http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_in_first-class_cricket_statistics#Commencement_of_statistical_records

http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/histories/matches.html

County cricket started becasue patrons selected county sides from the best of the Parish teams so they could gamble

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/84407.html

Match fixing – A historical perspective

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/400118.html

Cricket’s original sin

“………The origin of major cricket has been traced to the 17th century, during which the sport evolved from a boys’ game in 1611 [5] to the level of “great matches” in 1697 [6]. Until the Restoration in 1660, only village cricket had been played but a general relaxation of control on all forms of entertainment encouraged investment in the sport, especially by gambling interests. It is believed that investors and gamblers began to form teams of county strength at this time and so the sport was able to evolve from “minor” inter-parish matches to “major” inter-county matches [7]….”

http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/ladstolords/1701.html

“…….Edward Stead
Edward Stead (born 1701 in Maidstone, Kent; died 28 August 1735 in central London) was a famous patron of Kent cricket.

Stead (aka Edwin Steed) was something of a compulsive gambler and he sought to make money out of cricket by underwriting select XIs usually made up of players from several Kent parish teams. The Dartford Cricket Club, which featured William Bedle, had the best club team in the game at the time and it is almost certain that Stead used several Dartford players. It is not clear if Stead played himself but, given that his rival patrons all did, it is reasonable to assume that he was the captain of his own team as well as its patron. Stead’s teams are known to have performed in “Great Matches” for several years from 1724. He was very successful in 1728 when the report of a game in August said of his latest victory: “the third time this summer that the Kent men have been too expert for those of Sussex”……….”

Cricket was like horse racing a sport specifically for gambling. The first laws of cricket were written down to provide consistency because of the betting involved.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ByboAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=gambling+cricket+history&source=bl&ots=Par708KPkF&sig=GNvXSBbD3xOiPinURgrzZBFdgiM&hl=en&ei=hWLhStaCDceIkAXG-IHKAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=gambling%20cricket%20history&f=false

I do know the history of the game. First class cricket was invented so people could gamble.

Bangladesh are interested.

Pick a country any country where its expanding. On the roar you can go to heaps of posts where someone will be banging about how rugby, league, AFL and expanding around the world. The cricket posts don’t need to do that.

Ill pick a country…….. say Indonesia

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/btw/archives/2009/02/indonesia_aimin.php
“Indonesia aiming to be the next Afghanistan

While all attention is on Afghanistan and their seemingly relentless progress towards the 2011 World Cup, their success story has served to inspire others around globe.
Twenty years ago cricket was almost unknown in Indonesia, but then a few expats started to play and the game has taken off beyond their wildest dreams.
“Because the expatriates needed more people to make their teams of 11 players, they started to ask locals to join. And it turned out that some of the locals were excellent players,” Cricket Indonesia chairman Sachin Gopalan told AFP. “It used to be only social games played by expatriates. But it has changed.”
Local associations were formed to administer the clubs, and eight years ago a national board came into being. It is now estimated that as many as 30,000 people play the game, a three-fold increase in two years.
“Cricket is growing exponentially here and there is a lot of hidden natural talent,” Gopalan said…………”

1. Players determine the quality of the cricket played in the middle. They are the single most important determinant of where our game heads in the future. The players should be listened to but they cannot be mollycoddled like the current West Indiies players are.

2.Administrators can help by producing even and equal facilities and improving facilities for grassroots and amenities for spectators. Other than that they should be seen and not heard.

3. The media should concentrate on bipartisan appreciation of the cricket and not air or write innuendo and gossip.Yes,the media has a duty to expose scandal and illegality but not to infer guilt where there is none.

4. Both teams and Captains played Cricket the way it should be played. Tough and uncompromising. But both played to win.

In the end the Indian spectators were both disappointed and elated. Sad their team lost but enthused they had been witness to a magnificent game.

Sachin was magnificent, so were Marsh, Watson, McKay, Ponting, White, Hussey and Raina.

My hats off to the depleted but gallant Australians under the never-say-die captain Ricky Ponting.

The series is developing into a ODI version of the Australia – West Indies Test series of 1960-61 in Australia and the 2005 Ashes series in England. Two of the five matches in the current series ended with margins of four runs and three runs.

This is excellent for the future of cricket. It can’t get any better, can it?

I have nothing to criticise about this match. There has to be a winner but neither team desrved to lose last night.

Aus are up 3-2 in the series.

I seem to remember you stating that if it wasn’t for the Aus opening win there would have been a white wash….

How’s that humble pie coming along?

1.RP Singh,who I rate the best of India’s fastmen, suffered a hamstring In Sydney 2008 and then aggravated it in Adelaide during the drawn fourth Test. He made it bak for the home series against SAF but suffered another hamstring tear and has been sidelined since.
2. Zaheer Khan busted his shoulder in IPL 2 in SAF as did Sehwag in the semifinal of IPL 2.So both these happened in SAF.

3. Tendulkar suffered a groin injury earlier this year but I think that is just age.

There would be more injuries at Grade and District level In India because the suburban grounds in the big cities are not like the Waverley Cricket Ground or Bankstown Oval.

Its a bit of a worry that a young bloke like Henriques is getting hamstring injuries.

http://www.thesportscampus.com/200911042616/the-business-of-sports/off-the-roof-trp-for-india-australia-series

“……The India – Australia One Day International Series is not just pulling crowds in the stands, it is also getting bigger and better for the advertisers and NEO Cricket with record breaking TRP ratings. The thrilling cricketing action between the two countries has generated unprecedented interest among Indian cricket fans which has raised the TRP ratings to an all time high, beating the Champions League T20 TRPs by 70% and IPL season 2 by 16%. NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd. claims their channel is targeting Rs. 150 Crores in Revenue.

They claim that the average rating for CS 4+ audience is close to 5 TVRs as per latest data from TAM. Mr. Abhishek Verma Head – Marketing & Communications, NEO, said, “We are excited about the high TRP ratings achieved, and this has proved once again that ODI cricket is here to stay.”…..”

“………with top quality cricketing action ensuring fans stayed glued to their television sets right through the near 9 hour broadcast, a huge bonus for advertisers in comparison with the 4 hour window that T20 cricket provides………”

The spectators in Hyderabad today won’t mind one bit if one more Aussie is injured. As long as India wins and Sachin gets his seven runs to touch 17,000 ODI runs.

One can almost form a quirky Injured Aussie XI: Batsmen Clarke and Ferguson; bowlers Lee, Bracken and Siddle; all-rounders Hopes and Henriques; wicket-keepers Haddin and Paine.

That’s only nine, I hear you roarers say. Wait till Sunday and you’ll find the missing two!

Sorry to sound cynical but this torture to cricketers by making them play non-stop cricket must end. Sooner rather than later.

This is milking the game and not helping the players in the long run. The list of injuries is a worry…for both teams..Yuvraj is just back from injury and I am sure Dhoni is playing with niggling injuries. He is a hard man but it will take its toll. Zaheer Khan has not played for six months and RP Singh is still trying to recover from a hamstring two years ago. The rush to get back into the team further hampers the recovery.
Ultimately it is the spectator who is short changed when the stars cannot play.Many advertisers and spectators in India would have paid thinking they were going to see Brett Lee bowling..they will be disappointed.