Tuesday, 24th April 2007 at 6:24 pm

Cricket World Cup: longest event in history

Nostradamus predicted it hundreds of years ago (when the Super Eights were just getting started), and so it has come to pass: the Cricket World Cup has entered its final week. There’s no one one the planet still alive who was around when the tournament got underway, but by studying cave paintings, ancient artefacts, and the works of Dan Brown, Feverpitcher has traced some of the early events of the tournament…

• WG Grace made a couple of early hundreds for England before retiring in the opening rounds of the World Cup. Don Bradman was still playing for Australia, and Brian McMillan was still playing for South Africa (yes, it really was that long ago).
• The opening ceremony was interrupted by news of an outbreak of conflict in the Crimea.
• Richie Benaud had his first commentary stint.
• A young South African toddler named Percy had his first drink (and subsequently fell out of his nappy).
• The Australian team still played in leg-irons and striped outfits.
• A big win for England over Zimbabwe (then playing as Cecil John’s XI) was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic.
• Several teams provided extras for the filming of James Bond movie ‘Dr. No’.
• Canadian team sent leftovers from team meals back to American relatives as the Great Depression unfolded
• And the principle of the ‘four o’clock licence’ at establishments selling liquor was introduced to the Caribbean, to accommodate South African cultural practices

Feel free to avail Feverpitcher of any further snapshots of history from the World Cup’s early years…