Timeline of cricket

Template:History of cricket This is a Timeline of cricket which contains notable cricket-related events that have occurred both on or off the field. It attempts to list the Test debuts of certain cricketers, controversial events that have occurred, records set out by peopl e and other important events in the form of a chronological timeline.

Note: This timeline attempts to provide a brief list of events, not a full list. Example: 2004 in cricket. This list also contains many off-field cricket events, not just on-field events

Unknown

Pakistani Salim Malik and Indian Mohammed Azharuddin are banned from cricket for life.
South African Hansie Cronje is banned from cricket for life.
Dennis Lillee famously kicks Javed Miandad from behind. 1981

The 1300s

1300s - Written evidence exists for a sport known as "creag" being played by Prince Edward, the son of King Edward I.

The 1600s

1600s - Oliver Cromwell banned Cricket. The game was played illegally until 1748, when the Court of Kings Bench decided that it was a legal sport.

The 1700s

September 23 1771 - Thomas "Shock" White of Ryegate used a bat fully as wide as a wicket against the Hambledon Club.
1774 - First codification of the Laws of Cricket by the Star & Garter Club of London.

The 1800s

1844 - The first ever game played between teams representing their nations was played the USA and Canada.
1864 - Overarm bowling becomes legal in cricket.
March 15 1877 - The first Test cricket was played. The match between Australia and England.
1882 - It is the first time that Australia beat England in Test cricket in England, which begun The Ashes legend.

The 1900s

1900s

1900 - In the 1900 Olympics, cricket made its first and only appearance in it. Britain beat France (The French team consisted of people from the British embassy).
1909 - The Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) is formed to administrate world cricket.

1920s

1929 - Statistically without doubt, the greatest batsmen ever Sir Donald Bradman makes his Test debut.

1930s

1933 - England cricket team's Bodyline tour.
November 21 1934 - MCC introduces lbw (N) rule which allows a batsman to be leg before wicket to a ball coming in from outside off stump. This law is later seen by many as responsible for negative bowling that in the 1950s and 1960s reduced the public appeal of first-class cricket.
June 24 1938 - Test Match Cricket is broadcast on television for the first time, with coverage of the second Test of The Ashes series between England and Australia being shown live from Lord's Cricket Ground on the BBC Television Service.

1970s

January 5 1971 - The first One-day International was played. The match was between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
June 7 1975 - June 21 1975 - The first ICC Cricket World Cup is held in England. The West Indies won after beating Australia by 17 runs.
1977 - Centenary Test in Melbourne
June 9 1979 to June 23 1979 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is once again held in England. Defending champions the West Indies won after thrasing England by 92 runs.
1979 - Dennis Lillee attempts to bat with a metal bat instead of a willow one.

1980s

The 1980s were statistically the golden period for the West Indian cricket team.
February 1 1981 - The Australian captain, Greg Chappell ordered the bowler (his brother, Trevor Chappell) to bowl underarm in fear of the possibility that New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie would score a six from the last ball to tie the match. As a direct result of the incident, underarm bowling was banned by the International Cricket Council as not within the spirit of the game.
June 9 1983 to June 25 1983 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is once again (for the third consecutive) time held in England. The West Indies was expected to win but their poor batting (unusual for a then cricket power) caused them to lose to India (an underdog in the tournament) who won by 43 runs.
October 9 1987 to November 8 1987 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is held for the first time outside England, it is now co-hosted by India and Pakistan. Australia edged England by just 7 runs to win the World Cup.
November 15 1989 - Indian Sachin Tendulkar then just 16 and Pakistani Waqar Younis made their Test debuts in the same Test match. Coincidentally, Tendulkar was bowled by Waqar in that very match.

1990s

August 9 1991 - The most famous 'Hit wicket', that of Ian Botham after failing an attempt to hook Curtly Ambrose and falling on his own stumps.
February 22 1992 to March 25 1992 - The first ICC Cricket World Cup is co-hosted between Australia and New Zealand. Pakistan beat England by 22 runs.
June 4 1993 - During the Ashes series, Australian Leg-spinner Shane Warne bowls the "Gatting ball" during a the ashes series a delivery spun furiously to bowl Mike Gatting.
December 26 1995 - Sri Lankan Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is no-balled 7 times by Australian umpire Darrell Hair. Sir Donald Bradman quoted as saying it "was the worst example of umpiring (he had) encountered".
February 14 1996 to March 17 1996 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is co-hosted between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka defeated Australia to win the title. The semifinal between Sri Lanka and India at Calcutta was abandoned and awarded to Sri Lanka due to crowd disputions with India on the verge of a defeat.
May 14 1999 to June 20 1999 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is held in England. Bangadesh registered their first win over a Test Playing Nation, defeating Pakistan by 64 runs. Australia became the World Champions by beating Pakistan in the final.

The 2000s

2000 - Bangladesh becomes the 10th Test Nation
October 10 2003 - Matthew Hayden surpasses Brian Lara's world record (375) for the highest individual with a score of 380 against Zimbabwe.
2003 - Shane Warne is banned from cricket for a period of 1 year after testing positive to deuretics.
February 9 2003 to March 24 2004 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is held in South Africa, Defending champions Australia won. Sachin Tendulkar was caught and bowled by Glenn McGrath after attempting to pull the ball to leg side.
January 6 2004 - After almost 20 years in International cricket. Steve Waugh retires from cricket, in his final Test (which he played at the Sydney Cricket Ground) he scored 80 and was caught by Tendulkar off the bowling of Pathan.
January 19 2004 - Former Australian batsmen and Victorian coach David Hookes dies in hospital. Zdravko Micevic, a security guard at the hotel in which Hookes was at, was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Hookes died at the age of 48.
2004 - The Doosra (Off-Spinners leg-break) of Muttiah Muralitharan is banned. Which was later reinstated at a later in that year. This was due to a study that stated that 99% of bowlers (except for Ramnaresh Sarwan) throw the ball.
April 12 2004 - Brian Lara scores a world record 400 not out to break Matthew Hayden's 380 who in turned broke Lara's record of 375 in 1994.
2004 - The broadcasting rights of cricket in England is transferred to Sky Sports.
December 26 2004 - Bangladesh defeats India by 15 runs in an ODI. It was their first win on their homeland and against India. See scorecard: Bangladesh vs. India - 26/12/04
January 10 2005 - An One-day International is played between a ICC XI and an Asian XI to raise funds for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
June 18 2005 - In the 2005 NatWest Series in England, Bangladesh cause a big upset by defeating Australia by 5 wickets at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. See Scorecard: Bangladesh vs. Australia - 18/06/05
October 5 2005 Australia take on the World XI in the ICC Super Series 2005. This is the first official series recognised by the ICC which is played between a country and a team comprising of many nationalities.
2007 - The ICC Cricket World Cup is due to be held in the West Indies.