing and shot
selection. One immediate result was the
replacement of the curved bat with the straight
one. The weight of the ball was limited to between
5½ to 5¾ ounces, and the width of the bat to
four inches. In 1774, the first leg-before law was
published. Also around this time, a third stump
became common. By 1780, three days had
become the length of a major match, and this
year also saw the creation of the first six-seam
cricket ball.
The pavilion of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1874
length: the
distance from
the bastman
at which the
ball pitches
deception
through the
air: The ball
is no longer
rolled along
the ground
but sent
through the
air. Hence
the possible
variety or
‘deception’
in bowling.
shot
selection:
choice of
strokes
2022-23
Page 4


10
ricket grew out of the many stick-and-
ball games played in England 500 years
ago. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that
simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth
century, cricket had evolved enough to be
recognisable as a distinct game. Till the middle of
the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same
shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the ball
was bowled underarm, along the ground and the
curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the
best chance of making contact.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a
Test match can go on for five days and still end
C
Before you read
Sport is an integral part of a healthy life. It is one way in
which we amuse ourselves, compete with each other and
stay fit. Among the various sports such as hockey, football
and tennis, cricket appears to be the most appealing
national entertainment today. How much do we really
know about the game called ‘cricket’?
   The Story of
   Cricket
   I
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
2022-23
140/HONEYCOMB
in a draw. No other modern team sport takes even
half as much time to complete. A football match
is generally over in an hour-and-a-half. Even
baseball completes nine innings in less than half
the time that it takes to play a limited-overs match,
the shortened version of modern cricket!
Another curious characteristic of cricket is that
the length of the pitch is specified—22 yards—
but the size or shape of the ground is not. Most
other team sports such as hockey and football
lay down the dimensions of the playing area.
Cricket does not. Grounds can be oval like the
Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in
Chennai. A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
needs to clear much more ground than it does at
Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
There’s a historical reason behind both these
oddities.  Cricket was the earliest modern team
sport to be codified. The first written ‘Laws of
Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744. They stated,
“the principals shall choose from amongst the
gentlemen present two umpires who shall
absolutely decide all disputes. The stumps must
be 22 inches high and the bail across them six
inches. The ball must be between five and six
ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22 yards
The oldest cricket bat in existence
(Note the curved end, similar to a hockey stick.)
________________
________________
________________
draw: result
of a game in
which neither
side wins or
loses
baseball:
game (populr
in the U.S.A.)
played with a
bat and ball
by two teams
of nine
players each
on a field
with four
bases
dimensions:
length,
breadth, etc.
oval: shaped
like an egg
codified:
standardised
with rules and
regulations
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
THE STORY OF CRICKET/141
apart”. The world’s first cricket club was formed
in Hambledon in the1760s and the Marylebone
Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787.
During the 1760s and 1770s it became common
to pitch the ball through the air rather than roll
it along the ground. This change gave bowlers
the options of length, deception through the air,
plus increased pace. It also opened new
possibilities for spin and swing. In response,
batsmen had to master timing and shot
selection. One immediate result was the
replacement of the curved bat with the straight
one. The weight of the ball was limited to between
5½ to 5¾ ounces, and the width of the bat to
four inches. In 1774, the first leg-before law was
published. Also around this time, a third stump
became common. By 1780, three days had
become the length of a major match, and this
year also saw the creation of the first six-seam
cricket ball.
The pavilion of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1874
length: the
distance from
the bastman
at which the
ball pitches
deception
through the
air: The ball
is no longer
rolled along
the ground
but sent
through the
air. Hence
the possible
variety or
‘deception’
in bowling.
shot
selection:
choice of
strokes
2022-23
142/HONEYCOMB
If you look at the game’s equipment, you can
see how cricket both changed with changing
times and yet fundamentally remained true to
its origins in rural England. Cricket’s most
important tools are all made of natural, pre-
industrial materials. The bat is made with
leather, twine and cork. Even today both bat
and ball are handmade, not industrially
manufactured. The material of the bat changed
slightly over time. Once it was cut out of a single
piece of wood. Now it consists of two pieces, the
blade which is made out of the wood of the willow
tree and the handle which is made out of cane
that became available as European colonialists
and trading companies established themselves
in Asia. Unlike golf and tennis, cricket has
A rough-and-ready cricket game being played in a village in the Himalayas (1894)
(Notice the home-made wickets and bat, carved out of rough bits of wood.)
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
Page 5


10
ricket grew out of the many stick-and-
ball games played in England 500 years
ago. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that
simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth
century, cricket had evolved enough to be
recognisable as a distinct game. Till the middle of
the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same
shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the ball
was bowled underarm, along the ground and the
curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the
best chance of making contact.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a
Test match can go on for five days and still end
C
Before you read
Sport is an integral part of a healthy life. It is one way in
which we amuse ourselves, compete with each other and
stay fit. Among the various sports such as hockey, football
and tennis, cricket appears to be the most appealing
national entertainment today. How much do we really
know about the game called ‘cricket’?
   The Story of
   Cricket
   I
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
—————–
2022-23
140/HONEYCOMB
in a draw. No other modern team sport takes even
half as much time to complete. A football match
is generally over in an hour-and-a-half. Even
baseball completes nine innings in less than half
the time that it takes to play a limited-overs match,
the shortened version of modern cricket!
Another curious characteristic of cricket is that
the length of the pitch is specified—22 yards—
but the size or shape of the ground is not. Most
other team sports such as hockey and football
lay down the dimensions of the playing area.
Cricket does not. Grounds can be oval like the
Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in
Chennai. A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
needs to clear much more ground than it does at
Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
There’s a historical reason behind both these
oddities.  Cricket was the earliest modern team
sport to be codified. The first written ‘Laws of
Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744. They stated,
“the principals shall choose from amongst the
gentlemen present two umpires who shall
absolutely decide all disputes. The stumps must
be 22 inches high and the bail across them six
inches. The ball must be between five and six
ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22 yards
The oldest cricket bat in existence
(Note the curved end, similar to a hockey stick.)
________________
________________
________________
draw: result
of a game in
which neither
side wins or
loses
baseball:
game (populr
in the U.S.A.)
played with a
bat and ball
by two teams
of nine
players each
on a field
with four
bases
dimensions:
length,
breadth, etc.
oval: shaped
like an egg
codified:
standardised
with rules and
regulations
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
THE STORY OF CRICKET/141
apart”. The world’s first cricket club was formed
in Hambledon in the1760s and the Marylebone
Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787.
During the 1760s and 1770s it became common
to pitch the ball through the air rather than roll
it along the ground. This change gave bowlers
the options of length, deception through the air,
plus increased pace. It also opened new
possibilities for spin and swing. In response,
batsmen had to master timing and shot
selection. One immediate result was the
replacement of the curved bat with the straight
one. The weight of the ball was limited to between
5½ to 5¾ ounces, and the width of the bat to
four inches. In 1774, the first leg-before law was
published. Also around this time, a third stump
became common. By 1780, three days had
become the length of a major match, and this
year also saw the creation of the first six-seam
cricket ball.
The pavilion of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1874
length: the
distance from
the bastman
at which the
ball pitches
deception
through the
air: The ball
is no longer
rolled along
the ground
but sent
through the
air. Hence
the possible
variety or
‘deception’
in bowling.
shot
selection:
choice of
strokes
2022-23
142/HONEYCOMB
If you look at the game’s equipment, you can
see how cricket both changed with changing
times and yet fundamentally remained true to
its origins in rural England. Cricket’s most
important tools are all made of natural, pre-
industrial materials. The bat is made with
leather, twine and cork. Even today both bat
and ball are handmade, not industrially
manufactured. The material of the bat changed
slightly over time. Once it was cut out of a single
piece of wood. Now it consists of two pieces, the
blade which is made out of the wood of the willow
tree and the handle which is made out of cane
that became available as European colonialists
and trading companies established themselves
in Asia. Unlike golf and tennis, cricket has
A rough-and-ready cricket game being played in a village in the Himalayas (1894)
(Notice the home-made wickets and bat, carved out of rough bits of wood.)
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
2022-23
THE STORY OF CRICKET/143
refused to remake its tools with industrial or
man-made materials: plastic, fibreglass and
metal have been firmly rejected.
But in the matter of protective equipment,
cricket has been influenced by technological
change. The invention of vulcanised rubber led
to the introduction of pads in 1848 and
protective gloves soon afterwards, and the
modern game would be unimaginable without
helmets made out of metal and synthetic
lightweight materials.
Comprehension Check
1. Cricket is originally a/an
(i) Indian game.
(ii) British game.
(iii) international game.
Mark the right answer.
2. “There is a historical reason behind both these
oddities.” In the preceding two paragraphs, find two
words/phrases that mean the same as ‘oddities’.
3. How is a cricket bat different from a hockey stick?
II
The origins of Indian cricket are to be found in
Bombay and the first Indian community to start
playing the game was the small community of
Zoroastrians, the Parsis. Brought into close contact
with the British because of their interest in trade
and the first Indian community to westernise, the
Parsis founded the first Indian cricket club, the
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2022-23