INTERNATIONAL COMPETITONS IN ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
A minute's silence before an international match
The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organised by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four-year period. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period.[40] The 2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Germany; in 2010 it will be held in South Africa.[41]
There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles. Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only,[17] however, since the 1984 Summer Olympics professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team;[42] but that practice ceased in the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic competition is not generally considered to carry the same international significance and prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women’s Olympic tournament. It thus carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all 6 continental championships, the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores de América in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.[43]

GOVERNING BODIES OF ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

Governing bodies


The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in Zürich.

Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:

* Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
* Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)
* Central/North America & Caribbean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF; also known as The Football Confederation)
* Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
* Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
* South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL)

National associations oversee football within individual countries. These are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations.

Some of the football associations not recognised by FIFA are affiliated to the Nouvelle Fédération-Board (NF-Board).

LAWS OF ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

A goalkeeper saving a close range shot from inside the penalty area
Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single spherical ball, known as the football. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain.
The primary law is that players (other than goalkeepers) may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play (though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart). Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms.[5] Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an offside position.
In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage,

A goalkeeper dives to stop the ball from entering his goal
At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.[7] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,[8] but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.[9] The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager

HISTORY OF FOOTBALL

History OF FOOTBALL

Map showing the popularity of association football around the world. Countries where association football is the most popular sport are coloured green, while countries where it is not are coloured red. The various shades of green and red indicate the number of players per 1,000 inhabitants.

Games revolving around the kicking of a ball have been played in many countries throughout history. According to FIFA, the "very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise of precisely this skilful technique dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC in China (the game of cuju)."[11] Various forms of football were played in medieval Europe, though rules varied greatly by both period and location.

The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England.

The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857,[12] which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.[13]

These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London.[14] The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting, the first which allowed for the running with the ball in hand and the second, obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby football clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, or subsequently left the FA and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game.[14] These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.

The laws of the game are currently determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1886[15] after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C. W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is home to the world's first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor.[16] The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and the North of England. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to Laws of the Game of the Football Association.[17] The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the International Football Association Board in 1913. The board currently consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.

Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams,[18] while billions more watch the game on television.[19] A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football.[20] Its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements have no doubt aided its spread and growth in popularity.

In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. ESPN has spread the claim that the Côte d'Ivoire national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2005. By contrast, football is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras.[21] The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade devolved into rioting in March 1990

FOOTBALL

A goalkeeper saving a close range shot from inside the penalty area
Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single spherical ball, known as the football. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain.
The primary law is that players (other than goalkeepers) may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play (though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart). Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms.[5] Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an offside position.
In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage,

A goalkeeper dives to stop the ball from entering his goal
At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.[7] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,[8] but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.[9] The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.[10]

RONALDINO

Ronaldino
This is a Portuguese name; the first family name is de Assis and the second is Personal information
Full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Date of birth March 21, 1980 (age 29)

Place of birth Porto Alegre, Brazil

Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]

Playing position Attacking midfielder[2]

Club information
Current club Milan

Number 80
Youth career
1997–1998 Grêmio

Senior career*
Years Club Apps (Gls)†
1998–2001 Grêmio
044 (21)
2001–2003 Paris Saint-Germain
053 (17)
2003–2008 FC Barcelona
145 (70)
2008– Milan
029 0(8)
National team‡
1999–2008 Brazil Olympic
027 (18)
1999–2009 Brazil
087 (32)
Honours[show]
Competitor for Brazil

Men's Football

Bronze 2008 Beijing
Team Competition


* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 April 2009.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 April 2009
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho,[3] is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Italian Serie A side Milan and the Brazilian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the most gifted footballers of his generation.
Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "Little Ronaldo," is known in Brazil by the nickname "Gaúcho," in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo, who was already called "Ronaldinho" in Brazil. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and remain simply as Ronaldinho.
Prior to his move to Milan, he played for Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Barcelona, with whom he won his first Champions League in 2006. He became a Spanish citizen in Biography and personal life
Ronaldinho was born in city of Porto Alegre, capital of the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil. His mother, Dona Miguelina, is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro EC).[5] He suffered a fatal heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was eight. After Ronaldinho's older brother, Roberto, signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury.
Ronaldinho's football skills began to blossom at an early age, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.[6] He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. His first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23-0 victory against a local team.[7] Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.[8][9]
Today, Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator.[10][11] Ronaldinho became a father for the first time on 25 February 2005, after Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes gave birth to their son, who was named João after Ronaldinho's late father. [12]

SOCCER

Association football

"Soccer" redirects here. For other uses, see Soccer (disambiguation).
Association football
Highest governing body
FIFA

Nickname(s) Football, soccer, futbol, footy/footie, "the beautiful game"
First played Mid-19th century England
Characteristics
Contact Yes
Team members 11 per side
Mixed gender Yes, separate competitions
Categorization Team sport, ball sport

Equipment Football

Venue Football pitch

Olympic
1900

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball. Association football is the most popular football variant worldwide, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world.[1][2][3]
The game is played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field, with a goal in the centre of each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.
The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed in the world, boasts an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic Games.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States of America (commonly referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories, or insular areas, in the Caribbean and Pacific.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with about 306 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.[8] The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of US $14.3 trillion (23% of the world total based on nominal GDP and almost 21% at purchasing power parity).[4][9]
The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and their formation of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of independence.[10] The Philadelphia Convention adopted the current United States Constitution on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fundamental civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791.
In the 19th century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over states' rights and the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked the American Civil War of the 1860s. The North's victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the end of legal slavery in the United States. By the 1870s, the national economy was the world's largest.[11] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a founding member of NATO. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union left the United States as the sole superpower. The country accounts for approximately 50% of global military spending and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the world.[12]

COMPARISON SACHIN & AR RAHMAN

A.R.Rahman & Sachin Tendulkar – A comparison
December 17, 2007 at 7:42 am (A R Rahman) (A.R.Rahman, comparison, Cricket, music, review, Sachin Tendulkar)

Many people who became die-hard Rahman fans in the 90s were also hardcore Sachin fans (including me!). I think this phenomenon is not without a reason, the reason being similarities between the two. Got this interesting comparison by Maddy, from ForumHub:
They were an instant hit because:
ARR: Blasting music, classical songs at a very young age
SRT: Swashbuckling batting and a great cricketing sense at a very young age
How they stood out from others?
ARR: First to bring digital touch to Indian music and compose fusion that no one else dares to think off.
SRT: First to explore the first 15-over restriction, score centuries at bouncy, tough tracks like Perth.
International attention:
ARR: Admired by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Micheal jackson (who wore a t-shirt having Rahman’s photo on it) and many other international music reviewers who want him to compose for Hollywood films.
SRT: Adored by the man himself the “DON” Bradman and Mike Atherton(who compared Sachin to W.G.Grace) and a never ending list of Australian, English, Kiwi, WestIndian players.

TRIPLE CENTURIES IN NTEST MATCH

Triple Centuries
Most Test Triple Centuries
Triple Centuries Player Matches
2 Don Bradman
52
2 Virender Sehwag
64
2 Brian Lara
131

Fastest Test Triple centuries
No. Balls Player Opponent Venue Season
278 Virender Sehwag
v South Africa
Chennai
2007-08
362 Matthew Hayden
v Zimbabwe
Perth
2003-04
364 Virender Sehwag
v Pakistan
Multan
2003-04

MOST NUMBER OF TEST CENTURIES

Centuries
Most Test Centuries
Centuries
Player Matches
42 Sachin Tendulkar
159
38 Ricky Ponting
132
34 Sunil Gavaskar
125
Brian Lara
131
32 Steve Waugh
168

Fastest Test centuries
No. Balls Player Opponent Venue Season
56 Viv Richards
v England
St John's
1985-86
57 Adam Gilchrist
v England
Perth
2006-07
67 Jack Gregory
v South Africa
Johannesburg
1921-22
69 Shivnarine Chanderpaul
v Australia
Georgetown
2002-03
71 Roy Fredericks
v Australia
Perth
1975-76

MOST NUMBER OF HALF CENTURIES IN TEST MATCH

Half Centuries
Most Test 50+ Scores
50+ Scores Player Matches
95 Sachin Tendulkar
159
90 Allan Border
156
84 Ricky Ponting
133
83 Rahul Dravid
134
82 Brian Lara
131
Jacques Kallis
131
Steve Waugh
168

Fastest Test Half Centuries
No. Balls Player Opponent Venue Season
24 Jacques Kallis
v Zimbabwe
Cape Town
2004-05
26 Shahid Afridi
v India
Bangalore
2004-05
Mohammad Ashraful
v India
Mirpur
2007
27 Mohammad Yousuf
v South Africa
Cape Town
2002-03
28 Foffie Williams
v England
Bridgetown
1975-76
Ian Botham
v India
Delhi
1981-82

HIGHEST PROPORTION RUNS SCORED IN TEST MATCH

Highest proportion of runs in a completed innings total
Percentage Runs
Batsman Opponent Venue
Season
67.35% 165* of 245 Charles Bannerman
v England
Melbourne Cricket Ground
1876–77
66.85% 123 of 184 Michael Slater
v England
Sydney Cricket Ground
1998–99
63.98% 167 of 261 V. V. S. Laxman
v Australia
Sydney Cricket Ground
1999–00
63.51% 134 of 211 Gordon Greenidge
v England
Manchester
1976
63.41% 52* of 82 Asanka Gurusinha
v India
Chandigarh
1990–91

Saturday, May 16, 2009

MOST RUNS IN AN OVER IN TEST CRICKET

Most runs in an over
Rank Runs
Sequence Batsman Bowler Venue
Season
1 28 4-6-6-4-4-4 Brian Lara
Robin Peterson
Wanderers Stadium
2003-04
2 27 6-6-6-6-2-1 Shahid Afridi
Harbhajan Singh
Gaddafi Stadium
2005-06
3= 26 4-4-6-0-6-6 Mitchell Johnson
Paul Harris
Wanderers Stadium
2008-09
26 4-0-6-6-6-4 Brian Lara
Danish Kaneria
Multan Cricket Stadium
2006-07
26 4-4-4-4-6-4 Craig McMillan
Younis Khan
Westpac Park
2000-01

HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE TEST CRICKET

Innings or series
Highest individual score
Runs
Player Opponent Venue
Season
400* Brian Lara
v England
St John's
2003-04
380 Matthew Hayden
v Zimbabwe
Perth
2003-04
375 Brian Lara
v England
St John's
1993-94
374 Mahela Jayawardene
v South Africa
Colombo
2006
365* Garfield Sobers
v Pakistan
Kingston
1957-58

Most runs in a series
Runs
Player Series
974 (7 inns.) Don Bradman
v England, 1930

905 (9 inns.) Wally Hammond
Australia, 1928-29

839 (11 inns.) Mark Taylor
v England, 1989

834 (9 inns.) Neil Harvey
v South Africa, 1952-53
829 (7 inns.) Viv Richards
v England, 1976


Highest individual score — progression of record
Runs
Player Opponent Venue
Season
165* Charles Bannerman
(in the inaugural Test Match) v England
Melbourne
1876-77
211 Billy Murdoch
v England
The Oval, London
1884
287 Tip Foster
v Australia
Sydney
1903-04
325 Andy Sandham
v West Indies
Kingston
1929-30
334 Don Bradman
v England
Leeds
1930
336* Wally Hammond
v New Zealand
Auckland
1932-33
364 Len Hutton
v Australia
The Oval, London
1938
365* Garfield Sobers
v Pakistan
Kingston
1957-58
375 Brian Lara
v England
St John's
1993-94
380 Matthew Hayden
v Zimbabwe
Perth
2003-04
400* Brian Lara
v England
St John's
2003-04

INDIVDUAL BATTING RECORDS IN TEST CRICKET

Individual records
Individual records (batting)
Career runs
Most career runs
Runs
Player Period
12,773 (261 inns.) Sachin Tendulkar
1989—
11,953 (232 inns.) Brian Lara
1993—2007
11,188 (225 inns.) Ricky Ponting
1995—
11,174 (265 inns.) Allan Border
1978—1994
10,927 (260 inns.) Steve Waugh
1985—2004

Highest career average
Average
Player Period
99.94 (80 inns.) Don Bradman
1928—1948
60.97 (41 inns.) Graeme Pollock
1963—1970
60.83 (40 inns.) George Headley
1930—1954
60.73 (81 inns.) Herbert Sutcliffe
1924—1935
59.23 (31 inns.) Eddie Paynter
1931—1939
Qualification: 20 innings.
Source: Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 01 March 2009.

Notes:
• If the qualification is removed, the highest career batting average list is topped by Andy Ganteaume, who scored 112 in his one and only Test innings.[1]

Most career runs — progression of record
Runs Player Record held until
239 Charles Bannerman
4 January 1882
676 1 George Ulyett
13 August 1884
860 2 Billy Murdoch
14 August 1886
1,277 Arthur Shrewsbury
23 January 1902
1,293 3 Joe Darling
18 February 1902
1,366 4 Syd Gregory
14 June 1902
1,531 5 Archie MacLaren
13 August 1902
3,412 Clem Hill
27 December 1924
5,410 Jack Hobbs
29 June 1937
7,249 Wally Hammond
27 November 1970
7,459 6 Colin Cowdrey
23 March 1972
8,032 Garfield Sobers
23 December 1981
8,114 Geoff Boycott
12 November 1983
10,122 Sunil Gavaskar
25 February 1993
11,174 Allan Border
25 November 2005
11,953 Brian Lara
17 October 2008
12,773 Sachin Tendulkar
current
Source: HowSTAT!. Last updated: 7 April 2009.
Notes:
1. Ulyett finished career with 949 runs
2. Murdoch finished career with 908 runs
3. Darling finished career with 1,657 runs
4. Gregory finished career with 2,282 runs
5. MacLaren finished career with 1,931 runs
6. Cowdrey finished career with 7,624 runs

HIGHEST TEAM SCORES IN TEST CRICKET

Team scoring records
Most runs in an innings
Runs
Teams Venue
Season
952-6 d Sri Lanka (v India)
Colombo
1997
903-7 d England (v Australia)
The Oval, London
1938
849 England (v West Indies)
Kingston
1929-30
790-3 d West Indies (v Pakistan)
Kingston
1957-58
765-6 d Pakistan (v Sri Lanka)
Karachi
2008-09

Fewest runs in a completed innings
Runs
Teams Venue
Season
26 New Zealand (v England)
Auckland
1954-55
30 South Africa (v England)
Port Elizabeth
1895-96
South Africa (v England)
Birmingham
1924
35 South Africa (v England)
Cape Town
1898-99
36 Australia (v England)
Birmingham
1902
South Africa (v Australia)
Melbourne
1931-32

TEST CRICKET

Follow On Records (Victory after Following-on)

Teams Venue
Season
England (325 & 437)
Australia (586 & 166)
Sydney
1894
England (174 & 356)
Australia (401-9 d & 111)
Leeds
1981
India (171 & 657-7 d)
Australia (445 & 212)
Kolkata
2001

TIED TESTS IN CRICKET

Tied Tests
Teams Venue
Season
West Indies (453 & 284)
Australia (505 & 232)
Brisbane
1960-61
Australia (574-7d & 170-5d)
India (397 & 347)
Chennai
1986-87

NARROWEST WIN MARGINS IN TEST CRICKET

Narrowest win margins (by wickets)
Margin Teams Venue
Season
By 1 wicket England (183 & 263-9) beat Australia (324 & 121)
The Oval, London
1902
By 1 wicket South Africa (91 & 287-9) beat England (184 & 190)
Johannesburg
1905-06
By 1 wicket England (382 & 282-9) beat Australia (266 & 397)
Melbourne
1907-08
By 1 wicket England (183 & 173-9) beat South Africa (113 & 242)
Cape Town
1922-23
By 1 wicket Australia (216 & 260-9) beat West Indies (272 & 203)
Melbourne
1951-52
By 1 wicket New Zealand (249 & 104-9) beat West Indies (140 & 212)
Dunedin
1979-80
By 1 wicket Pakistan (256 & 315-9) beat Australia (337 & 232)
Karachi
1994-95
By 1 wicket West Indies (329 & 311-9) beat Australia (490 & 146)
Bridgetown
1998-99
By 1 wicket West Indies (273 & 216-9) beat Pakistan (269 & 219)
St John's
1999-00
By 1 wicket Pakistan (175 & 262-9) beat Bangladesh (281 & 154)
Multan
2003
By 1 wicket Sri Lanka (321 & 352-9) beat South Africa (361 & 311) Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium
2006

GREATEST MARGINS IN TEST CRICKET BY RUNS

] Greatest win margins (by runs)
Rank Margin Teams Venue
Season
1 675 runs England (521 & 342-8 d) beat Australia (122 & 66)
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
1928-29
2 562 runs Australia (701 & 327) beat England (321 & 145)
The Oval, London
1934
3 530 runs Australia (328 & 578) beat South Africa (205 & 171)
Melbourne
1910-11
4 491 runs Australia (381 & 361-5 d) beat Pakistan (72 & 179)
Perth
2004-05
5 465 runs Sri Lanka (384 & 447-6 d) beat Bangladesh (208 & 158)
Chittagong
2008-09

GREATEST WIN MARGINS IN TEST CRICKET BY INNINGS

Greatest win margins (by innings)
Rank Margin Teams Venue
Season
1 Innings and 579 runs England (903-7 d) beat Australia (201 & 123)
The Oval
1938
2 Innings and 360 runs Australia (652-7 d) beat South Africa (159 & 133)
Johannesburg
2001-02
3 Innings and 336 runs West Indies (614-5 d) beat India (124 & 154)
Kolkata
1958-59
4 Innings and 332 runs Australia (645) beat England (141 & 172) Brisbane
1946-47
5 Innings and 324 runs Pakistan (643) beat New Zealand (73 & 246)
Lahore
2002

GREATEST WIN MARGUNS IN TEST CRICKET

Greatest win margins (by innings)
Rank Margin Teams Venue
Season
1 Innings and 579 runs England (903-7 d) beat Australia (201 & 123)
The Oval
1938
2 Innings and 360 runs Australia (652-7 d) beat South Africa (159 & 133)
Johannesburg
2001-02
3 Innings and 336 runs West Indies (614-5 d) beat India (124 & 154)
Kolkata
1958-59
4 Innings and 332 runs Australia (645) beat England (141 & 172) Brisbane
1946-47
5 Innings and 324 runs Pakistan (643) beat New Zealand (73 & 246)
Lahore
2002

MOST CONSECUTIVE TEST DRAWS

.
Most consecutive Test draws
Draw Team Period
10 West Indies
1970-71 (Georgetown) — 1972-73 (Bridgetown)
9 India
1952-53 (Port-of-Spain) — 1955-56 (Hyderabad)
India
1959-60 (Calcutta) — 1961-62 (Delhi)
New Zealand
1963-64 (Wellington) — 1964-65 (Bombay)
Pakistan
1972-73 (Auckland) — 1974-75 (Karachi)

MOST COSECUTIVE TEST MATCH RECORDS WINS

Most consecutive Test wins
Win Team Period
16 Australia
1999-2000 (Harare) — 2000-01 (Mumbai)
Australia
2005-06 (Melbourne) — 2007-08 (Sydney)
11 West Indies
1983-84 (Bridgetown) — 1984-85 (Adelaide)
9 South Africa
2001-02 (Durban) — 2003 (Dhaka)
Sri Lanka
2001 (Colombo) — 2001-02 (Lahore)
Source: Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 8 August 2008.

Most consecutive Test losses
Loss Team Period
21 Bangladesh
2001-02 (Chittagong) — 2003-04 (Harare)
11 Zimbabwe
2001-02 (Colombo) — 2003-04 (Sydney)
9 Bangladesh
2007 (Dhaka) — 2008-09 (Chittagong)
8 Bangladesh
2005 (Lord's) — 2005-06 (Chittagong)
South Africa
1888-89 (Port Elizabeth) — 1898-99 (Cape Town)
England
1920-21 (Sydney) — 1921 (Headingley)
West Indies
2005 (Kingston) — 2005-06 (Wellington)
.

TEAMS RECORDS

Team wins, losses and draws
Matches played
Rank Team 1st Test Matches Won Lost Drawn Tied
% Won
1 Australia
March 1877 710 331 185 192 2 46.61
2 South Africa
March 1889 344 120 121 103 0 34.88
3 England
March 1877 888 309 257 322 0 34.79
4 West Indies
June 1928 459 152 150 156 1 33.11
5 Sri Lanka
February 1982 187 58 67 62 0 31.01
6 Pakistan
October 1952 340 103 91 146 0 30.29
7 India
June 1932 430 99 136 194 1 23.02
8 New Zealand
January 1930 351 66 140 145 0 18.80
9 Zimbabwe
October 1992 83 8 49 26 0 9.63
10 Bangladesh
November 2000 61 3 52 6 0 4.91
11 ICC World XI
October 2005 1 0 1 0 0 0.00

LIST OF TEST CRICKET GROUNDS

List of Test cricket grounds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The first Test cricket match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) situated in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Australia, in 1877.

This is a list of Test cricket grounds. Since the first cricket Test match in Australia in 1877, 100 grounds have hosted Test cricket. The grounds are listed by country, with the countries listed in the order in which they first hosted a Test match and the grounds in each country listed in the order in which they were first used as a venue for Test cricket. However, the first international cricket match was actually a game between the United States of America and Canada in Manhattan, New York on 24–25 September 1844 with that city's St George's Club representing the USA and Toronto CC representing Canada.[citation needed] More than 32 years passed before Australia and England contested what was to become accepted as the first official Test match in March 1877. 5 day matches between non-Test playing countries are therefore not considered a proper Test match. Also, this excludes World Series Cricket and South African rebel tours venues. On 8 July 2009, the SWALEC Stadium (previously known as Sophia Gardens) in Cardiff became the 100th test venue.[1][2]

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was unable to host international matches for a period of 12 months from March 2008 as major work was done to improve the conditions of the pitch.[3]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Cricket grounds
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 4 External links

[edit] Cricket grounds
Official name (known as) ↓ Location ↓ Home nation ↓ First used ↓ Ends
Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG) Melbourne, Victoria Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01877-03-15 15 March 1877 • Members End
• Great Southern Stand End
The Oval Cricket Ground
(The Oval) London, Surrey England Flag of England England 01880-09-06 6 September 1880 • Pavilion End
• Vauxhall End
Sydney Cricket Ground
(SCG) Sydney, New South Wales Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01882-02-17 17 February 1882 • Paddington End
• Randwick End
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
(Old Trafford) Manchester, Lancashire England Flag of England England 01884-07-10 10 July 1884 • Stretford End
• Brian Statham End (originally Warwick Road end)
Lord's Cricket Ground
(Lord's) London, Middlesex England Flag of England England 01884-07-21 21 July 1884 • Pavilion End
• Nursery End
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide, South Australia Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01884-12-12 12 December 1884 • City/River End
• Cathedral End
Sahara Oval St. George's
(St George’s Park) Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01889-03-12 12 March 1889 • Duckpond End
• Park Drive End
Sahara Park Newlands
(Newlands) Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01889-03-25 25 March 1889 • Wynberg End
• Kelvin Grove End
Old Wanderers No. 1 Ground
(Old Wanderers) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01896-03-02 2 March 1896††††† Unknown
Trent Bridge Ground
(Trent Bridge) Nottingham, Nottinghamshire England Flag of England England 01899-06-01 1 June 1899 • Pavilion End
• Radcliffe Road End
Headingley Carnegie Stadium
(Headingley) Leeds, Yorkshire England Flag of England England 01899-06-29 29 June 1899 • Kirkstall Lane End
• Football Stand End
County Cricket Ground
(Edgbaston) Birmingham, Warwickshire England Flag of England England 01902-05-29 29 May 1902 • City End
• Pavilion End
Bramall Lane Sheffield, Yorkshire England Flag of England England 01902-07-03 3 July 1902††† • Pavilion End
• Football Ground End
Lord's No. 1 Ground
(Lord's) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01910-01-21 21 January 1910‡ Unknown
Sahara Stadium Kingsmead
(Kingsmead) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01923-01-18 18 January 1923 • Umgeni End
• Old Fort Road End
Exhibition Ground†
(The Ekka) Brisbane, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01928-11-30 30 November 1928 • Hospital End
• The Hill
AMI Stadium
(formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park) Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-01-10 10 January 1930 • Hadlee Stand End
• Port Hills End
Kensington Oval
(The Mecca) Bridgetown, Barbados West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-01-11 11 January 1930 • Malcolm Marshall End
• Joel Garner End
Basin Reserve
(The Basin) Wellington New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-01-24 24 January 1930 • Vance Stand End
• Scoreboard End
Queen's Park Oval Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-02-01 1 February 1930 • Pavilion End
• Media Centre End
Eden Park No. 1
(Eden Park) Auckland New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-02-14 14 February 1930 • Dominion Road End
• Sandringham Road End
Bourda Georgetown, Guyana West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-02-21 21 February 1930 • Regent Street End
• North Road End
Sabina Park
(Bina) Kingston, Jamaica West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-04-03 3 April 1930 • Blue Mountains End
• Headley Stand End
Brisbane Cricket Ground
(The Gabba) Brisbane, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01931-11-27 27 November 1931 • Stanley Street End
• Vulture Street End
Bombay Gymkhana Ground
(Gymkhana Ground) Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01933-12-15 15 December 1933 Unknown
Eden Gardens Kolkata, West Bengal India Flag of India India 01934-01-05 5 January 1934 • High Court End
• Pavilion End
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
(Chepauk) Chennai, Tamil Nadu India Flag of India India 01934-02-10 10 February 1934 • Anna Pavilion End
• Wallajah Road End
Feroz Shah Kotla
(Kotla) Delhi India Flag of India India 01948-11-10 10 November 1948 • Stadium End
• Pavilion End
Brabourne Stadium Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01948-12-09 9 December 1948 • Pavilion End
• Churchgate End
Ellis Park Stadium
(Ellis Park) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01948-12-27 27 December 1948* Unknown
Green Park Stadium Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01952-01-12 12 January 1952 • Mill Pavilion End
• Hostel End
University Ground Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01952-10-23 23 October 1952 Unknown
Bangabandhu National Stadium
(Number 1 Dhaka Stadium) Dhaka, Dhaka Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 01955-01-01 1 January 1955†† • Pavilion End
• Paltan End
Bahawal Stadium Bahawalpur, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-01-15 15 January 1955†††† Unknown
Bagh-e-Jinnah
(Lawrence Gardens) Lahore, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-01-29 29 January 1955 Unknown
Peshawar Club Ground Peshawar, North West Frontier Province Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-02-13 13 February 1955 • Pavilion End
• College End
National Stadium Karachi, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-02-26 26 February 1955 • Pavilion End
• University End
Carisbrook Dunedin, Otago New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01955-03-11 11 March 1955 • Railway End
• Hillside End
Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
(Fateh Maidan) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India Flag of India India 01955-11-19 19 November 1955 • Pavilion End
• Hill Fort End
Nehru Stadium Chennai, Tamil Nadu India Flag of India India 01956-01-06 6 January 1956 Unknown
New Wanderers Stadium
(Wanderers) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01956-12-24 24 December 1956 • Corlett Drive End
• Golf Course End
Gaddafi Stadium
(Lahore Stadium) Lahore, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01959-11-21 21 November 1959 • Pavilion End
• College End
Pindi Club Ground Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01965-03-27 27 March 1965 Unknown
Vidharba Cricket Association Ground
(VCA Ground) Nagpur, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01969-10-03 3 October 1969 • Jaika End
• Church End
Western Australian Cricket Association Ground
(The WACA) Perth, Western Australia Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01970-12-11 11 December 1970 • Members End
• Prindiville Stand End
Niaz Stadium Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01973-03-16 16 March 1973 Unknown
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
(Chinnaswamy Stadium) Bangalore, Karnataka India Flag of India India 01974-11-22 22 November 1974 • Pavilion End
• BEML End
Wankhede Stadium Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01975-01-23 23 January 1975 • Garware Pavilion End
• Tata End
Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01978-11-16 16 November 1978 • Pavilion End
• Golf Course End
McLean Park Napier, Hawke's Bay New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01979-02-16 16 February 1979 • Centennial Stand End
• Embankment End
Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium Multan, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01980-12-30 30 December 1980 Unknown
Antigua Recreation Ground
(The Rec) St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01981-03-27 27 March 1981 • Pavilion End
• Factory Road End
Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium
(Saravanamuttu Stadium) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01982-02-17 17 February 1982 • Air Force Flats End
• Press Block End
Asgiriya Stadium Kandy, Central Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01983-04-22 22 April 1983 • Hunnasgiriya End
• Hanthana End
Gandhi Stadium Jalandhar, Punjab India Flag of India India 01983-09-24 24 September 1983 • Stadium End
• Pavilion End
Sardar Patel Stadium
(Motera) Ahmedabad, Gujarat India Flag of India India 01983-11-12 12 November 1983 • Adani Pavilion End
• GMDC End
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
(SSC) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01984-03-16 16 March 1984 • Tennis Courts End
• South End
Colombo Cricket Club Ground
(CCC) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01984-03-24 24 March 1984 • Press Box End
• Pavilion End
Jinnah Stadium
(Sialkot Stadia) Sialkot, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01985-10-27 27 October 1985 • Railway End
• Pavilion End
Barabati Stadium Cuttack, Orissa India Flag of India India 01987-01-04 4 January 1987 • Mahanadi River End
• Pavilion End
Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur, Rajasthan India Flag of India India 01987-02-21 21 February 1987 • Pavilion End
• City End
Bellerive Oval Hobart, Tasmania Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01989-12-16 16 December 1989 • Church Street End
• River End
Sector 16 Stadium Chandigarh, Chandigarh India Flag of India India 01990-11-23 23 November 1990 Unknown
Seddon Park
Hamilton, Waikato New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01991-02-22 22 February 1991 • Members End
• City End
Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01991-12-20 20 December 1991 Unknown
Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium
(Premadasa Stadium) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01992-08-28 28 August 1992 • Khettarama End
• Scoreboard End
Tyronne Fernando Stadium
(Fernando Stadium) Moratuwa, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01992-09-08 8 September 1992 • Press Box End
• Katubadda End
Harare Sports Club
(formerly "Salisbury Sports Club") Harare Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01992-10-18 18 October 1992 • City End
• Club House End
Bulawayo Athletic Club Bulawayo Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01992-11-01 1 November 1992 ††††††† Unknown
Southend Club Cricket Stadium
(Defence Cricket Stadium) Karachi, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01993-12-01 1 December 1993 Unknown
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01993-12-03 3 December 1993 • Pavilion End
• Shell End
K.D. Singh Babu Stadium Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01994-01-18 18 January 1994 • Pavilion End
• Gomati End
Queens Sports Club Bulawayo Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01994-10-20 20 October 1994 • City End
• Airport End
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium
(Mohali) Mohali, Punjab India Flag of India India 01994-12-10 10 December 1994 • Pavilion End
• City End
Arbab Niaz Stadium Peshawar, North West Frontier Province Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01995-09-08 8 September 1995 • Pavilion End
• College End
SuperSport Park
(Centurion Park) Centurion, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01995-11-16 16 November 1995 • Pavilion End
• Hennops River End
Sheikhupura Stadium Sheikhupura, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01996-10-17 17 October 1996 Unknown
The Playing Fields
(Arnos Vale) Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01997-06-20 20 June 1997 • Airport End
• Bequia End
Galle International Stadium Galle, Southern Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01998-06-03 3 June 1998 • City End
• Fort End
Goodyear Park
(Springbok Park) Bloemfontein, Free State South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01999-10-29 29 October 1999 • Loch Logan End
• Willows End
Multan Cricket Stadium Multan, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 02001-08-29 29 August 2001 • Main Pavilion End
• North Pavilion End
MA Aziz Stadium Chittagong, Chittagong Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02001-11-15 15 November 2001 • Pedrollo End
• Ispahani End
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
(SCA Stadium) Sharjah, United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 02002-01-31 31 January 2002†††††† • Pavilion End
• Sharjah Club End
National Cricket Stadium
(Queen's Park) St. George's, Grenada West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02002-06-28 28 June 2002 • River End
• D'arbeau End
Buffalo Park East London, Eastern Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 02002-10-18 18 October 2002 • Buffalo Park Drive End
• Bunkers Hill End
North West Cricket Stadium
(Sedgars Park) Potchefstroom, North West South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 02002-10-25 25 October 2002 • Daly Auto End
• University End
County Ground
(Riverside) Chester-le-Street, County Durham England Flag of England England 02003-06-05 5 June 2003 • Finchale End
• Lumley End
Beausejour Gros Islet, Saint Lucia West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02003-06-20 20 June 2003 • Pavilion End
• Media Centre End
Marrara Oval Darwin, Northern Territory Australia Flag of Australia Australia 02003-07-18 18 July 2003 • McMillans Road End
• Airport End
Bundaberg Rum Stadium
(Cazaly's Stadium) Cairns, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 02003-07-25 25 July 2003 • City End
• Club End
Chittagong Divisional Stadium
(Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium) Chittagong, Chittagong Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-02-28 28 February 2006 • UCB End
• Ispahani End
Shaheed Chandu Stadium Bogra, Rajshahi Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-03-08 8 March 2006 Unknown
Narayanganj Osmani Stadium Fatullah, Narayanganj District Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-04-09 9 April 2006 • Press Box End
• Pavilion End
Warner Park Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02006-06-22 22 June 2006 • South Stand End
• Factory Road End
Shere-e-Bangla Stadium Mirpur, Dhaka Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02007-05-25 May 25, 2007 • Ispahani End
• Aqua Paints End
University Oval
Dunedin, Otago New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 02008-01-04 4 January 2008 • Southern End
• Northern End
Providence Stadium Providence, Guyana West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02008-03-22 22 March 2008 • Media Centre End
• Pavilion End
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02008-05-30 30 May 2008 • Media Centre End
• Pavilion End
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium
(Jamtha) Nagpur, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 02008-11-06 6 November 2008 • North End
• Pavilion End
SWALEC Stadium
(Sophia Gardens) Cardiff, Glamorgan England Flag of England England 02009-07-08 8 July 2009 [1][2] • River Taff End
• Cathedral Road End

* † – Staged two Tests, one in 1928 and the other in 1931; not used for first-class cricket since 1931.
* †† – First used by Pakistan for 8 Tests, later for 9 Tests by Bangladesh, including the inaugural home Test for both sides, on 1 January 1955 and 10 November 2000 respectively. Used exclusively for football since March 2005.
* ††† – Staged only one Test; not used for cricket since 1973; home ground of Sheffield United F.C.
* †††† – Inaugural home Test in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh) on 1 January 1955.
* ††††† – 22 Tests from 1896 to 1939; not used for first-class cricket since 1946; redeveloped as Johannesburg Railway Station.
* ‡ – 4 Tests from 1910 to 1921; not used for first-class cricket since 1922; demolished.
* * – 6 Tests from 1948 to 1954; not used for first-class cricket since 1956; now used only for rugby union.
* †††††† – 4 Tests in 2002.
* ††††††† – Staged only one Test in 1992; subsequent Tests in Bulawayo played at the Queens Sports Club

LIST OF TEST CRICKET GROUNDS

List of Test cricket grounds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The first Test cricket match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) situated in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Australia, in 1877.

This is a list of Test cricket grounds. Since the first cricket Test match in Australia in 1877, 100 grounds have hosted Test cricket. The grounds are listed by country, with the countries listed in the order in which they first hosted a Test match and the grounds in each country listed in the order in which they were first used as a venue for Test cricket. However, the first international cricket match was actually a game between the United States of America and Canada in Manhattan, New York on 24–25 September 1844 with that city's St George's Club representing the USA and Toronto CC representing Canada.[citation needed] More than 32 years passed before Australia and England contested what was to become accepted as the first official Test match in March 1877. 5 day matches between non-Test playing countries are therefore not considered a proper Test match. Also, this excludes World Series Cricket and South African rebel tours venues. On 8 July 2009, the SWALEC Stadium (previously known as Sophia Gardens) in Cardiff became the 100th test venue.[1][2]

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was unable to host international matches for a period of 12 months from March 2008 as major work was done to improve the conditions of the pitch.[3]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Cricket grounds
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 4 External links

[edit] Cricket grounds
Official name (known as) ↓ Location ↓ Home nation ↓ First used ↓ Ends
Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG) Melbourne, Victoria Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01877-03-15 15 March 1877 • Members End
• Great Southern Stand End
The Oval Cricket Ground
(The Oval) London, Surrey England Flag of England England 01880-09-06 6 September 1880 • Pavilion End
• Vauxhall End
Sydney Cricket Ground
(SCG) Sydney, New South Wales Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01882-02-17 17 February 1882 • Paddington End
• Randwick End
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
(Old Trafford) Manchester, Lancashire England Flag of England England 01884-07-10 10 July 1884 • Stretford End
• Brian Statham End (originally Warwick Road end)
Lord's Cricket Ground
(Lord's) London, Middlesex England Flag of England England 01884-07-21 21 July 1884 • Pavilion End
• Nursery End
Adelaide Oval
Adelaide, South Australia Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01884-12-12 12 December 1884 • City/River End
• Cathedral End
Sahara Oval St. George's
(St George’s Park) Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01889-03-12 12 March 1889 • Duckpond End
• Park Drive End
Sahara Park Newlands
(Newlands) Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01889-03-25 25 March 1889 • Wynberg End
• Kelvin Grove End
Old Wanderers No. 1 Ground
(Old Wanderers) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01896-03-02 2 March 1896††††† Unknown
Trent Bridge Ground
(Trent Bridge) Nottingham, Nottinghamshire England Flag of England England 01899-06-01 1 June 1899 • Pavilion End
• Radcliffe Road End
Headingley Carnegie Stadium
(Headingley) Leeds, Yorkshire England Flag of England England 01899-06-29 29 June 1899 • Kirkstall Lane End
• Football Stand End
County Cricket Ground
(Edgbaston) Birmingham, Warwickshire England Flag of England England 01902-05-29 29 May 1902 • City End
• Pavilion End
Bramall Lane Sheffield, Yorkshire England Flag of England England 01902-07-03 3 July 1902††† • Pavilion End
• Football Ground End
Lord's No. 1 Ground
(Lord's) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01910-01-21 21 January 1910‡ Unknown
Sahara Stadium Kingsmead
(Kingsmead) Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01923-01-18 18 January 1923 • Umgeni End
• Old Fort Road End
Exhibition Ground†
(The Ekka) Brisbane, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01928-11-30 30 November 1928 • Hospital End
• The Hill
AMI Stadium
(formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park) Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-01-10 10 January 1930 • Hadlee Stand End
• Port Hills End
Kensington Oval
(The Mecca) Bridgetown, Barbados West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-01-11 11 January 1930 • Malcolm Marshall End
• Joel Garner End
Basin Reserve
(The Basin) Wellington New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-01-24 24 January 1930 • Vance Stand End
• Scoreboard End
Queen's Park Oval Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-02-01 1 February 1930 • Pavilion End
• Media Centre End
Eden Park No. 1
(Eden Park) Auckland New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01930-02-14 14 February 1930 • Dominion Road End
• Sandringham Road End
Bourda Georgetown, Guyana West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-02-21 21 February 1930 • Regent Street End
• North Road End
Sabina Park
(Bina) Kingston, Jamaica West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01930-04-03 3 April 1930 • Blue Mountains End
• Headley Stand End
Brisbane Cricket Ground
(The Gabba) Brisbane, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01931-11-27 27 November 1931 • Stanley Street End
• Vulture Street End
Bombay Gymkhana Ground
(Gymkhana Ground) Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01933-12-15 15 December 1933 Unknown
Eden Gardens Kolkata, West Bengal India Flag of India India 01934-01-05 5 January 1934 • High Court End
• Pavilion End
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
(Chepauk) Chennai, Tamil Nadu India Flag of India India 01934-02-10 10 February 1934 • Anna Pavilion End
• Wallajah Road End
Feroz Shah Kotla
(Kotla) Delhi India Flag of India India 01948-11-10 10 November 1948 • Stadium End
• Pavilion End
Brabourne Stadium Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01948-12-09 9 December 1948 • Pavilion End
• Churchgate End
Ellis Park Stadium
(Ellis Park) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01948-12-27 27 December 1948* Unknown
Green Park Stadium Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01952-01-12 12 January 1952 • Mill Pavilion End
• Hostel End
University Ground Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01952-10-23 23 October 1952 Unknown
Bangabandhu National Stadium
(Number 1 Dhaka Stadium) Dhaka, Dhaka Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 01955-01-01 1 January 1955†† • Pavilion End
• Paltan End
Bahawal Stadium Bahawalpur, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-01-15 15 January 1955†††† Unknown
Bagh-e-Jinnah
(Lawrence Gardens) Lahore, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-01-29 29 January 1955 Unknown
Peshawar Club Ground Peshawar, North West Frontier Province Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-02-13 13 February 1955 • Pavilion End
• College End
National Stadium Karachi, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01955-02-26 26 February 1955 • Pavilion End
• University End
Carisbrook Dunedin, Otago New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01955-03-11 11 March 1955 • Railway End
• Hillside End
Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
(Fateh Maidan) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India Flag of India India 01955-11-19 19 November 1955 • Pavilion End
• Hill Fort End
Nehru Stadium Chennai, Tamil Nadu India Flag of India India 01956-01-06 6 January 1956 Unknown
New Wanderers Stadium
(Wanderers) Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01956-12-24 24 December 1956 • Corlett Drive End
• Golf Course End
Gaddafi Stadium
(Lahore Stadium) Lahore, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01959-11-21 21 November 1959 • Pavilion End
• College End
Pindi Club Ground Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01965-03-27 27 March 1965 Unknown
Vidharba Cricket Association Ground
(VCA Ground) Nagpur, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01969-10-03 3 October 1969 • Jaika End
• Church End
Western Australian Cricket Association Ground
(The WACA) Perth, Western Australia Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01970-12-11 11 December 1970 • Members End
• Prindiville Stand End
Niaz Stadium Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01973-03-16 16 March 1973 Unknown
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
(Chinnaswamy Stadium) Bangalore, Karnataka India Flag of India India 01974-11-22 22 November 1974 • Pavilion End
• BEML End
Wankhede Stadium Mumbai, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 01975-01-23 23 January 1975 • Garware Pavilion End
• Tata End
Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01978-11-16 16 November 1978 • Pavilion End
• Golf Course End
McLean Park Napier, Hawke's Bay New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01979-02-16 16 February 1979 • Centennial Stand End
• Embankment End
Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium Multan, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01980-12-30 30 December 1980 Unknown
Antigua Recreation Ground
(The Rec) St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01981-03-27 27 March 1981 • Pavilion End
• Factory Road End
Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium
(Saravanamuttu Stadium) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01982-02-17 17 February 1982 • Air Force Flats End
• Press Block End
Asgiriya Stadium Kandy, Central Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01983-04-22 22 April 1983 • Hunnasgiriya End
• Hanthana End
Gandhi Stadium Jalandhar, Punjab India Flag of India India 01983-09-24 24 September 1983 • Stadium End
• Pavilion End
Sardar Patel Stadium
(Motera) Ahmedabad, Gujarat India Flag of India India 01983-11-12 12 November 1983 • Adani Pavilion End
• GMDC End
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
(SSC) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01984-03-16 16 March 1984 • Tennis Courts End
• South End
Colombo Cricket Club Ground
(CCC) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01984-03-24 24 March 1984 • Press Box End
• Pavilion End
Jinnah Stadium
(Sialkot Stadia) Sialkot, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01985-10-27 27 October 1985 • Railway End
• Pavilion End
Barabati Stadium Cuttack, Orissa India Flag of India India 01987-01-04 4 January 1987 • Mahanadi River End
• Pavilion End
Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur, Rajasthan India Flag of India India 01987-02-21 21 February 1987 • Pavilion End
• City End
Bellerive Oval Hobart, Tasmania Australia Flag of Australia Australia 01989-12-16 16 December 1989 • Church Street End
• River End
Sector 16 Stadium Chandigarh, Chandigarh India Flag of India India 01990-11-23 23 November 1990 Unknown
Seddon Park
Hamilton, Waikato New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 01991-02-22 22 February 1991 • Members End
• City End
Jinnah Stadium Gujranwala, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01991-12-20 20 December 1991 Unknown
Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium
(Premadasa Stadium) Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01992-08-28 28 August 1992 • Khettarama End
• Scoreboard End
Tyronne Fernando Stadium
(Fernando Stadium) Moratuwa, Western Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01992-09-08 8 September 1992 • Press Box End
• Katubadda End
Harare Sports Club
(formerly "Salisbury Sports Club") Harare Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01992-10-18 18 October 1992 • City End
• Club House End
Bulawayo Athletic Club Bulawayo Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01992-11-01 1 November 1992 ††††††† Unknown
Southend Club Cricket Stadium
(Defence Cricket Stadium) Karachi, Sindh Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01993-12-01 1 December 1993 Unknown
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01993-12-03 3 December 1993 • Pavilion End
• Shell End
K.D. Singh Babu Stadium Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India Flag of India India 01994-01-18 18 January 1994 • Pavilion End
• Gomati End
Queens Sports Club Bulawayo Zimbabwe Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 01994-10-20 20 October 1994 • City End
• Airport End
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium
(Mohali) Mohali, Punjab India Flag of India India 01994-12-10 10 December 1994 • Pavilion End
• City End
Arbab Niaz Stadium Peshawar, North West Frontier Province Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01995-09-08 8 September 1995 • Pavilion End
• College End
SuperSport Park
(Centurion Park) Centurion, Gauteng South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01995-11-16 16 November 1995 • Pavilion End
• Hennops River End
Sheikhupura Stadium Sheikhupura, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 01996-10-17 17 October 1996 Unknown
The Playing Fields
(Arnos Vale) Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 01997-06-20 20 June 1997 • Airport End
• Bequia End
Galle International Stadium Galle, Southern Province Sri Lanka Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 01998-06-03 3 June 1998 • City End
• Fort End
Goodyear Park
(Springbok Park) Bloemfontein, Free State South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 01999-10-29 29 October 1999 • Loch Logan End
• Willows End
Multan Cricket Stadium Multan, Punjab Pakistan Flag of Pakistan Pakistan 02001-08-29 29 August 2001 • Main Pavilion End
• North Pavilion End
MA Aziz Stadium Chittagong, Chittagong Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02001-11-15 15 November 2001 • Pedrollo End
• Ispahani End
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
(SCA Stadium) Sharjah, United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 02002-01-31 31 January 2002†††††† • Pavilion End
• Sharjah Club End
National Cricket Stadium
(Queen's Park) St. George's, Grenada West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02002-06-28 28 June 2002 • River End
• D'arbeau End
Buffalo Park East London, Eastern Cape South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 02002-10-18 18 October 2002 • Buffalo Park Drive End
• Bunkers Hill End
North West Cricket Stadium
(Sedgars Park) Potchefstroom, North West South Africa Flag of South Africa South Africa 02002-10-25 25 October 2002 • Daly Auto End
• University End
County Ground
(Riverside) Chester-le-Street, County Durham England Flag of England England 02003-06-05 5 June 2003 • Finchale End
• Lumley End
Beausejour Gros Islet, Saint Lucia West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02003-06-20 20 June 2003 • Pavilion End
• Media Centre End
Marrara Oval Darwin, Northern Territory Australia Flag of Australia Australia 02003-07-18 18 July 2003 • McMillans Road End
• Airport End
Bundaberg Rum Stadium
(Cazaly's Stadium) Cairns, Queensland Australia Flag of Australia Australia 02003-07-25 25 July 2003 • City End
• Club End
Chittagong Divisional Stadium
(Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium) Chittagong, Chittagong Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-02-28 28 February 2006 • UCB End
• Ispahani End
Shaheed Chandu Stadium Bogra, Rajshahi Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-03-08 8 March 2006 Unknown
Narayanganj Osmani Stadium Fatullah, Narayanganj District Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02006-04-09 9 April 2006 • Press Box End
• Pavilion End
Warner Park Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02006-06-22 22 June 2006 • South Stand End
• Factory Road End
Shere-e-Bangla Stadium Mirpur, Dhaka Division Bangladesh Flag of Bangladesh Bangladesh 02007-05-25 May 25, 2007 • Ispahani End
• Aqua Paints End
University Oval
Dunedin, Otago New Zealand Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 02008-01-04 4 January 2008 • Southern End
• Northern End
Providence Stadium Providence, Guyana West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02008-03-22 22 March 2008 • Media Centre End
• Pavilion End
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda West Indies Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board West Indies 02008-05-30 30 May 2008 • Media Centre End
• Pavilion End
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium
(Jamtha) Nagpur, Maharashtra India Flag of India India 02008-11-06 6 November 2008 • North End
• Pavilion End
SWALEC Stadium
(Sophia Gardens) Cardiff, Glamorgan England Flag of England England 02009-07-08 8 July 2009 [1][2] • River Taff End
• Cathedral Road End

* † – Staged two Tests, one in 1928 and the other in 1931; not used for first-class cricket since 1931.
* †† – First used by Pakistan for 8 Tests, later for 9 Tests by Bangladesh, including the inaugural home Test for both sides, on 1 January 1955 and 10 November 2000 respectively. Used exclusively for football since March 2005.
* ††† – Staged only one Test; not used for cricket since 1973; home ground of Sheffield United F.C.
* †††† – Inaugural home Test in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh) on 1 January 1955.
* ††††† – 22 Tests from 1896 to 1939; not used for first-class cricket since 1946; redeveloped as Johannesburg Railway Station.
* ‡ – 4 Tests from 1910 to 1921; not used for first-class cricket since 1922; demolished.
* * – 6 Tests from 1948 to 1954; not used for first-class cricket since 1956; now used only for rugby union.
* †††††† – 4 Tests in 2002.
* ††††††† – Staged only one Test in 1992; subsequent Tests in Bulawayo played at the Queens Sports Club

LIST OF ASHES SERIES AND MATCHES

Series and matches

The quest to "recover those ashes"

Later in 1882, following the famous Australian victory at The Oval, Bligh led an England team to Australia, as he said, to "recover those ashes". Publicity surrounding the series was intense, and it was at some time during this series that the Ashes urn was crafted. Australia won the First Test by nine wickets, but in the next two England were victorious. At the end of the Third Test, England were generally considered to have "won back the Ashes" 2–1. A fourth match was played, against a "United Australian XI", which was arguably stronger than the Australian sides that had competed in the previous three matches; this game, however, is not generally considered part of the 1882–83 series. It is counted as a Test, but as a standalone. 1884 to 1896
After Bligh's victory, there was an extended period of English dominance. The tours generally had fewer Tests in the 1880s and 1890s than people have grown accustomed to in more recent years, the first five-Test series taking place only in 1894–95. England lost only four Ashes Tests in the 1880s out of 23 played, and they won all the seven series contested.
There was more chopping and changing in the teams, given that there was no official board of selectors for each country (in 1887–88, two separate English teams were on tour in Australia) and popularity with the fans varied. The 1890s games were more closely fought, Australia taking their first series win since 1882 with a 2–1 victory in 1891–92. But England dominated, winning the next three series to 1896 despite continuing player disputes.
The 1894–95 series began in sensational fashion when England won the First Test at Sydney by just 10 runs having followed on. Australia had scored a massive 586 (Syd Gregory 201, George Giffen 161) and then dismissed England for 325. But England responded with 437 and then dramatically dismissed Australia for 166 with Bobby Peel taking 6 for 67. At the close of the second last day's play, Australia were 113–2, needing only 64 more runs. But heavy rain fell overnight and next morning the two slow left-arm bowlers, Peel and Johnny Briggs, were all but unplayable. England went on to win the series 3–2 after it had been all square before the Final Test, which England won by 6 wickets. The English heroes were Peel, with 27 wickets in the series at an average of 26.70, and Tom Richardson, with 32 at 26.53.
In 1896 England under the captaincy of W G Grace won the series 2–1, and this marked the end of England's longest period of Ashes dominance. 1897 to 1902
Australia resoundingly won the 1897–98 series by 4–1 under the captaincy of Harry Trott. His successor Joe Darling won the next three series in 1899, 1901–02 and the classic 1902 series, which became one of the most famous in the history of Test cricket.
Five matches were played in 1902 but the first two were drawn after being hit by bad weather. In the First Test (the first played at Edgbaston), after scoring 376 England bowled out Australia for 36 (Wilfred Rhodes 7/17) and reduced them to 46–2 when they followed on. Australia won the Third and Fourth Tests at Bramall Lane and Old Trafford respectively. At Old Trafford, Australia won by just 3 runs after Victor Trumper had scored 104 on a "bad wicket", reaching his hundred before lunch on the first day. England won the last Test at The Oval by one wicket. Chasing 263 to win, they slumped to 48–5 before Jessop's 104 gave them a chance. He reached his hundred in just 75 minutes. The last wicket pair of George Hirst and Rhodes were left with 15 runs to get, and duly got them. When Rhodes joined him, Hirst is famously supposed to have said: "We'll get them in singles, Wilfred." The story appears to be apocryphal and they are believed to have scored at least one two among the singles.
The period of Darling's captaincy saw the emergence of outstanding Australian players such as Trumper, Warwick Armstrong, James Kelly, Monty Noble, Clem Hill, Hugh Trumble and Ernie Jones.
Reviving the Ashes legend
After what the MCC saw as the problems of the earlier professional and amateur series they decided to take control of organising tours themselves, and this led to the first MCC tour of Australia in 1903–04. England won it against the odds, and Plum Warner, the England captain, wrote up his version of the tour in his book How We Recovered The Ashes.[13] The title of this book revived the Ashes legend and it was after this that England v Australia series were customarily referred to as "The Ashes". 1905 to 1912
England and Australia were evenly matched until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Five more series took place between 1905 and 1912. In 1905 England's captain Stanley Jackson not only won the series 2–0, but also won the toss in all five matches and headed both the batting and the bowling averages. Monty Noble led Australia to victory in both 1907–08 and 1909. Then England won in 1911–12 by four matches to one. Jack Hobbs establishing himself as England's first-choice opening batsman with three centuries, while Frank Foster (32 wickets at 21.62) and Sydney Barnes (34 wickets at 22.88) formed a formidable bowling partnership.
England retained the Ashes when they won the 1912 Triangular Tournament, which also featured South Africa. The Australian touring party had been severely weakened by a dispute between the board and players that caused Clem Hill, Victor Trumper, Warwick Armstrong, Tibby Cotter, Sammy Carter and Vernon Ransford to be omitted.[14]
1920 to 1933
After the war, Australia took firm control of both the Ashes and world cricket. For the first time, the tactic of using two express bowlers in tandem paid off as Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald regularly destroyed the England batting. Australia recorded thumping victories both in England and on home soil. They won the first eight matches in succession and England won only one Test out of 15 from the end of the war until 1925. England suffered a 5–0 whitewash in 1920–1921 at the hands of Warwick Armstrong's team.[15]
In a rain-hit series in 1926, England managed to eke out a 1–0 victory with a win in the final Test at The Oval. Because the series was at stake, the match was to be "timeless", i.e., played to a finish. Australia had a narrow first innings lead of 22. Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe took the score to 49–0 at the end of the second day, a lead of 27. Heavy rain fell overnight, and next day the pitch soon developed into a traditional sticky wicket. England seemed doomed to be bowled out cheaply and to lose the match. In spite of the very difficult batting conditions, however, Hobbs and Sutcliffe took their partnership to 172 before Hobbs was out for exactly 100. Sutcliffe went on to make 161 and England won the game comfortably.[16]
Despite the debut of Donald Bradman, Australia could not win the next series in 1928–29, losing 4–1.[17] England had a very strong batting side, with Wally Hammond contributing 905 runs at an average of 113.12, and Hobbs, Sutcliffe and Patsy Hendren all scoring heavily; the bowling was more than adequate, without being outstanding.
But Bradman fulfilled his promise in the 1930 series when he scored a remarkable 974 runs at 139.14. In the Headingley Test, he made 334, reaching 309* at the end of the first day, including a century before lunch. Bradman himself thought that his 254 in the preceding match, at Lord's, was a better innings. England managed to stay in contention until the deciding final Test at The Oval, but yet another double hundred by Bradman, and 7–92 by Percy Hornibrook in England's second innings, enabled Australia to win by an innings and take the series 2–1. Clarrie Grimmett's 29 wickets at 31.89 for Australia in this high-scoring series were also important.
Australia had one of the best batting line-ups ever in the early 1930s with Bradman, Archie Jackson, Stan McCabe, Bill Woodfull and Bill Ponsford. It was the prospect of bowling at this line-up that caused England's 1932–33 captain Douglas Jardine to adopt the tactic of fast leg theory, also known as bodyline.


Bill Woodfull evades a ball from Harold Larwood with Bodyline field settings.
Jardine instructed his fast bowlers to bowl at the bodies of the Australian batsmen, with the goal of forcing them to defend their bodies with their bats, thus providing easy catches to a stacked leg-side field. Jardine insisted that the tactic was legitimate and called it "leg theory" but it was widely disparaged by its opponents, who dubbed it "bodyline" (from "on the line of the body"). Although England won the Ashes, bodyline caused such a furore in Australia that diplomats had to intervene to prevent serious harm to Anglo-Australian relations, and the MCC eventually changed the Laws of cricket to prevent anyone from using the tactic again.
Jardine's comment was: "I've not travelled 6,000 miles to make friends. I'm here to win the Ashes".[18]
Although some of Woodfull's men asked him to use the same tactic against the England team, he declined. He famously told England manager Pelham Warner, "There are two teams out there. One is playing cricket; the other is making no attempt to do so".[19]
1934 to 1953
On the batting-friendly wickets that prevailed in the late 1930s, most Tests up to the Second World War still gave results. It should be borne in mind that Tests in Australia prior to the war were all played to a finish. Many batting records were set in this period.
The 1934 Ashes series began with the notable absence of the English players Harold Larwood, Bill Voce and Douglas Jardine. The MCC had made it clear, in light of the revelations of the bodyline series, that these players would not face Australia. It should be noted that the MCC, although it had earlier condoned and encouraged[citation needed] bodyline tactics in the 1932–33 series, laid the blame on Harold Larwood when relations turned sour. Larwood was forced by the MCC either to apologise for using bodyline or be removed from the Test side. He went for the latter.
Australia recovered the Ashes in 1934 and held them until 1953, although no international cricket was possible during the Second World War.
As in 1930, the 1934 series was decided in the final Test at The Oval. Australia, batting first, posted a massive 701 in the first innings. Bradman (244) and Ponsford (266) were in record-breaking form with a partnership of 451 for the second wicket. England eventually faced a massive 707 run target for victory and failed, Australia winning the series 2–1.[20]
In 1936–37 Bradman succeeded Woodfull as Australian captain. He won his first series in charge 3–2. The 1938 series was drawn 1–1, Australia retaining the Ashes. The highlight was Len Hutton's then world record score of 364 at The Oval. After the war, England toured in 1946–47 and, as in 1920–21, found that Australia had made the best post-war recovery. Still captained by Bradman and now featuring the potent new ball partnership of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller, Australia were convincing 3–0 winners.
In 1948 Australia created new standards, completely outplaying England to win 4–0 with one draw. This Australian team, led by the now 39-year-old Bradman on his final tour of England, has gone down in cricketing legend as The Invincibles. Playing 36 first-class matches on tour, including the five Tests, they remained unbeaten by winning 27 and drawing only 9.
The 1948 series ended with one of the most poignant moments in cricket history, as Bradman played his final innings for Australia in the Fifth Test at The Oval, needing to score only 4 runs to maintain a career batting average of 100. Eric Hollies bowled him second ball for a duck with a googly, sending him into retirement with a career average of 99.94.
Bradman was succeeded as Australian captain by Lindsay Hassett, who led the team to another resounding victory in 1950–51, when they defeated England 4–1.
But the tide finally turned in 1953 when England won the final Test at The Oval to take the series 1–0. This was the beginning of a great period in English cricket history with players like captain Len Hutton, Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, Alec Bedser, Jim Laker, Peter May, Tom Graveney, Godfrey Evans and Colin Cowdrey.
1954 to 1971
In 1954–55, Australia's batsmen had no answer to the pace of Frank Tyson and Brian Statham. After winning the First Test, Australia lost its way and England took a hat-trick of victories to win the series 3–1.[21]
A see-sawing series in 1956 saw a record that will probably never be beaten: off-spinner Jim Laker's monumental effort at Old Trafford when he bowled 68 of 191 overs to take nineteen out of twenty possible Australian wickets.[22] Never has the phrase "he won the match single-handedly" been more appropriate.
England's dominance was not to last. Australia won 4–0 in 1958–59, having found a good bowler of their own in new skipper Richie Benaud, who took 31 wickets in the five-Test series.
England failed to win any series during the 1960s, a period dominated by draws as teams found it more prudent to save face than risk losing. Of a total of 25 Ashes Tests playing during this decade, Australia won seven and England three. It was in the 1960s that the predominance of England and Australia in world cricket was seriously challenged for the first time. West Indies defeated England twice in the mid-sixties and South Africa, in its last series before it was banned, completely outplayed Australia.
In 1970–71, Ray Illingworth led England to a 2–0 win in Australia, mainly because of John Snow's fast bowling, while Geoffrey Boycott and John Edrich scored the runs. It was not until the last session of what was the 7th Test (one match having been abandoned without a ball bowled) that England's success was secured. The Australian captain Bill Lawry was sacked in the middle of the series after the selectors lost patience with Australia's lack of success and dour strategy. Lawry was not informed of the decision privately and heard his fate over the radio,[23] a medium in which he later made another successful career.
1972 to 1987
The 1972 series finished 2–2, with England under Illingworth retaining the Ashes.[24]
In the 1974–75 series, with the England team breaking up and their best batsman Geoff Boycott refusing to play, Australian pace bowlers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee wreaked havoc. A 4–1 result was a fair reflection as England were left shell shocked.[25] England then lost the 1975 series 0–1, but at least restored some pride under new captain Tony Greig.[26]
Australia won the 1977 Centenary Test[27] which was not an Ashes contest, but then a storm broke as Kerry Packer announced his intention to form World Series Cricket.[28] WSC affected all Test playing nations but it weakened Australia especially as the bulk of its players had signed up with Packer; the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) would not select WSC-contracted players and an almost completely new Test team had to be formed. WSC coincided with the decline of both the Australian and English teams; the Ashes had long been seen as a cricket world championship but the rise of the West Indies in the late 1970s challenged that view. The West Indies would go on to record resounding Test series wins over Australia and England and dominated world cricket until the 1990s.
With Greig having joined WSC, England appointed Mike Brearley as their captain and he enjoyed great success against Australia. Largely assisted by the return of Geoff Boycott, Brearley's England team won the 1977 series 3–0 and then completed an overwhelming 5–1 series win against an Australian side missing its WSC players in 1978–79. Allan Border made his Test debut for Australia in 1978–79.
Brearley retired from Test cricket in 1979 and was succeeded by Ian Botham, who started the 1981 series as England captain. After Australia took a 1–0 lead in the first two Tests, Botham was forced to resign or was sacked (depending on the source). Brearley surprisingly agreed to be reappointed before the Third Test at Headingley. This was a remarkable match in which Australia looked certain to take a 2–0 series lead after they had forced England to follow-on 227 runs behind. England, despite being 135 for 7, produced a second innings total of 356 with ex-skipper Botham scoring 149*. Chasing just 130, Australia were sensationally dismissed for 111, Bob Willis taking 8/43. It was the first time since 1894–95 that a team following on had won a Test match. Under Brearley's leadership, England went on to win the next two matches before a drawn final match at The Oval.[29]
In 1982–83 Australia had Greg Chappell back from WSC as captain, while the England team was weakened by the enforced omission of their South African tour rebels, particularly Graham Gooch and John Emburey. Australia went 2–0 up after three Tests, but England won the Fourth Test by 3 runs (after a 70-run last wicket stand) to set up the final decider, which was drawn.[30]
In 1985 David Gower's England team was strengthened by the return of Gooch and Emburey as well as the emergence at international level of Tim Robinson and Mike Gatting. Australia, now captained by Allan Border, had themselves been weakened by a rebel South African tour, the loss of Terry Alderman being a particular factor. England won 3–1.
Despite suffering heavy defeats against the West Indies during the 1980s, England continued to do well in the Ashes. Mike Gatting was the captain in 1986–87 but his team started badly and attracted some criticism.[31] Then Chris Broad scored three hundreds in successive Tests and bowling successes from Graham Dilley and Gladstone Small meant England won the series 2-1.[32] At the time, few would have predicted that England would have to wait until 2005 to win the Ashes again.
1989 to 2003
The Australian team of 1989 was comparable to the great Australian teams of the past, and resoundingly defeated England 4–0.[33] Well led by Allan Border, the team included the young cricketers Mark Taylor, Merv Hughes, David Boon, Ian Healy and Steve Waugh, who were all to prove long-serving and successful Ashes competitors. England, now led once again by David Gower, suffered from injuries and poor form. During the Fourth Test news broke that prominent England players had agreed to take part in a "rebel tour" of South Africa the following winter; three of them (Tim Robinson, Neil Foster and John Emburey) were playing in the match, and were subsequently dropped from the England side.[34]
Australia reached a cricketing peak in the 1990s and early 2000s, coupled with a general decline in England's fortunes. After re-establishing its credibility in 1989, Australia underlined its superiority with victories in the 1990–91, 1993, 1994–95, 1997, 1998–99, 2001 and 2002–03 series, all by convincing margins.
Great Australian players in the early years included batsmen Allan Border, David Boon and Mark Taylor. The captaincy passed from Border to Taylor in the mid-1990s and then to Steve Waugh before the 2001 series. In the latter part of the 1990s Waugh himself, along with his twin brother Mark, scored heavily for Australia and fast bowler Glenn McGrath made a serious impact. The wicketkeeper-batsman position was held by Ian Healy for most of the 1990s and by Adam Gilchrist from 2001 to 2006–07. In the 2000s, batsmen Justin Langer, Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden became noted players for Australia. But the most dominant Australian player was legspinner Shane Warne, whose first delivery in Ashes cricket in 1993 became known as the ball of the century.
Australia's record between 1989 and 2005 had a significant impact on the statistics between the two sides. Before the 1989 series began, the win-loss ratio was almost even, with 87 wins for Australia to England's 86, 74 having been drawn.[35] By the 2005 series Australia's wins had increased to 115 whereas England's had increased to only 93 (and a further 82 draws).[36] In the period between 1989 and the beginning of the 2005 series, the two sides had played 43 times; Australia winning 28 times, England 7 times, with 8 draws. Only a single England victory had come in a match in which the Ashes were still at stake, namely the First Test of the 1997 series. All others were consolation victories when the Ashes had been secured by Australia.[37]
2005 to present
England began to recover in the early 2000s and were undefeated in Test matches through the 2004 calendar year. This elevated them to second in the ICC Test Championship. Hopes that the 2005 Ashes series would be closely fought proved well founded, as the series was more competitive than anyone had predicted and was still undecided as the closing session of the final Test began. Experienced journalists including Richie Benaud rated the series as the most exciting in living memory. It has been compared with the great series of the distant past, such as 1894–95 and 1902.
The First Test at Lord's was convincingly won by Australia, but in the remaining four matches the teams were evenly matched and England fought back to win the Second Test by 2 runs, the smallest victory by a runs margin in Ashes history, and the second-closest such victory in all Tests. The rain-affected Third Test ended with the last two Australian batsmen holding out for a draw and England won the Fourth Test by three wickets after forcing Australia to follow-on for the first time in 191 Tests. A draw in the final Test gave England victory in an Ashes series for the first time in 18 years and their first Ashes victory at home since 1985.
Australia regained The Ashes in the 2006–07 series with a convincing 5–0 victory, the second time an Ashes series has been won by that margin. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer retired from Test cricket after the series, having been the backbone of the Australian team for almost a decade. Damien Martyn also retired during the series.[38]
The current series is being played in England & Wales in 2009, where England have taken a 1–0 series lead after the 2nd Test at Lord's, England´s first Ashes win at Lord's for 75 years.