Cricket in Australia

Main article: History of Australian cricket

The rise of cricket

Australia has been playing cricket for over 210 years. The first known match was held in Sydney in December 1803 , and a January article in the Sydney Gazette of 1804 indicates that cricket has already become widespread. Intercolonial cricket in Australia dates back to the visit of players from the southeastern state of Victoria to Tasmania in February 1851 . The match was held in Launceston on February 11-12. The Tasmanian team won the game by winning against three wickets ^[5] .

By 1826, clubs such as the Currency Cricket Club and Australian Cricket appeared . ^[6] In 1838 , the most influential cricket club emerged - the Melbourne Cricket Club ( English Melbourne Cricket Club ).

A team from the UK first visited Australia in 1861 - 1862 to take part in a private match organized by Spiers & Pond . The English team, led by XX Stevenson , for the most part consisted of Surrey athletes and was quite strong. A series of cricket matches with her participation proved to be popular among Australian fans and was commercially successful for both athletes and sponsors. In 1863 - 1864 the tour was repeated and was even more successful than the first time. ^[7]

In 1868, the Australian team first traveled to the UK. Her captain was Charles Lawrence - the remaining member of the Stevenson team in Australia. In addition to him, the team included outstanding players, for example, Johnny Malag . A total of 47 matches were played, of which 14 wins, 14 losses and 19 ended in a draw. Subsequently, English teams often visited Australia. The famous victory of the Australian team in 1882 led to the appearance of a satirical article in the English newspaper Sporting Times , which said that English cricket had died, "his body was cremated , and the ashes were transported to Australia." ^[8] This was the beginning of the popular Ashes tournament, held between the teams of Great Britain and Australia. ^[3]

The next rounds of the English teams took place in 1873–74 (with the participation of one of the most famous cricketers, William Gilbert Grace ) and in 1876–77 ^[9] . The main event of the season 1876 - 77 was the match between the teams of New South Wales and Victoria with the British. The match took place on March 15-19 at the Melbourne cricket ground, subsequently it will be called the first international match won by the Australian team, mainly due to the invincible Charles Bannerman. The match results showed an increase in Australian cricket standards.

The next round of growth in Australian cricket standards came in the first show tour in England in 1878 . And by the time the Australian team played the first international tournament at the Oval Stadium in Belfast in 1880 , the system of international tours was well established ^[10] .

The Golden Age of Cricket and World War I

The period from the mid- 1890s to World War I became the golden age of Australian cricket, at which time such outstanding players as: Monty Noble , Clem Hill and in particular Victor Trumper , who were simply idolized by Australian fans, appeared ^[11] At the same time the first women's cricket club appeared in Australia, the captain of which was Lily Poulette-Harris ^[12] . World War I led to the suspension of cricket development internationally. Most athletes volunteered for the army. ^[6] After the war, athletes held a series of matches in the UK. The Australian Imperial Armed Forces team was strong enough to include players such as Herbie Collins , Burt Oldfield and Jack Gregory , who subsequently contributed greatly to the development of the national cricket team. ^[7]

In the interwar period, the weakened team of England in 1920 - 1921 . It was defeated by the Australians with a score of 5: 0. ^[6] In the 1920s, prominent batsman Bill Ponsford achieved great success; in a series of matches with England from 1928 to 1929 , twenty-year-old Donald Bradman appeared on the field, ^{[13] a} native of the city of Kutamundra , spent his childhood in Bowral . Donald became the holder of numerous records, in particular for the high individual inning , for his services he was awarded the title of knight . ^[13]

For the first time, disputes about Bodyline tactics (in cricket a throw on a batsman, a throw aimed at a batsman, not a wicket) began when Bradman and the Australian team were in England in 1930 . He showed good results in the game, setting a world record at that time in Leeds ^[9] . Witnessing this kind of filing was Douglas Jardine, who plays for Surrey . After discussing with other observers, Jardine devised tactics to limit Bradman and other players' long runs. Initially, the tactic was called "Theory of Fast Feet", later it was called Bodyline ( translated from English. "Body Line"), it consisted of a quick short throw at the batsman. Appointed by the captain of the England team for a series of games 1932 - 33 years in Australia, Jardine this theory in practice. Combining the speed of the player dropping the ball with the accuracy of Harold Larwood and Bill Voyce, this tactic required the bat players not to be afraid to get injured while defending their wicket. In the third test in Adelaide, Lavrood hit the captain of the Australian team in the area above the heart, and also broke the skull to defender Bert Oldfield.

In December 1934 , the Australian women's team played with the English team in their first test match at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. Despite 7 gates by Ann Palmer in the first period of the game, the England team was stronger and won 9 gates.

Cricket after World War II

With the outbreak of World War II, all games were suspended, but immediately after its end in 1945, a series of matches were played with England in honor of the victory over Nazi Germany. ^[14] Lindsay Hassett became the team captain. After Bradman finished his sports career, Hassett, Kate Miller and Ray Lindwall formed the backbone of the new Australian team. They were also later joined by Ritchie Beno , who became captain by the end of the 1950s, and batsman Neil Harvey . The most memorable matches of the revived team was a series of games from 1960-1961 against the West Indies , which revived public interest in cricket. ^[15] The West Indies team in Australia was so warmly received that the Melbourne parade marking their departure to their homeland attracted 300,000 residents. ^[sixteen]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Australia found itself involved in international tensions over the forbidden actions of players. ^[17] In the 1970s, due to an unsuccessful schedule, the Australians were forced to participate in matches with South Africa immediately after the tour to India (1969-1970). A tired team, faced with a strong rival and not yet adapted to other climatic conditions, was defeated 4-0. The National Federation demanded to continue the matches, which caused strong resistance from the players under the leadership of captain Bill Lowry . ^[18] In the same year, Lowry was removed from the post of captain and replaced by Ian Chappell , who, in turn, was replaced in 1975 by his younger brother Greg Chappell (both included in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame ).

1970 - Today

In the 1970s , a conflict again arises between players and sports administrators. Due to poor organization and poor planning, the Australian team visited South Africa immediately after the 1969–70 Games in India . This was the last tour to South Africa before the application of international sports sanctions aimed at counteracting the policy of apartheid . Tired after playing in India, the Australians met with a strong South African team. The games took place in very different conditions from the subcontinent . As a result, the Australian team was defeated 4-0. The Australian Cricket Council requested athletes to hold another match in South Africa, but was refused a team led by captain Bill Lory ^[19] . During the next home series against the England team, Lori was removed and was dismissed from the position of team captain, his place was taken by batsman Ian Chappell. To this day, Laurie is the only Australian captain who was fired right in the middle of a series of games ^[19] . Chappell, a representative of the younger generation, considered the actions of the council in relation to Lori offensive, he made a promise to himself, never to be in the same situation.

Greg Chappell, Ian’s younger brother, succeeded his brother as captain of the team from 1975 to 1976 and led the team at the Century Game in Melbourne in March 1977 . Australia celebrated the 100th anniversary of the test matches in cricket with a victory with the same result as 100 years ago.

While Australia was celebrating the victory, Australian media mogul Kerry Packer decided to take away the rights to television broadcast of Australian cricket matches. During the 1977 tournament with England, the cricket world became aware that Packer had signed a contract with 35 leading players in the world for a series of matches. Among the players were 18 Australians, 13 of whom participated in the tournament ^[20] . The world cricket series split into two for almost three whole years. Former Australian captain Bob Simpson was retired to lead an inexperienced team in a home series against India in 1977 - 78 , the series was won 3-2. In the Ashes series of games with the British, he was replaced by young Victorian Graham Yallop. The result was a defeat to the British with a score of 5-1, which forced the Australian cricket council to yield to Packer.

The signing of an agreement between the Australian Cricket Council and the World Series of Cricket has led to a number of innovations : night cricket has appeared, players have bright colored clothes with the symbols of sponsors , an annual series of limited overs, called the World Series Cup, has appeared. Cricket champions returned: Greg Chappell, Dennis Lilly and Rod Marsh. After their resignation at the end of the 1983–84 season, a series of tours by the Australian team to South Africa followed in violation of the sporting sanctions imposed on the apartheid regime. Castling has brought Australian cricket into decline. The team lost a series of home tests with a score of 2-1, a tour of New Zealand ended with a loss of 1-0 in 1985 - 86 years.

The long road back to success for Australian cricket began in India in 1986 -87. In the late 1980s, the new captain Allan Border, along with coach Bob Simpson, set themselves the task of finding talented players who could form the backbone of a strong team. ^{[21] The} new team, which included Steve Waugh , David Boone , Mark Taylor and Iain Healy , surprised the cricket world with a 4-0 win over the English at the 1987 World Cup . ^[22] Australia won a rebirth as a cricket power by winning the Ashes tournament. ^[23] Australia will hold the tournament prize for the next 16 years.

In 1991–92, Shane Warne, one of the most successful players in cricket history, made his debut in Sydney in the third test against India. He showed outstanding results in the very first series of tests, from that moment becoming the leader of Australian cricket for a long 15 years. During this time he took 708 wickets ^[24] . In 1993 - 94 years in the Australian Perth passed the test against New Zealand. At this time, the bowler Glenn McGrath was selected to the Australian team, which allowed to form the backbone of the bowling attack. On a Caribbean tour from 1994 to 95 , an Australian team led by Captain Taylor defeated the then leading West Indies . Australia for the first time since 1978 received the Frank Warrell Award and has rightfully been considered the best team in the world ^[25] .

After losing the home World Cup in 1992 , Australia conducted a series of successful World Cup campaigns: on the road to victory in South Africa, the Australian team won in Sri Lanka in 1996 and England in 1999 ^[26] . Replacing captain Taylor with Steve Waugh did not bring the Australian team much success. As the new captain, Vaud played a game with the West Indies in the Caribbean with a score of 2-2, lost to Sri Lanka with a score of 1-0. However, the victory in the first ever test match of the Australian team against Zimbabwe was the beginning of an unprecedented series of victories in 16 tests. This series was finally completed in 2001 in Calcutta with a bright victory for India. For Wo, India will remain unconquered ^[27] .

The success in the sporting achievements of the Australian team was accompanied by scandals: charges of racism were raised, one incident even led to the removal of Darren Lehman in 2003 ^[28] . Another scandal was exposed by the press , it was caused by the connection between Warne and Mark Waugh with illegal bookmakers , this news received wide resonance due to the sensational earlier accusations of match-fixing ^[29] . Later, Warne was suspended from all forms of cricket for a period of 12 months, the reason for this was the positive test results for prohibited drugs : diuretics , hydrochlorothioside and amiloride ^[29] . The Australian cricket style has received a high degree of respect for dynamics and engagement. But critics called the dynamics of the game aggression , turning into insults and threats against players of the other team during matches. An example is the confrontation between McGrath and West Indies player Ramnares Sarwan at a recreation center in Antigua in 2003 ^[30] . Tasmanian player Ricky Ponting after incidents in India and Sydney admitted to alcohol addiction ^[31] .

After rehabilitation, Ponting replaced Waugh as team captain in 2004 . Despite being injured against India for most of the 2004–05 series, his team won under the leadership of Acting Adam Gilchrist. This was the first victory over the Indian team after the victory of Bill Laurie in a series of 1969 - 70 years. The defeat in the Ashes series in England with a score of 2–1 in 2005 was won by a home victory over England with a score of 5–0 in the 2006–07 series. This was the first dry victory in the Ashes series since the Warwick Armstrong team in 1920–21. ^[32] Australia won the 2007 Cricket World Cup under the leadership of Ricky Ponting in the Caribbean. Australian team player Matthew Hayden made the most significant contribution to the victory in the tournament. The final was the final game in the career of Glenn McGrath, as a result of which he was recognized as the best player in the tournament.

The 2015 Cricket World Cup was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. It took place from February 14 to March 29. Fourteen teams played 49 matches at 14 venues. Australia played 26 matches in Adelaide , Brisbane , Canberra , Hobart , Melbourne , Perth and Sydney . Australia defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets, winning its fifth cricket world championship in front of a record number of spectators of 93,013 people. Did the team captain Michael Clark resign? which entered into force immediately after the final match ^[33] .

Australia is one of the strongest international cricket teams in the world. Australia along with England was recognized as one of the founders of the Imperial Cricket Conference, later the International Cricket Council. Australia usually conducts a series of tests against a guest team at home and a series of games abroad.

On March 15, 1877 , the Australian cricket team played with the England team. Later this meeting will be recognized as the first test game. The Australian team is the most successful in cricket, with the highest percentage of matches won compared to other nations .

In the test series, the Australian team fights for various awards in competitions. Championship test series of games is an international competition, which takes place among 10 teams. This type of competition is a kind of ranking in the framework of international matches. Otherwise, these matches are played according to the usual rules ^[34] .

The most famous award in the cricket test series is "Ashes", first played in 1882 between the teams of Australia and England. Other prestigious awards in this sport are named after the legendary players from the teams of England and Australia.

The Australian team for the first time took part in the first international tournament, which took place in one day, January 5, 1971 . The match against the England team was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground . Since then, the Australian team has held the record for most wins by winning five cricket world cups. To achieve such a result failed to teams in other countries.

After the end of the Cricket World Cup series from 1979 to 1980 , the Australian season was a series of one-day international matches with two guest teams. Initially, the tournament was called the World Series Cup, its distinguishing feature was night games and the color uniform of athletes. In the 1994–95 season, due to the perceptible weakness of the invited team from Zimbabwe, the Australian team A participated in the tournament. In the 1996–97 season, the World Series Cup was renamed in honor of the main sponsor companies. Subsequently, the organizers held the same format.

Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the Cricket World Cup in 1992 and 2015 . In the 1992 tournament, innovations were introduced for all teams that were already widely used in Australian one-day matches. In particular, night games and color uniforms of athletes participating in the game. The tournament was attended by nine teams, among them the South African team, just admitted to the series of World Cup games. Despite the fact that Australia was in the favorites ^[35] , it performed generally poorly, could not even get to the semifinals. The Pakistan team defeated England in front of 87,182 spectators gathered at Cricket Ground in Melbourne ^[36] .

The 2015 Cricket World Cup was the eleventh in a row, from February 14 to March 29 hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Fourteen teams played 49 games at 14 different venues. Australia has hosted 26 games on its sites. In the final match of the tournament, teams from Australia and New Zealand played, the match was held at Cricket Ground in Melbourne in front of a record number of spectators of 93,013 people.

In December 1934, the first match was held among women, but the English women's team was still too strong and won. ^[37] The Australian women's cricket team is currently performing internationally and has won the World Cup five times. ^[38] She is in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of victories won in this tournament.

At the national level, each of the six Australian states has its own cricket team. Each of these teams participates in two competitions over the summer.

• four-day high-level competition known as the Sheffield Shield
• one-day competition known as Matador Cup

In addition, eight city franchises compete in the national competition Twenty, known as the Big Bang League. Cricket games at local clubs are also popular as social or beach cricket.

Sheffield Shield is Australia's top-class cricket tournament in Australia. It was founded in 1892 at 150 pounds , left by Lord Sheffield as a testament to the development of Australian cricket. And in recognition, the Sheffield Shield was originally named. When the tournament was opened, colonies took part in it (later formed states: New South Wales , South Australia and Victoria ). Queensland was admitted to the tournament in the season 1926 - 27 years, Western Australia - in 1947 - 48 , Tasmania - in 1977 - 78 .

In 1999 , Australian Cricket announced a four-year sponsorship agreement that included renaming the Sheffield Shield tournament. But then, as of the 2008–09 season, the name returned to its original.

At the end of the 2006–07 season, all participating teams won at least once the Sheffield Cup. New South Wales succeeded and won the Sheffield Shield Award 44 times. Meanwhile, Tasmania won its first award only in the 2006–07 game series.

• Australia Cricket Team
• Allan Border Medal
• World series cricket

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