Question

how did the British try to restrict the game of cricket to themselves only ?

Answer 1

1) The pre-industrial oddness of cricket made it a hard game to export. It took root only in countries that the British conquered and ruled.
2) In these colonies, cricket was established as a popular sport either by white settlers (as in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies and Kenya) or by local elites who wanted to copy the habits of their colonial masters, as in India.
3) Success at cricket became a measure of racial equality and political progress.
4) Many of the political leaders saw in the game a chance for self- respect and international standing, which was identified by only the colonies and not the entire world.