History and Sport: The Story of Cricket

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• Questions
• Summary

1. Modern cricket is dominated by Test and One-day internationals played between national teams.
2. Decolonisation and Sport: Decolonisation was a process which led to the decline of English influence in many areas including sports.
3. The colonial favour of world cricket during the 1950s and 1960s can be seen from the fact that England and the other white Commonwealth countries, Australia and New Zealand continued to play matches with South Africa.
4. It was only with political pressure from countries of Asia and Africa (recently decolonised) combine with liberal feeling in Britain that forced the English cricket authorities to cancel a tour by South Africa in 1970.

Decolonization is the process in which different parts of the European Empires became independent nations. This process led to the decline of British influence in trade, commerce, military affairs, international politics and sporting matters.

The Imperial Cricket Conference ICC was Increased Cricket Conference in 1965. It was dominated by its foundation members, England and Australia, which retained the right of veto over its proceedings. The situation was in hand till 1989 England and Australia got an equal membership.

The colonial flavour of world cricket during the 1950s and 1960s can be seen from the fact that England and the other white Commonwealth countries, Australia and New Zealand continued to play test cricket with South Africa which was a racist state that practised a policy of racial segregation.

Test playing nations like India, Pakistan and the West Indies boycotted South Africa, but they did not have the necessary power in the ICC to debar the country from the test cricket. That only came to pass when the political pressure to isolate South Africa applied by the newly decolonized nations of Asia and Africa combined with liberal feeling in Britain and forced the English cricket Authorities to cancel a tour by South Africa in 1970.