Bangladesh, June 15 -- Although there were six test playing nations, for most Australians, international cricket was mainly about the Ashes rivalry with England - writes Rafiqul Ameer

During the summer of 1789, the British Ambassador in Paris (and a big cricket lover), with help from the foreign office in London, arranged a goodwill tour for an England cricket team to Paris. While the players had little or no idea about their potential opponents, they nevertheless gathered at Dover, ready to cross the English Channel.

But, then the start of a mass uprising in Paris and other parts of France (now known as the French Revolution) caused the tour to be cancelled. This is the first recorded case of political intervention in cricket.

Of co...