NCERT Textbook: History and Sport: The Story of Cricket | Old & New NCERTs for IAS Preparation (Must Read) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
139
SECTION III
Section III will introduce you to the history of everyday life. In this section you will
read about the history of sports and clothing.
History is not just about the dramatic events in the world. It is equally about the
small things in our lives. Everything around us has a history ? the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, the music we hear, the medicines we use, the literature we read, the
games we play. All these have evolved over time. Since we relate to them in our daily
lives, their history escapes us. We never pause to think what  things were like a
century ago; or how people in different societies see these everyday things ? food
and clothing for instance ? differently.
Chapter VII is on History and Sports. You will study this history through the story
of one game that in India has captured the imagination of the nation for some decades.
News of cricket today hits the headline of newspapers. Cricket matches are organised
to establish friendship between nations and cricketers are seen as ambassadors of the
country. The game has, in fact, come to represent the unity of India. But did you
know that this was not always so? This chapter will tell you about the long and
chequered history of the game.
At one time, a century and half ago, cricket was an English game. It had been invented
in England and became intimately linked to the culture of nineteenth century
Victorian society. The game was expected to represent all that the English valued ?
fair play, discipline, gentlemanliness. It was introduced in schools as part of a wider
programme of physical training through which boys were to be moulded into ideal
citizens. Girls were not to play games meant for boys. With the British, cricket
spread to the colonies. There again it was supposed to uphold the values of Englishness.
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
Page 2


History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
139
SECTION III
Section III will introduce you to the history of everyday life. In this section you will
read about the history of sports and clothing.
History is not just about the dramatic events in the world. It is equally about the
small things in our lives. Everything around us has a history ? the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, the music we hear, the medicines we use, the literature we read, the
games we play. All these have evolved over time. Since we relate to them in our daily
lives, their history escapes us. We never pause to think what  things were like a
century ago; or how people in different societies see these everyday things ? food
and clothing for instance ? differently.
Chapter VII is on History and Sports. You will study this history through the story
of one game that in India has captured the imagination of the nation for some decades.
News of cricket today hits the headline of newspapers. Cricket matches are organised
to establish friendship between nations and cricketers are seen as ambassadors of the
country. The game has, in fact, come to represent the unity of India. But did you
know that this was not always so? This chapter will tell you about the long and
chequered history of the game.
At one time, a century and half ago, cricket was an English game. It had been invented
in England and became intimately linked to the culture of nineteenth century
Victorian society. The game was expected to represent all that the English valued ?
fair play, discipline, gentlemanliness. It was introduced in schools as part of a wider
programme of physical training through which boys were to be moulded into ideal
citizens. Girls were not to play games meant for boys. With the British, cricket
spread to the colonies. There again it was supposed to uphold the values of Englishness.
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
India and the Contemporary World
140
The colonial masters assumed that only they could play the game as it ought to be
played, in its true spirit. They were, in fact,  worried when the inhabitants of the
colonies not only began to play the game, but often played it better than the masters;
and at times beat the English at their own game. The game of cricket thus got linked up
closely with the politics of colonialism and nationalism.
Within the colonies the game had a complex history. As Chapter VII will show, it was
connected to the politics of caste and region, community and nation. The emergence of
cricket as a national game was the result of many decades of historical development.
From cricket you will move to clothing (Chapter VIII). You will see how a history of
clothing can tell us so much about the history of societies. The clothes people wear are
shaped by the rules and norms of societies. They reflect people?s sense of beauty and
honour, their notions of proper conduct and behavior. As societies change, these norms
alter. But these changes in the norms of society and styles of clothing come about as a
consequence of long years of struggle. They have a history. They do not just
happen naturally.
Chapter VIII will introduce you to this history. It will show how the shifts in clothing
in England and India were shaped by the social movements within these societies, and
by changes within the economy. You will see how clothing too, is deeply connected to
the politics of colonialism and nationalism, caste and class. A look at the history of
clothing helps us discover new layers of meaning in the politics of Swadeshi and the
symbol of the charkha. It even helps us understand Mahatma Gandhi better, for he was
one individual who was highly sensitive to the politics of clothing, and wrote
extensively on it.
Once you see the history behind one or two such issues, you may begin to ask historical
questions about other such aspects of ordinary life which you have taken for granted.
Page 3


History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
139
SECTION III
Section III will introduce you to the history of everyday life. In this section you will
read about the history of sports and clothing.
History is not just about the dramatic events in the world. It is equally about the
small things in our lives. Everything around us has a history ? the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, the music we hear, the medicines we use, the literature we read, the
games we play. All these have evolved over time. Since we relate to them in our daily
lives, their history escapes us. We never pause to think what  things were like a
century ago; or how people in different societies see these everyday things ? food
and clothing for instance ? differently.
Chapter VII is on History and Sports. You will study this history through the story
of one game that in India has captured the imagination of the nation for some decades.
News of cricket today hits the headline of newspapers. Cricket matches are organised
to establish friendship between nations and cricketers are seen as ambassadors of the
country. The game has, in fact, come to represent the unity of India. But did you
know that this was not always so? This chapter will tell you about the long and
chequered history of the game.
At one time, a century and half ago, cricket was an English game. It had been invented
in England and became intimately linked to the culture of nineteenth century
Victorian society. The game was expected to represent all that the English valued ?
fair play, discipline, gentlemanliness. It was introduced in schools as part of a wider
programme of physical training through which boys were to be moulded into ideal
citizens. Girls were not to play games meant for boys. With the British, cricket
spread to the colonies. There again it was supposed to uphold the values of Englishness.
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
India and the Contemporary World
140
The colonial masters assumed that only they could play the game as it ought to be
played, in its true spirit. They were, in fact,  worried when the inhabitants of the
colonies not only began to play the game, but often played it better than the masters;
and at times beat the English at their own game. The game of cricket thus got linked up
closely with the politics of colonialism and nationalism.
Within the colonies the game had a complex history. As Chapter VII will show, it was
connected to the politics of caste and region, community and nation. The emergence of
cricket as a national game was the result of many decades of historical development.
From cricket you will move to clothing (Chapter VIII). You will see how a history of
clothing can tell us so much about the history of societies. The clothes people wear are
shaped by the rules and norms of societies. They reflect people?s sense of beauty and
honour, their notions of proper conduct and behavior. As societies change, these norms
alter. But these changes in the norms of society and styles of clothing come about as a
consequence of long years of struggle. They have a history. They do not just
happen naturally.
Chapter VIII will introduce you to this history. It will show how the shifts in clothing
in England and India were shaped by the social movements within these societies, and
by changes within the economy. You will see how clothing too, is deeply connected to
the politics of colonialism and nationalism, caste and class. A look at the history of
clothing helps us discover new layers of meaning in the politics of Swadeshi and the
symbol of the charkha. It even helps us understand Mahatma Gandhi better, for he was
one individual who was highly sensitive to the politics of clothing, and wrote
extensively on it.
Once you see the history behind one or two such issues, you may begin to ask historical
questions about other such aspects of ordinary life which you have taken for granted.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
141
Cricket grew out of the many stick-and-ball games played in England
500 years ago, under a variety of different rules. The word ?bat? is an old
English wor d that simply means stick or club . By the seventeenth century,
cricket had evolved enough to be recognisable as a distinct game and it
was popular enough for its fans to be fined for playing it on Sunday
instead of going to church. Till the middle of the eighteenth centur y , bats
were roughly the same shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. Ther e was a simple reason f or this: the ball w as bo wled under ar m,
along the ground and the curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman
the best chance of making contact.
How that early version of cricket played in village England grew into
the modern game played in giant stadiums in great cities is a proper
subject for history because one of the uses of history is to understand
how the present was made. And sport is a large part of contemporary
life: it is one way in which we amuse ourselves, compete with each
other, stay fit, and express our social loyalties. If tens of millions of
Indians today drop everything to watch the Indian team play a Test
match or a one-day international, it is reasonable for a history of India
to explore how that stick-and-ball game invented in south-eastern
England became the ruling passion of the Indian sub-continent. This
is particularly so, since the game was linked to the wider history of
colonialism and nationalism and was in part shaped by the politics of
religion and caste.
Our history of cricket will look first at the
evolution of cricket as a game in England,
and discuss the wider culture of physical
training and athleticism of the time. It will
then move to India, discuss the history of
the adoption of cricket in this country, and
trace the modern transformation of the
game. In each of these sections we will see
how the history of the game was connected
to the social history of the time.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport:
The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket
Fig.1 ? The oldest cricket bat in existence.
Note the curved end, similar to a hockey
stick.
Fig.2 ? An artist?s sketch of the cricket ground at Lord?s in England
in 1821.
Chapter VII
Page 4


History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
139
SECTION III
Section III will introduce you to the history of everyday life. In this section you will
read about the history of sports and clothing.
History is not just about the dramatic events in the world. It is equally about the
small things in our lives. Everything around us has a history ? the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, the music we hear, the medicines we use, the literature we read, the
games we play. All these have evolved over time. Since we relate to them in our daily
lives, their history escapes us. We never pause to think what  things were like a
century ago; or how people in different societies see these everyday things ? food
and clothing for instance ? differently.
Chapter VII is on History and Sports. You will study this history through the story
of one game that in India has captured the imagination of the nation for some decades.
News of cricket today hits the headline of newspapers. Cricket matches are organised
to establish friendship between nations and cricketers are seen as ambassadors of the
country. The game has, in fact, come to represent the unity of India. But did you
know that this was not always so? This chapter will tell you about the long and
chequered history of the game.
At one time, a century and half ago, cricket was an English game. It had been invented
in England and became intimately linked to the culture of nineteenth century
Victorian society. The game was expected to represent all that the English valued ?
fair play, discipline, gentlemanliness. It was introduced in schools as part of a wider
programme of physical training through which boys were to be moulded into ideal
citizens. Girls were not to play games meant for boys. With the British, cricket
spread to the colonies. There again it was supposed to uphold the values of Englishness.
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
India and the Contemporary World
140
The colonial masters assumed that only they could play the game as it ought to be
played, in its true spirit. They were, in fact,  worried when the inhabitants of the
colonies not only began to play the game, but often played it better than the masters;
and at times beat the English at their own game. The game of cricket thus got linked up
closely with the politics of colonialism and nationalism.
Within the colonies the game had a complex history. As Chapter VII will show, it was
connected to the politics of caste and region, community and nation. The emergence of
cricket as a national game was the result of many decades of historical development.
From cricket you will move to clothing (Chapter VIII). You will see how a history of
clothing can tell us so much about the history of societies. The clothes people wear are
shaped by the rules and norms of societies. They reflect people?s sense of beauty and
honour, their notions of proper conduct and behavior. As societies change, these norms
alter. But these changes in the norms of society and styles of clothing come about as a
consequence of long years of struggle. They have a history. They do not just
happen naturally.
Chapter VIII will introduce you to this history. It will show how the shifts in clothing
in England and India were shaped by the social movements within these societies, and
by changes within the economy. You will see how clothing too, is deeply connected to
the politics of colonialism and nationalism, caste and class. A look at the history of
clothing helps us discover new layers of meaning in the politics of Swadeshi and the
symbol of the charkha. It even helps us understand Mahatma Gandhi better, for he was
one individual who was highly sensitive to the politics of clothing, and wrote
extensively on it.
Once you see the history behind one or two such issues, you may begin to ask historical
questions about other such aspects of ordinary life which you have taken for granted.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
141
Cricket grew out of the many stick-and-ball games played in England
500 years ago, under a variety of different rules. The word ?bat? is an old
English wor d that simply means stick or club . By the seventeenth century,
cricket had evolved enough to be recognisable as a distinct game and it
was popular enough for its fans to be fined for playing it on Sunday
instead of going to church. Till the middle of the eighteenth centur y , bats
were roughly the same shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. Ther e was a simple reason f or this: the ball w as bo wled under ar m,
along the ground and the curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman
the best chance of making contact.
How that early version of cricket played in village England grew into
the modern game played in giant stadiums in great cities is a proper
subject for history because one of the uses of history is to understand
how the present was made. And sport is a large part of contemporary
life: it is one way in which we amuse ourselves, compete with each
other, stay fit, and express our social loyalties. If tens of millions of
Indians today drop everything to watch the Indian team play a Test
match or a one-day international, it is reasonable for a history of India
to explore how that stick-and-ball game invented in south-eastern
England became the ruling passion of the Indian sub-continent. This
is particularly so, since the game was linked to the wider history of
colonialism and nationalism and was in part shaped by the politics of
religion and caste.
Our history of cricket will look first at the
evolution of cricket as a game in England,
and discuss the wider culture of physical
training and athleticism of the time. It will
then move to India, discuss the history of
the adoption of cricket in this country, and
trace the modern transformation of the
game. In each of these sections we will see
how the history of the game was connected
to the social history of the time.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport:
The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket
Fig.1 ? The oldest cricket bat in existence.
Note the curved end, similar to a hockey
stick.
Fig.2 ? An artist?s sketch of the cricket ground at Lord?s in England
in 1821.
Chapter VII
India and the Contemporary World
142
The social and economic history of England in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, cricket?s early years, shaped the game and gave
cricket its unique nature.
For example, one of the peculiarities of Test cricket is that a match
can go on for five days and still end 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 of playing time. Even
baseball, a long-drawn-out bat-and-ball game by the standards of
modern sport, 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 a lofted shot for the same reward 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, which is another way
of saying that cricket gave itself rules and regulations so that it could
be played in a uniform and standardised way
well before team games like soccer and hockey.
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
5 and 6 ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22
yards apart?. There were no limits on the shape
or size of the bat. It appears that 40 notches or
runs was viewed as a very big score, probably
due to the bowlers bowling quickly at shins
unprotected by pads. The world?s first cricket
club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760s
1  1  1  1  1  The The The The The H H H H Historical istorical istorical istorical istorical D D D D Development of evelopment of evelopment of evelopment of evelopment of C C C C Cricket ricket ricket ricket ricket
    as a     as a     as a     as a     as a G G G G Game in England ame in England ame in England ame in England ame in England
Fig.3 ? The pavilion of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1874.
Page 5


History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
139
SECTION III
Section III will introduce you to the history of everyday life. In this section you will
read about the history of sports and clothing.
History is not just about the dramatic events in the world. It is equally about the
small things in our lives. Everything around us has a history ? the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, the music we hear, the medicines we use, the literature we read, the
games we play. All these have evolved over time. Since we relate to them in our daily
lives, their history escapes us. We never pause to think what  things were like a
century ago; or how people in different societies see these everyday things ? food
and clothing for instance ? differently.
Chapter VII is on History and Sports. You will study this history through the story
of one game that in India has captured the imagination of the nation for some decades.
News of cricket today hits the headline of newspapers. Cricket matches are organised
to establish friendship between nations and cricketers are seen as ambassadors of the
country. The game has, in fact, come to represent the unity of India. But did you
know that this was not always so? This chapter will tell you about the long and
chequered history of the game.
At one time, a century and half ago, cricket was an English game. It had been invented
in England and became intimately linked to the culture of nineteenth century
Victorian society. The game was expected to represent all that the English valued ?
fair play, discipline, gentlemanliness. It was introduced in schools as part of a wider
programme of physical training through which boys were to be moulded into ideal
citizens. Girls were not to play games meant for boys. With the British, cricket
spread to the colonies. There again it was supposed to uphold the values of Englishness.
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
EVERYDAY LIFE, CULTURE AND POLITICS
India and the Contemporary World
140
The colonial masters assumed that only they could play the game as it ought to be
played, in its true spirit. They were, in fact,  worried when the inhabitants of the
colonies not only began to play the game, but often played it better than the masters;
and at times beat the English at their own game. The game of cricket thus got linked up
closely with the politics of colonialism and nationalism.
Within the colonies the game had a complex history. As Chapter VII will show, it was
connected to the politics of caste and region, community and nation. The emergence of
cricket as a national game was the result of many decades of historical development.
From cricket you will move to clothing (Chapter VIII). You will see how a history of
clothing can tell us so much about the history of societies. The clothes people wear are
shaped by the rules and norms of societies. They reflect people?s sense of beauty and
honour, their notions of proper conduct and behavior. As societies change, these norms
alter. But these changes in the norms of society and styles of clothing come about as a
consequence of long years of struggle. They have a history. They do not just
happen naturally.
Chapter VIII will introduce you to this history. It will show how the shifts in clothing
in England and India were shaped by the social movements within these societies, and
by changes within the economy. You will see how clothing too, is deeply connected to
the politics of colonialism and nationalism, caste and class. A look at the history of
clothing helps us discover new layers of meaning in the politics of Swadeshi and the
symbol of the charkha. It even helps us understand Mahatma Gandhi better, for he was
one individual who was highly sensitive to the politics of clothing, and wrote
extensively on it.
Once you see the history behind one or two such issues, you may begin to ask historical
questions about other such aspects of ordinary life which you have taken for granted.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
141
Cricket grew out of the many stick-and-ball games played in England
500 years ago, under a variety of different rules. The word ?bat? is an old
English wor d that simply means stick or club . By the seventeenth century,
cricket had evolved enough to be recognisable as a distinct game and it
was popular enough for its fans to be fined for playing it on Sunday
instead of going to church. Till the middle of the eighteenth centur y , bats
were roughly the same shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the
bottom. Ther e was a simple reason f or this: the ball w as bo wled under ar m,
along the ground and the curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman
the best chance of making contact.
How that early version of cricket played in village England grew into
the modern game played in giant stadiums in great cities is a proper
subject for history because one of the uses of history is to understand
how the present was made. And sport is a large part of contemporary
life: it is one way in which we amuse ourselves, compete with each
other, stay fit, and express our social loyalties. If tens of millions of
Indians today drop everything to watch the Indian team play a Test
match or a one-day international, it is reasonable for a history of India
to explore how that stick-and-ball game invented in south-eastern
England became the ruling passion of the Indian sub-continent. This
is particularly so, since the game was linked to the wider history of
colonialism and nationalism and was in part shaped by the politics of
religion and caste.
Our history of cricket will look first at the
evolution of cricket as a game in England,
and discuss the wider culture of physical
training and athleticism of the time. It will
then move to India, discuss the history of
the adoption of cricket in this country, and
trace the modern transformation of the
game. In each of these sections we will see
how the history of the game was connected
to the social history of the time.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport: History and Sport:
The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket The Story of Cricket
Fig.1 ? The oldest cricket bat in existence.
Note the curved end, similar to a hockey
stick.
Fig.2 ? An artist?s sketch of the cricket ground at Lord?s in England
in 1821.
Chapter VII
India and the Contemporary World
142
The social and economic history of England in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, cricket?s early years, shaped the game and gave
cricket its unique nature.
For example, one of the peculiarities of Test cricket is that a match
can go on for five days and still end 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 of playing time. Even
baseball, a long-drawn-out bat-and-ball game by the standards of
modern sport, 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 a lofted shot for the same reward 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, which is another way
of saying that cricket gave itself rules and regulations so that it could
be played in a uniform and standardised way
well before team games like soccer and hockey.
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
5 and 6 ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22
yards apart?. There were no limits on the shape
or size of the bat. It appears that 40 notches or
runs was viewed as a very big score, probably
due to the bowlers bowling quickly at shins
unprotected by pads. The world?s first cricket
club was formed in Hambledon in the 1760s
1  1  1  1  1  The The The The The H H H H Historical istorical istorical istorical istorical D D D D Development of evelopment of evelopment of evelopment of evelopment of C C C C Cricket ricket ricket ricket ricket
    as a     as a     as a     as a     as a G G G G Game in England ame in England ame in England ame in England ame in England
Fig.3 ? The pavilion of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1874.
History and Sport: The Story of Cricket
143
and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787. In
1788, the MCC published its first revision of the laws and became
the guardian of cricket?s regulations.
The MCC?s revision of the laws brought in a series of changes in
the game that occurred in the second half of the eighteenth century.
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. All of this raised the premium on skill and reduced
the influence of rough ground and brute force.
The weight of the ball was limited to between 5½  to 5¾ ounces,
and the width of the bat to four inches. The latter ruling followed
an innings by a batsman who appeared with a bat as wide as the
wicket! 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.
While many important changes occurred during the nineteenth
century (the rule about wide balls was applied, the exact
circumference of the ball was specified, protective equipment like
pads and gloves became available, boundaries were introduced where
previously all shots had to be run and, most importantly, over-
arm bowling became legal) cricket remained a pre-industrial sport
that matured during the early phase of the Industrial Revolution,
the late eighteenth century.  This history has made cricket a game
with characteristics of both the past and the present day.
Cricket?s connection with a rural past can be seen in the length of
a Test match. Originally, cricket matches had no time limit. The
game went on for as long as it took to bowl out a side twice. The
rhythms of village life were slower and cricket?s rules were made
before the Industrial Revolution. Modern factory work meant that
people were paid by the hour or the day or the week: games that
were codified after the industrial revolution, like football and
hockey, were strictly time-limited to fit the routines of industrial
city life.
In the same way, cricket?s vagueness about the size of a cricket
ground is a result of its village origins. Cricket was originally played
New words
Codified ? Made into a formalised system
with clearly established rules and laws
Fig.4 ? The laws of cricket drawn up and
revised by the MCC were regularly published in
this form. Note that norms of betting were also
formalised.