Memories of a video game

Roger Ebert once famously said that Video games can never be art. While the debate that followed is not going to concern us here but what can be said is that Video gaming has come a long way in terms of accessibility, being able to grant their users an experience which is unique yet relatable to real events or works of fiction and in general being acceptable to public at large.

The world of cricket games is neither as popular nor as streamlined as that of Football and basketball. Yet we have had big publishers (Codemasters, EA Sports) who have worked on them. Amongst the cricket games a distinct spot is held by the Cricket Captain series.

My introduction to the series took place in early 2000s, funnily enough there was nothing special about it in my eyes. I wanted a game where I could feel like a batsman and a bowler. EA Cricket 2002 had quenched that desire quite well. I had really wanted a game similar to that or the Brian Lara series by Codemasters.

When I started out with International Cricket Captain 2000/2002, I soon realized that this wasn’t what I had been expecting. There were no buttons for playing shots or delivering the ball. It was a management game where you take control of the team and play them through several seasons.

Immersion is an important aspect of video games. Fifa or Pro Evolution Soccer remain pretty highly demanded not only because you can play as your favourite side or player but also one can experience the mannerisms of a football game in the virtual world. The games are presented in the manner you watch them on television with right camera angles, optional celebrations and intense build-ups during key moments.

Returning back to cricket captain, what I felt to be an immersion breaking experience (because of lack of actual control over players or commentary by Benaud or Boycott) later turned into one of my favourite video gaming experiences.

What made it click?

Scenario Development: Whether it involved a player or a team, one could develop several scenarios in their heads in this game. In ICC 2002, A loss in Ashes 2002 led me to work extra hard towards Ashes 2005, aping the real life formidable England 2005 line-up, building it up in a similar manner, such as giving Michael Vaughan the captaincy in 2003, making Harmison, Jones and Hoggard my main attack around 2004 (though I did get KP as soon as possible, making him play tests in 2002 itself). It worked, I won 1-0 in an attritional battle.

Similarly, for individual players one had to develop an approach. It was always better to start with Sehwag or Afridi at the ‘normal’ meter in batting and eventually move up the ladder. Being over-aggressive during the death never seemed to do anything other than make one lose wickets, even if I got lucky once with Alec Stewart smashing six fours to score 24 off the last over and win a world cup encounter with Zimbabwe.

Time: Cricket games take a lot of time to finish. They tried to address this by reducing the number of overs to 5 or 10. However that still left the issue of Test matches as well as the fact that even ten over games took quite some time to complete. Also cricket like other sports comprises of seasons and it would take a lot of effort and time to get to the end of season. Cricket Captain being a management game had no such troubles. You could play ball by ball or over by over. All that was needed was to manage the batting lineup, instruct the batsmen and bowlers as to their roles and set up the fields. In a few hours, you could finish an Ashes tour or World Cup campaign.

Involvement & Realism: With licensing becoming an issue for cricketing games, (Remember Gemphir and Dhenier guiding India for a world cup win in 2011?) the immersion aspect took a hit. Of course, there are mods to save us but it doesn’t feel right when commentators can only take only licensed names.

Cricket Captain in itself had no issues with naming, also commentary was quite limited so as to never address the players by name. But since you had a game which went season by season, you could see the records of your players change after you’re done with each season. I still remember how Scott Newman did well for my Surrey side in ICC 2002 and became an automatic selection to my England side once I was chosen to manage England after a good county season (Needless to say he was splendid in that season which Surrey won). At least made me understand why certain cricketers back players they have seen for a long time and have faith in, For e.g. Joe Root backing Gary Balance.

Another aspect in older games was that they gave you the ‘Trump Cards’ feel, where the photos of players were attached next to them when they arrived at the wicket or were assigned a bowl.

The Cricket Captain series continues to date but like anything else, your first experience is always a different tale. The popularity of the series was visible in those days on various fora, where players would develop their own stories (just as they did for Cricket Coach series) about campaigns won and battles lost. Of late there have been charges against the series for not changing enough (‘if you get one of them, you’ve played all’), especially in times when Football Manager has kept itself more than relevant. (A perusal of steam ratings for the two might help)
Let us hope Cricket Captain and games of its ilk (i.e. whatever Oli Norwell is planning on next) keep churning out games which stay relevant to the age and able to create modern day cricket battles on our desktops.

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‘Jock’ Cameron’s Story

Born in Port Elizabeth in 1905 Horace Brackenridge Cameron started to take an interest in cricket at the age of ten. His early keenness was rewarded with having to act as longstop, but the young man who was almost always known simply as ‘Jock’, soon started to move closer to the stumps and it was not long before he was keeping wicket.

As a wicketkeeper Cameron was of the neat and unobtrusive sort, generally eschewing the spectacular in favour of efficiency. Few were as swift at removing the bails and of the 224 First Class dismissals that he shared in almost a third were stumpings. In contrast as a batsman he was renowned for the power of his hitting and brought an aggression to the wicket that no South African batsman had done since the days of Jimmy Sinclair, some two decades previously. It is important to make the point however that Cameron’s shots all came from the text book, but were hit with exceptional power. When he, posthumously, was named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year in the 1936 edition the accompanying essay stressed; In no sense could he be described as a ‘slogger’. He combined fine technique with calculated hitting. 

The first time Cameron played First Class cricket was for Transvaal, as an opening batsman, against a side taken to South Africa in 1924/25 under the captaincy of Lionel Tennyson and styled SB Joel’s XI. Joel was an Anglo South African businessman who underwrote the costs of the visit. Tennyson was probably the best known of the tourists, but they were a strong combination and at some point in their careers all but three of the fourteen members of the party were capped by England and the series of five fixtures against the full South African side were drawn 2-2. It was an inauspicious start for the young opener however, as he scored just 2 and 13.

In the following two Currie Cup seasons Cameron was a constant presence behind the stumps for Transvaal, and he improved year on year with the bat. In his first season there were a couple of fifties and an average of 28, a figure which went up to almost 40 the following year when he also recorded his first century, 132 against Eastern Province.

In 1927/28 an MCC team led by Captain Rony Stanyforth visited South Africa for a five Test series. The MCC side was some way short of the full strength of England, but was certainly much stronger than the Joel combination. Amongst the batsmen Herbert Sutcliffe and Walter Hammond were both selected, and although Maurice Tate and Harold Larwood were not in the party there were a strong contingent of leg spinners in ‘Tich’ Freeman, Ian Peebles and Greville Stevens.

England won the first two Tests comfortably enough, Cameron scoring 20,5,19 and 19. With 21 and 9 Cameron continued his habit of getting in without establishing himself in third Test but, Geary having broken down in the second Test to leave England with a pace attack led by reluctant seamer Hammond, the South Africans comfortably drew that one before taking the fourth and fifth Tests to square the series.

There was an important contribution from Cameron in the fourth Test. England were dismissed for a relatively modest 265 and South Africa were 152-4 when Cameron came to the crease, a total which had advanced only to 170 when the next wicket fell and Cameron was joined by his skipper, ‘Nummy’ Deane. An innings which was in danger of being becalmed was then boosted by a partnership of 89 in just 47 minutes. Cameron scored 64. The initiative switched from England to South Africa who did not lose it again, running out winners by four wickets. Cameron was dismissed second time round for 18 with victory just five runs away.

The pattern in the final Test was much the same. England scored 282 and South Africa slipped to 95-4 before again Cameron changed the tempo. This time his partner was Bob Catterall and the partnership 136 in 90 minutes. For once Cameron was outscored as he contributed only 53, but that did include three fours and a six from consecutive deliveries from Freeman.

In 1929 the South Africans came to England with a young team keen to erase the memories of the hugely disappointing visit of 1924. In the first Test the visitors fielded four debutants and four more men who had not previously played in England. Only Deane, Catterall and Herb Taylor remained from five years previously. The first Test was drawn and Cameron contributed only five, but with century opening partnerships in both innings Catterall and new cap Bruce Mitchell ensured South Africa never looked like losing.

At Lord’s the visitors drew the second Test as well, Cameron contributing 32 to a first innings total of 322 which produced a lead of 20. In the fourth innings South Africa were five down for 90 when the game ended, but it was a disappointing conclusion, particularly for Cameron. He had kept wicket sufficiently well for The Cricketer to make the observation that he was without an equal today as a wicketkeeper, but his match ended in distressing circumstances. The Cricketer’s correspondent wrote the sound of the terrible blow on the left side of his head which Cameron received from a very fast and short ball from Larwood will always remain a horrible memory. The whole ground was profoundly moved, and everyone was glad when a few minutes later bad light stopped further play. Cameron had shaped to hook the Notts Express and had to be carried from the field after the incident which left Larwood seriously concerned for the welfare of his opponent.

As a result of his injury Cameron was laid low for a month and missed the third Test. He continued to suffer from headaches for a good deal longer but after his teammates were beaten in his absence he was back for the fourth Test at Old Trafford. This time the South Africans were beaten by an innings, but they were unlucky. England batted first in perfect conditions before rain came and turned the wicket into an excellent surface for Freeman who proceeded to take 12-171. Cameron managed just 13 as the South Africans were shot out for 130 in their first innings, but he top scored with 83 in the second innings.

At the Oval in the final Test the South Africans got themselves in a strong position, building a first innings lead of 234 with 62 from Cameron, but England lost just a single wicket in clearing the arrears, and the match petered tamely out into a draw. In the England first innings there was a dismissal by Cameron that cemented his reputation as a wicketkeeper when he stumped Hammond from the bowling of left arm spinner Cyril Vincent for 17. The ball turned in from the off and passed over Hammond’s leg stump. His foot left the ground for only a fraction of a second, but long enough for Cameron to complete the dismissal.

The next Test series for Cameron was at home in 1930/31. The MCC side that toured that winter was a strong one, albeit there was no Sutcliffe, Larwood or Frank Woolley. The tourists had problems and at one stage they were so badly affected by injuries that it was eventually necessary to call on the services of the Middlesex opening batsman Harry Lee, who was on a coaching assignment. At the end of the day however the South Africans could only play what was in front of them, and in winning the first Test and drawing the other four, albeit with a little help from the weather, they succeeded in taking the series.

Before the series began Deane had retired, so it was all-rounder Buster Nupen who led the South Africans to victory in the first Test. The winning margin was only 28 runs, so Cameron’s second innings 51 was crucial, as were his two catches and two stumpings, the second of which was Hammond, again from Vincent, after he top scored in England’s unsuccessful run chase. The England second innings was notable also for the fact that Cameron did not concede a single bye.

Despite Nupen’s success as captain, and he had taken 11 wickets as well, there was a clamour for Deane to return for the second Test and he acceded to those requesting him to reverse the decision to end his career. He therefore led South Africa in the second and third Tests before withdrawing again. Why he did so is not entirely clear, but the eminent writer Louis Duffus, in his definitive history of South African cricket over the period, referred to disagreements behind the scenes, and commented that Deane finally withdrew from the game in a manner singularly incompatible with his distinguished service. Whatever the cause it was Cameron rather than Nupen who was appointed to lead the South Africans in the fourth and fifth Tests. In those four draws Cameron’s contributions were 26, 41,8, 2, 69*, 4, 41*. The unbeaten 69 in the second innings of his first Test as captain undoubtedly saved the game and might, had an extra hour been available, have enabled his side to win.

In 1931/32 South Africa visited Australia for only the second time ever, and the first in more than twenty years. Cameron remained in command of a young team, only the 42 year old Herb Taylor being over 30. It never looked like being an easy trip, and proved not to be. The Australians star studded lineup made no concessions and won the series 5-0. Three of the matches were won by an innings, one by ten wickets and the closest of the five by 169 runs. Occasionally one or two of the South Africans would put in a decent personal performance, but overall they were simply blown away. They didn’t have much luck either, caught on a sticky wicket in the final Test and being bowled out for 36 and 45. Cameron made just a single half century, 52, in the fourth Test.

In the manner of the times before returning home the South Africans crossed the Tasman to play a couple of Tests in New Zealand. As they won the first by an innings and the second by eight wickets the gulf between them and New Zealand wasn’t far short of that between themselves and Australia. Cameron’s personal contributions were 47, 44 and 22*, so there was a return to some semblance of batting form for him personally as well.

The demands of business meant that Cameron only played one First Class match in each of the 1932/33 and 1933/34 seasons, but he managed a century in each. The following season, used to select the side to tour England in 1935, was different and he played six times. The first two saw him score further centuries, to make it four in four matches. Inevitably he could not keep that up but, clearly now in his prime, there was never any doubt that as long as he was available he would be selected.

The combined burdens of captaincy, wicketkeeping and being a leading batsman had not really suited Cameron in Australia and he was happy to step back in 1935 and take the vice-captaincy and support his old college teammate Herby Wade. Although he was not a top class batsman Wade had been captain of Natal for some years and had a good season in 1934/35 and, of course, the events that followed demonstrated he was undoubtedly a sound choice.

Between the fourth and fifth Tests the 1935 South Africans were beaten by Gloucestershire and Essex, but those were their only two defeats on a long and arduous tour. The most important result was that in the second Test which the South Africans won. They were able to draw all of the four matches, thus taking the series. All told they won 22 of their 39 fixtures, and by the time the tour was over all England were familiar with the South Africans, and Cameron and Mitchell in particular.

To underline the difference between tours of the 1930s and today the first Test was the sixteenth match of the tour. England were perhaps unlucky as they did enough to make South Africa follow on, but the loss of the third and final day ruled out any possibility of a result. For Cameron there had been an innings of 52 and, with Mitchell still at the crease when the rains came there can have been no certainty that England would have won even if they had had the final day.

Between the first and second Tests came a famous match at Sheffield. Eight of the Yorkshire side who faced the South Africans were or would become England players, but they still lost by 128 runs. The game lives on in the literature of the game because of the punishment meted out by Cameron to the greatest of all left arm spinners, Hedley Verity. In a second innings century one Verity over went for 4,4,4,6,6,6. At the end of the over it is said that the Yorkshire wicketkeeper, Arthur Wood, sought to console his bowler with the observation that at least he had Cameron in two minds. A quizzical look from the bowler elicited the elaboration that Cameron did not know whether to hit him for four or six.

The second Test was the famous leatherjacket match at Lord’s, so called because a plague of the cranefly larvae had left the wicket looking like a desert. At least it was the same for both sides and they could select their sides accordingly. England picked three spinners; Verity, Jim Langridge of Sussex, another left armer, and Derbyshire leg spinner Tommy Mitchell. With only Mitchell a genuine tailender it was a strong batting lineup, with Verity at ten. The South Africans on the other hand declined to tinker and selected just one specialist spinner, leggie Xen Balaskas, whose four previous Tests had brought him just four wickets.

On the basis that the wicket could only get worse Wade had no difficulty in choosing to bat on winning the toss. Conditions were not easy but in the middle of the innings Cameron made his highest Test score, 90, to lift the final total to a respectable but hardly match winning 228. There was enough time left in the day for England to get to 75-2.

On the second day the South Africans stuck to their task and, with Balaskas taking 5-49, they dismissed England for 198. That set the stage for one of the great Test match innings. The South African opener Mitchell was still at the crease when, just before lunch the next day, the declaration came at 278-7. He was on 164 and the only issue left was whether England could bat out time and save the match. With Balaskas taking 4-54 and medium pacer Chud Langton 4-31 they couldn’t, and were all out for 151.

England now paid the price for limiting the Tests to three days. They were in with a chance in the third Test at Headingley as they gained a big lead and made inroads into the South African second innings before being foiled by Cameron. For once in stonewall mode Cameron presented a dead bat to everything bowled at him until, the draw safe, he smashed a delivery from leg spinner Jim Sims for six and then, in the last over, presented Yorkshire Wilf Barber with a Test wicket when he charged down the wicket at him, missed and was easily stumped by Les Ames for 49.

The fourth Test was similar, although this time it was rather more comfortable for South Africa, so much so that in making his 53 in the first innings Cameron was able to play his natural game, and he wasn’t required to bat in the second innings as Mitchell and Dudley Nourse comfortably saw off the England attack.

The England captain, Bob Wyatt, was criticised in the final Test for his decision to invite the South Africans to bat, but his reasoning was sound enough in a three day match and, had it not taken the best part of five hours to get rid of Mitchell, the gamble might have come off. As it was the South African first innings, to which Cameron contributed a mere eight, took up far too much time so, when Cameron got to the crease again for what was to prove his final Test match innings, he was able to treat the Oval crowd to a typically breezy 42. Again the match was comfortably drawn and, for the first time, South Africa had won a series in England.

The tour had been more successful than the South Africans had dared hope and they must have been in high spirits when they set off for home after stopping off for a two day game in The Hague. All was well until the ship pulled in at Madeira on the way home. Like many of his teammates Cameron disembarked briefly. He felt unwell on his return, something initially put down to the release of tension after a long and tiring trip. There was no improvement however and by the time the party got back to South Africa Cameron was gravely ill with enteric fever. He died on 2^nd November 1935, still only 30.

A fund to support his Cameron’s wife, who had been with him in England, was started and by the time it closed had raised, in today’s terms, more than £400,000. This was more than sufficient to cover the purpose of the fund, which was to create an income to provide for Cameron’s widow during her lifetime, and thereafter to establish a benevolent fund for South African cricketers generally. One of the events staged was a baseball match against the 1935/36 Australian tourists, and an image of the programme for that event accompanies this feature.

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A Quick Guide to Test Cricket

A Quick Guide to Test Cricket

Casual cricket fans might have noticed that there is a small difference between some of the different types of cricket we see being played at the professional level. While there are many different leagues and tournaments out there, it is often Test cricket that comes out as being the most prestigious. Let’s take a closer look at what Test cricket entails.

International Games

One of the first differences between Test cricket and other games is that it is usually played by national teams rather than smaller ones. There are currently 10 teams around the world that have been granted Test status, including countries like England, Pakistan, and South Africa to name a few.

This status is determined by the International Cricket Council. Reaching this level is a great honour, as the games themselves are very long and difficult. This is some of the highest levels of cricket that can be played, and matches are very long. It is not unusual for a single Test cricket match to take up to five days, and there are some that have lasted even longer. This is a gruelling version of the sport, and it shows the athleticism and perseverance of the teams.

Big Matches

Test cricket is not one big tournament comparable to a World Cup. It is actually a series of individual competitions between various nations. The most famous of these is the Ashes, which always takes place between the UK and Australia. Many of these competitions also have a special trophy that is passed back and forth between the teams depending on who wins.

These Test matches are always looked up with a lot of interest and anticipation. If you are getting ready to follow a Test series for the first time, heading to a site like cricketbettingtips.io can help you work out more about the games at hand, and how the odds work should you want to place a bet on the outcome of a match.

Watching a Match

Though cricket is maybe not one of the world’s most popular sports compared to others, you will often find that Test cricket is well-publicised when a big match rolls around – especially if it is an old rivalry as seen in the Ashes test series. As a result, you should be able to find the matches broadcast somewhere on your local TV, or available for streaming online.

A Test series is also always fully played out in one of the two countries involved. You should be able to find a way to watch the games, even if it is on a sports channel you don’t usually watch. If you live in the country where the Test match is taking place, you could even think about picking up some tickets so you can see play happen in front of you.

Test cricket is the perfect showcase of this sport at its most elite level. If you love cricket, you need to check out some of the Test series to see this sport played at its best.

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Cricket Australia Assesses Situation in Adelaide

Many major sports events from all around the world were affected by the COVID 19 pandemic this year. In March, many of these events had to hit the pause button as the rise of COVID cases worldwide was happening. Sports like football, basketball, and cricket were affected. Many fans were surprised but many are also relieved since the cancelation and postponement of these events were for everyone’s safety anyway.

For cricket, leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been greatly affected. Many Test cricket matches also had to be canceled and until now, there are still matches that are not even rescheduled yet. Still, cricket fans are lucky that their favorite sports will still have plenty of events to offer even before the year ends. With that, fans can continue to look for the best cricket betting sites in India or anywhere else in the world to place their bets on their favorite squads.

However, it’s not a secret that we are still going through a pandemic. We will remain to do so until a vaccine is produced. This means that there is still a chance that there will still be a spike of COVID 19 cases in different parts of the world and that could affect the sports industry once again.

Recently, reports have been made that there is a developing COVID 19 outbreak in South Australia and this is threatening to the cricket sports industry as many Test matches are scheduled to take place in the country.

There have been reports of COVID-19 cases, particularly in Adelaide. This is where the series-opener between Australia and India will take place. However, Cricket Australia is pledging that they will do everything possible to continue with the matches even if a fresh outbreak is happening in the country.

Because of this, cricketers like Tim Paine and his Tasmania teammates are now in self-isolation as governments in other parts of Australia have announced border closures. Queensland has also already imposed a 14-day hotel quarantine on all visitors from Adelaide. All visitors who arrived from Southern Australia since November 9 will be tested and quarantined. This includes the state squad. The Western Australia team is also already in isolation and are waiting to get tested.

The spokesman of Cricket Tasmania has spoken about the latest happenings and said, “Like all people who have traveled from South Australia to Tasmania in the last seven days, the Tasmanian Tigers Sheffield Shield squad are self-isolating as we wait for further advice from Public Health.”

He also said that the players and staff will go through Covid-19 swab testing.

WACA also released a statement about the matter. The statement includes, “Following the State’s border closure to South Australia, WA players and staff who arrived from Adelaide on Saturday afternoon are currently undergoing 14 days of self-quarantine.

“The group started their quarantine on Saturday 14 November at 11:59 pm, following the completion of the Marsh Sheffield Shield hub campaign, and will undergo Covid-19 testing over this period. The WACA is working closely with the relevant authorities to determine the best means of approach for player management over the two weeks.”

So far, the New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has not yet announced any border closure. No players from NSW are required to self-isolate yet. However, they are still required to get tested and to self-isolate if they have symptoms.

Australia’s vice-captain, Pat Cummins, has recently expressed his confidence that the main part of the season will still happen. He said, “CA have thought of every contingency. I know [CA’s head of sports science] Alex Kountouris and the doctors have been living this every single day coming up with different options, different plans, so I’m sure whatever we have to do we’ll find away. I think if we can fly over to the UK and play in a bubble over there, it shows that we’ll find a way, whatever it takes.

“Having open conversations with the medical team, I think we’re still going to be in some kind of restricted bubble were getting out and seeing your family and friends might be tough at times anyway. I think we’re all really in hoping it might get a little bit better but knowing that nothing is certain and things can change.

“So we’ve done England, we’ve done IPL, the Shield guys and the WBBL girls have all had different kinds of bubbles they’ve been involved with, so we’ll see what level that’s at, but whatever it is, the priority is once we get there we play cricket. It might be one of those cases where it’s different in different states. I think everyone knows we’ve got to be adaptable, I think the last six months more than any other time, you have to take it day by day.”

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A Brief History of Cricket Around the World

It is believed that cricket began in England as far back as the 1300’s although there is no documented evidence of this. It is believed it would have been invented and played by children living in the Weald, an area in South-East England made up of dense woodland and open clearings. 

English Cricket

The first documented reference to cricket being played as a sport by adults was in 1611. That same year the game was entered as cricket and described as a boy’s sport in a dictionary.

By the middle of the 17th century cricket was being played in villages across English and county teams were formed later that century. 1709 is the earliest reference to teams actually using the counties as their names. Kent met Surrey at Dartford for this first inter-county game.

 1744 saw organised rules being applied (although there are suggestions there were rules in place before this. That same year saw Kent play against an All-England side in a famous game. It was not unusual for there to be disorder amongst the crowds and heavy betting at cricket games. These days you can bet online or play fantasy cricket if you like to gamble on the sport.

Evolution of cricket

In 1811 wide deliveries were banned. 1838 saw an official ruling on the circumference of the ball used. In 1841 pads were introduced for protection, firstly from cork and later from vulcanised rubber. This same new rubber was used to make protective gloves in 1848.

 Boundaries were introduced later in 1870 so not all the hits had to be run. Then the delivery of the ball started to change.

 At this time all deliveries were bowled underarm but then someone changed all that. If legend is to be believed then John Willes developed the first ‘round-arm’ delivery. His sister was unable to deliver the ball underarm due to the garments that women wore in those days and threw the ball round-arm instead. Willes then practised and developed this technique.

 Because of the popularity of this new development the MCC ruled that the hand must be below the elbow at the time of delivery. However by 1830 it was so popular that the MCC conceded and rewrote the rules to all the new techniques as long as the hand or arm do not go above the shoulder.

 Slowly over time the game came closer to the one we know today. 

Colonisation and the spread of cricket around the world

As Britain got more Imperialist ambitions cricket spread around the world wherever the British navy and army landed. There are even records of cricket being played in North America back in the 1700’s.

 Colonisation of Australia in around 1788 brought the game down under and by the 1800’s it had reached the West Indies and India. The 19th century saw the game played in South Africa and New Zealand. All countries that have embraced the game and produced great players and national teams.

 It might seem strange that the first International match did not include England where the game was invented but was actually held in New York at St Georges Cricket Club between the United States and Canada. In 1877 England and Australia played their first game ever and their rivalry began.

India falls in love with cricket

Due to the colonisation of India cricket became incredibly popular. This was down to the British Raj and The East India Company. Madras city was founded by the East India Company in 1639. They then acquired Portuguese territory in 1661 on the west coast. This included the city of Bombay. In 1690 there was a treaty (Anglo-Mughai) that let English traders and merchants develop a trading settlement along the Hooghly River. This grew into the city of Calcutta. At all of these locations the British played cricket the native population embraced the sport and the popularity grew.

One of the reasons it became so popular and remains so is that it is so easy to play. Children only need a bat and ball and you can see children on the streets using a stick instead of a bat to swing at the ball. Even though there is no official national sport in India, cricket would be it if there was. It is treated as a religion and is possibly their favorite import from England.

 When the sport first arrived in India it led to plenty of opportunities for gamblers too. Cricket matches were places for men to gamble heavily on the sport but then the British banned gambling in 1867. These days gambling is still forbidden in cricket and other sports. In fact there are only three states in India that allow casinos. If you find yourself in India wanting to bet on sports like cricket or just play casino games like eye of horus then you will have to go online. This is technically not illegal as legislation has not been settled for online gambling or casinos yet. 

The Ashes

One other important development happened in 1882. England lost to Australia and there was a mock obituary for English cricket published. Two women from Melbourne burnt a bail and then presented it in an urn to the England captain of the time.

 This is how the Ashes began and the longest running competition in the game was on.

 These days cricket continues to be popular and played in schools across England and the rest of the world. While it has been embraced by some countries as if it was started there it is still strangely unknown in others such as China, Brazil and Russia. Where China strongly favours Olympic sports Brazil is a huge footballing nation and it would take some turn around to get cricket popular there. If you are more of an armchair fan then you could always play cricket on a console or PC as there are more than a few on the market or if you like betting on cricket then you can go online to a bookmaker site or online casino and place your bet there. In between innings you can login to a live casino and have a quick game of cards while you wait for the cricket teams to return.

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Are You A Newbie To Online Casinos? Some Top Tips To Help Get You Started

Online casinos are a great way to pass the time and possibly, with a bit of good fortune, win yourself some money. It can be a little daunting though, if you have never used an online casino, as your choices are far and wide.

But don’t despair as below we go through some of the basic tips and hints to help get you started.

Choosing Your Online Casino

Firstly you are going to need to choose an online casino to sign up to and use and you’re going to have lots of options as there are endless amounts of online casinos to choose from on the world wide web.

Make sure that whatever online casino you decide to use has the regulated gaming licences that they need for the country they are based. These can normally be found quite easily and are likely to be on their contact and information page.

If you can not find any information regarding their licenses then it’s possible that they are a fraudulent website, and as there are so many other online casino websites to choose it’s probably best to pick another to gamble with.

Take Advantage Of The Sign Up Rewards

When deciding which online casino to use, make sure to see what their sign up bonus is. Pretty much all will offer some kind of bonus or reward for signing up and depositing money to use.

These can come in all shapes and sizes such as doubling your fist stake, better odds with your first sports bet and free spins on the slot games.

These are offered to you as an incentive to choose their website to gamble with but they normally come with strict rules on how you can use the rewards, so make sure you read the small print.

Again as your choices are endless with choosing an online casino, don’t feel the need to choose the first one that you come across, they will have different offers available so shop around first to find the best deals.

Play The Free Games

Most online casinos offer the users the chance to try out various games for free, so if you are new to the game and unsure of the rules you do not need to worry about losing any money.

This is a really good idea to get familiar with games you are unsure of or do not yet fully understand all the rules and the ways to win.

Some kasyno games can be a little complicated to a new comer as they have quite a lot of rules that you need to follow, such as poker and craps, so with these type of games always take use of the free versions first to brush up on your skills until you are more confident and move on to playing with real money.

Try Different Games

Most people after signing up to an online casino jump in to the standard games to play such as roulette, black jack or the slots, but there are so many more different games you could be playing.

Some games will have certain skill elements to win with them while others can be down to just pure lady luck, and some games are more suited to some people than others.

So don’t just stick to the standard games that everyone plays but try out all the different games that are on offer as you may find that you enjoy games that you didn’t even know existed.

The most popular games to play tend to be roulette, poker, black jack and slots but also try out games like bingo, baccarat and craps.

Try Out Sports Betting

Most although not all online casinos will also have sports betting available. This can be a nice change of scenery from playing casino games and will normally have all kinds of different sports you can place bets on such as football, horse racing, basketball and cricket.

Again look out for any bonuses available with sports betting as most will offer some kind of bonus or reward after you place your first sport bet.

The great thing about betting on sports online is that there is always some kind of live sport taking place, so there is always a match or game to be betting on.

Set Yourself Limits And Be Prepared To Lose

An important thing to do before even thinking about making any bets is to set yourself a monetary limit that you are prepared to gamble with and potentially lose.

Only every bet with money that you can afford to lose, and while your aim is not to lose but walk away with more money than you started it’s better to begin playing with a mindset that the money you are going to gamble with is already lost. This way you will only ever gamble with money that you could afford to lose.

Your limit should never be broken, always stick to your limit. If and when you reach your limit do not continue to play, pumping in more money, instead it’s time to stop and play another day.

There is no sure fire way to win when gambling with an online casino, there are many articles and books out there that will promise you strategies to always win but the truth is to win big with an online casino comes down to a lot of luck. So be prepared to lose from time to time.

To Sum Up

For newbies it can be a little scary when you start using online casinos but follow the basic advice above and you should be fine.

Gambling should be about fun and the thrill of the chase so always play for those reasons, not to try and get rich.

Sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose, but as long as you are betting sensibly and having fun that is all that it should be about.

If you find yourself betting too much money or betting too often you could find yourself becoming addicted. At this point it’s time to walk away and have a break.

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The Trouble With Ghosts …..

A while ago I looked at the problems Jim Laker experienced after allowing a book to be published in his name without keeping a close enough eye on what his ghost writer was doing. The Lancashire and England medium pacer Cecil ‘Ciss’ Parkin, something of a latter day Sydney Barnes, had had a very similar experience almost forty years previously.

Parkin was born in 1886 in Eaglescliffe, County Durham, a village next to the border with the North Riding of Yorkshire. Always a fine cricketer Parkin played in a single County Championship fixture for the White Rose in 1906. It was subsequently reported to the MCC that Parkin had been born 20 yards into the Durham side of the border, Yorkshire were informed and, in keeping with their rigid policy, Parkin was never selected by the county again.

Despite that disappointment Parkin continued as a professional cricketer in the northern leagues. By 1910 he was with Church in the Lancashire League and, in the final summer before the Great War brought down the curtain on the First Class game he played half a dozen mid week matches for Lancashire with considerable success. He started with an impressive haul of 14-99 against Leicestershire.

When peace returned Parkin went back to the leagues, this time to Rochdale in the Central Lancashire League, but he played First Class cricket when he could and was selected for the Players in 1919. His haul of wickets when he did appear in big matches was such that he was selected to tour Australia with Johnny Douglas’ England side in 1920/21. In the event England had a wretched time, losing the series 5-0 and the return series at home in 1921 was little better as the English batsmen failed to get to grips with the menace of Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald. Parkin was one of the few Englishmen to emerge with any credit, taking 16 wickets in each series.

Finally, in 1922, by which time he was already 36, Parkin decided to embark on a full time career with Lancashire that was to last just over four seasons. Over those four full summers Parkin he took exactly 750 wickets at 16.68. The real surprise is that on the basis of such a short career in 1923, at a time when no county pro had ever published an autobiography, Parkin did so.

I have not been able to find out why Hodder and Stoughton, in those days a publisher primarily of religious works, chose to back Parkin on Cricket, but given that a mere two years later Parkin Again followed the first book it must certainly have enjoyed some commercial success.

Parkin on Cricket is not a long book, and it tells its author’s story in a concise and readable way. It is an interesting book in particular for Parkin’s explanation as to why he had spent so long in the leagues, and his views on the way players were remunerated and particularly the practice of the First Class counties in cutting their playing staffs adrift in the off season. His arguments on the subject are well articulated, and in many ways as relevant today as they were in 1923.

A shrewd operator where money was concerned Parkin’s book landed him a contract to write a weekly column for a Manchester based Sunday newspaper, the Empire News, and that is where, in 1924, his real problems started. There was a Test series in England that summer against South Africa, the first visiting Test side since the 1921 Australians. Selected for the first Test at Edgbaston Parkin watched his side score 438 before, in a remarkable collapse, Maurice Tate and England’s skipper Arthur Gilligan bowled the visitors out for 30, an innings that lasted just 12.3 overs.

England, unsurprisingly in the circumstances, won the Test by an innings, but the South Africans batted very much better second time round and came with 18 runs of making their hosts bat again. In that innings Parkin’s services, on the face of matters surprisingly given he was riding high in the national averages at the time, were not used until fourth change. In an innings that lasted for as long as 143.4 overs Parkin bowled only 16 of those, and went wicketless.

The wicket at Edgbaston was a hard one, and Parkin’s real strength was on softer, slower tracks and, particularly, the ‘sticky’ wickets that used to be encountered in the days before pitch covering became the norm. Conditions were not therefore right for Parkin, but whether or not he was upset at the time it would not have amused him when, amidst the banter in the Lancashire dressing room at the next county match, he was asked about his initial selection with the question; “did tha’ get picked for tha singing?”.*

During the game a cable arrived for Parkin from the Empire News, wanting to know where the copy due from him for that week’s column was. Knowing that he would not have time to produce anything in time Parkin asked one of the Lancashire journalists to put something together for him and send it through. It is, despite what Parkin subsequently said, inconceivable that there cannot have been any conversation between the pair about what the column might contain. What was written in Parkin’s name was to cause a sensation:-

On the last morning of the Test match there were 105 minutes play. With Catterall hitting so finely it was necessary for the England captain to make many bowling changes. During those changes I was standing all the time at mid-off, wondering what on earth I had done to be overlooked. I can say that I never felt so humiliated in the whole course of my cricket career. Nothing like it has ever happened to me in First Class cricket.

I admit that on Monday I was not at my best, but why should Mr Gilligan have assumed that I would be worse than useless on Tuesday? It has been said that the wicket was too hard for me. In that case, why was I ever played at all? A First Class bowler with any sort of reputation has that reputation to keep, like anybody else.

I can take the rough with smooth but I am not going to stand being treated as I was on Tuesday. I feel that I shouldn’t be fair to myself if I accepted an invitation to play in any further Test match. Not that I expect to receive one.

The Cricketer, edited of course by the ultimate establishment man ‘Plum’ Warner, thundered loyalty to one’s captain and one’s comrades is the beginning and end of a cricketer’s creed, and when we find an England player so grossly infringing every rule of courtesy, common sense, and discipline, it is surely time to enter the strongest possible protest.

To be fair to Warner he did not ignore views that conflicted with his own, and a letter was published from a man who would appear to be an Oxford don two weeks later, in which the opinion expressed was; he (Parkin) was treated with gross unfairness by the captain … and I consider that he was justified in feeling a great grievance. As the story featured regularly in the magazine’s correspondence pages for the rest of the season however the writer of that letter, a Mr RP Dewhurst, seemed to be in a minority of one.

Parkin was furious when he saw the article that appeared under the headline Cecil Parkin Refuses to Play For England Again. He came out straight away and issued a statement, drafted with the assistance of his county captain, Jack Sharp, denying that the article was written either with his authority or containing what he really thought. He wrote a personal letter of apology to Gilligan, which the latter accepted without hesitation. But Parkin never did name the journalist concerned. He did not, of course, ever figure in the selectors’ discussions again and, disenchanted with county cricket, he was back in the leagues before too long. 

In the circumstances it is hardly surprising that in 1925 Hodder and Stoughton were happy to publish Parkin Again, although there is nothing particularly contentious in the book. It is a mixture of Parkin’s thoughts on playing the game, on current players, and a look forward to the visit of the 1926 Australians. One contemporary reviewer described Parkin as a mixture of buffoon and serious philosopher who seems to be unable to open his mouth without putting his foot in it. But Parkin deliberately steered clear of the Gilligan controversy of the previous summer and was keen to ask his reader to take all that I write in a spirit of fun.

As his performances in 1924 demonstrated Parkin was still a fine bowler and, had his article not been published, he would in all probability have gone with Gilligan’s party to Australia for the 1924/25 Ashes. As it was he stayed in England and continued to write his column at one stage making the point that if a sufficiently good amateur could not be found for the captaincy of England that a professional such as Jack Hobbs should get the job. In the 1920s this was an incendiary remark as far as the cricketing establishment were concerned and Lord Hawke bit, making his famous Pray God may no professional ever captain England remark.

Parkin played on for Lancashire through 1925, his benefit season, and now in considerable demand as a columnist in November 1925 he signed up to write exclusively for the Topical Times. Despite the exclusivity clause in his contract on two occasions his employers, Dundee based DC Thomson, had cause to complain about other publications using Parkin’s name. The first time, when a monthly magazine was involved, they let it pass, but commenting on an Ashes Test in a Sunday newspaper was different and, when the best explanation Parkin could come up with was that the offending column was an interview rather than his writing anything, Thomson’s decided court action was needed. With the benefit of legal advice Parkin realised his position was untenable, and he gave an appropriate undertaking and agreed to pay Thomsons’ costs.

In the 1925 season, and given the distraction of his benefit, Parkin’s return of 152 wickets at 19.30 was respectable enough, but he was falling out of love with the game and after just fourteen matches of the 1926 season he sought and was granted a release from his contract with Lancashire. Parkin went back into the leagues where he continued to play professionally until 1935. A year later his third and final book appeared.

It could not have been made more clear than it was in Cricket Triumphs and Troubles that Parkin much regretted the events of 1924, a message which would only have been brought home to him harder by the warmth of the foreword that Gilligan agreed to contribute. It was the first time he had taken the opportunity to set out his clearly heartfelt, but still not entirely convincing, account of the events of 1924.

In later life Parkin was the avuncular host and licensee at a Manchester Hotel, but he rapidly put on weight after giving up the game and died of throat cancer at the relatively early age of 57 in 1943. He was cremated and his Ashes scattered on the wicket at Old Trafford, the scene of so much of his success.

*Parkin was known as something of a jester, always trying to entertain the crowds and his fellow players and one of his habits was to sing popular show songs as he walked back to his mark.

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Best Tips On Following Live Scores in Cricket

The rapid advance of technology has changed the face of cricket more in the last decade than it has at any point of time since the game was first played. Back in the day, when Test cricket was the only format of the game played at the international level, it was difficult to keep in touch with action and the scores from around the world.

 Initially it was only newspapers that brought the news to the cricket world, but this was largely localized. The time it took for these newspapers to reach the reader inevitably meant that there was a delay, but as this was the standard around the world it did not seem like an inconvenience at the time.

 Radio as the game changer

 The next major advance came when radio got interested in cricket. This happened in 1927 when the British Broadcasting Corporation set up its first sports commentary units. The charm of being able to listen to what was happening at the ground, called by experts and masters of the craft of storytelling gave listeners a feel for what was happening at the venue.

 Television disruption

 The first broadcast of cricket on live television was also done by the British Broadcasting Corporation, back in 1938 when it featured two matches of the Ashes series between England and Australia. From early steps, television became the backbone of the game’s following.

 The second tipping point happened in 1976 when the Australia media tycoon Kerry Packer was denied the rights to cricket in the country. He then established a successful rival league to create his own programming, despite the best efforts of authorities to stop.

 A third major change happened in the middle 1980s when Jagmohan Dalmiya of the Board of Control for Cricket in India successfully argued that the rights to a home cricket tour belonged to the cricket board organizing the matches, forcing television companies to pay large sums of money to broadcast these images.

 Television has become so huge now that the 2019 International Cricket Council World Cup was watched by a whopping 1.6 billion people in more than 100 countries around the world.

 Rise of the internet

 The Internet is fast supplanting television as the go-to method for fans to get instant scores to matches that are played around the world. While only a few websites initially provided the depth and breadth of live scores to international and domestic cricket, it has now become ubiquitous.

 There are one-stop websites dedicated to aggregating cricket scores from around the globe, meaning that fans can get all they need in one place, just like they do at cricketlivescores.in or other similar internet portals. While initially it was desktops, especially at workplaces that were used to get scores on the Internet, the advent of high speed connectivity and smartphones with lean and mean apps has meant that scores are now available in the palm of readers’ hands.

 With the advent of every successive type of technology, older forms have been phased out. For example, there is still a niche audience for radio commentary but you cannot take it for granted that every major series or tournament will be broadcast.

 Television remains a strong force, simply because it allows friends and families to gather in the comfort of their homes to watch matches together. However, live streaming of matches on web platforms accessed via tablets and smartphones is on the rise and authorities around the world are turning to clever use of social media to increase their reach. This has also opened up the avenue for a much more interactive experience with fans being able to respond to what is happening in a match in real time. The internet experience has also been successful in combining different forms, from text in the form of articles and scores and commentary to pictures of the game, live streaming and commentary. Each day the boundaries are pushed further.

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