A list of firsts in cricket

International cricket, ever since the 19^th century, has come a long way. Not only has the game spread across so many countries and regions, it has managed to attract interest across generations. In today’s world, it has three basic formats of the game- the long 5-day test match, the 50-over-a-side ODI and the rapid-fire 20-over-a-side twenty-twenty matches.

There have been different formats, different rules, modifications, different settings, but the spirit of the game has been upheld throughout the process and transformation. The cricket that we know now is very different from the one that led to the inception of the game.

Here, we look into the game’s firsts- the first international test match, the first international ODI and the first international Twenty20 match. Since each of these formats was introduced in different decades and eras, there are huge differences in the first matches of each of the three formats.

Year 1877: The first ever International Test match

The gold medal presented to the Sussex and England cricketer Harry Charlwood on the occasion of the first official Test Match between England and Australia which commenced on 15th March 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

On the 15^th of March, 1877, at the stroke of one in the afternoon, began an era of cricket that paved the way for the game in the next so many years to come. It was the English team touring Australia. The journey from England to down under by sea was something that a lot of the English players wanted to avoid. But as the game started, it was Charles Bannerman who scored the first ever single in test cricket off a ball of Alfred Shaw. He went on to score a century one hour and 25 minutes after the start of the game. He thus made the first century in Test cricket. This was enough to attract a crowd of over 4500. By the third day, this number was augmented to 21,000. This series allowed four balls an over to the batsmen.

Dave Gregory’s Australian side won the match by 45 runs, four days after the beginning of the match. A total of 653 runs were scored in that match. Southerton of England still holds the record of being the oldest test debutant at 49 years! As the crowds began to gather and the match turned into a success, soon a second test was organised between the same two teams, where the English team went on to strengthen their hold on the game by snatching a win.

This test match was symbolic of the prolific shift of cricket from within the boundaries of England to being an international sport.

Year 1971: The first ever One Day International match

We fast forward to 1971, to the same place, the Melbourne Cricket ground, to witness the first ever ODI played in the history of the game. Australia and England were indeed the forerunners of the game, introducing this new format to the world of cricket and paving way for a new era of modernistic cricket.

There is a fascinating story behind the introduction of the limited over cricket matches. In 1971, when the traditional New Year’s Eve test match between Australia and England was washed out, an impromptu match was organized which was to be completed in a day. This was done basically to satisfy the cricket-hungry spectators. Thereafter, the format took shape in a more concrete manner over the next few years and had its first official international match in 1977.

Unlike the modern one day matches, the first ODI match was a 40-overs a side game. While test cricket was introduced with 4 balls per over, the first ever ODI organized saw 8 balls bowled per over. Australia won the one-off match by 5 wickets. This game attracted a crowd of over 46000 spectators! This match introduced to the world of limited overs cricket, the likes of Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Chappel, Graham McKenzie and others.

Year 2005: The first ever Twenty20 International match

Black Caps’ Andre Adams batting as Australia’s wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist looks on in the first ever Twenty20 International cricket match

On the 17^th of February, Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural Twenty20 international match in Auckland to mark the era of the latest addition to the world of cricket. The Australian side defeated the Black Caps and registered their first ever Twenty20 international win. Some of the greats of the game in the other two formats made their debut in this fast-paced game. This included the likes of Ricky Ponting (who was the Man-of-the-Match), Adam Gilchrist, Mike Hussey, Stephen Fleming, McCullum and others. The shortened version of the game had the ‘powerplay’ field restrictions right from the first game.