Time was when the game of cricket meant test matches only. A test match was spread over five days with one rest day in between Cricket was then billed as gentlemen’ s game. It was played by limited countries like England Australia New Zealand South Africa West Indies and India.
With the passage of time countries like India ,Sri Lanka ,Pakistan Zimbabwe and Afghanistan also took fancy to it.
A major change occurred in its format when one-dayers known as fifty Fifty and then cricket matches of twenty twenty overs were also started.
It is worth pointing out that when fifty fifty overs matches were being introduced in 1975 many veteran cricketers had opposed the idea saying that they would spread corruption. Time proved them right when cases of match fixing and ball tampering started occurring and many famous cricketers were goaled and disqualified from playing cricket after they were caught red handed indulging in these vices.
Today cricket has become a big commercial industry. Cricketers now roll in money. They have become millionaires today. They not only get a fat purse from the cricket control authorities of their country every year, the advertising companies also give them a very handsome amount in return for promoting the consumer goods of many business concerns over electronic and print media.
