Cricket is one of the famous sports played and loved in many countries worldwide. But not all countries professionally play cricket, and neither is it famous in those countries.
It is generally said that cricket is famous only in the commonwealth countries. Let us know the reason for it. But before that, let us know some brief facts and details about cricket and its history.
About Cricket
Cricket is a two-team sport, each team having eleven players. It is played on a pitch which is a horizontal area in a field where the bowlers throw the ball to the opposition batters, and the batters strike the balls with their wooden bats to score runs.
The pitch length is generally 22 yards (20 meters) with six wickets on both sides, three on each side, which the bowler has to target. There are two sides to a pitch, the bowling side, where the bowler throws the ball, and the batting side, where the batsman strikes the ball. The batsman is declared out if the bowler hits the wickets on the batting side.
There are two innings in a match. Before starting the game, a toss is held to decide which team will bat first. The team that bats first has to score as many runs as possible within the given overs.
Then in the second innings, the team which was bowling initially would score more than the team which was batting initially. At the same time, the other team tries to obstruct it from doing so by saving the runs or taking the wickets and disqualifying the batters for that match.
Formats of Cricket
The game is played for limited overs, where one over is completed when a bowler bowls to a batter six times. The game has three formats depending on the number of overs played in an innings. The three formats are Twenty20, One Day International, and Test Cricket. One innings comprises twenty overs in Twenty20, whereas in One Day International, one innings is said to be fifty overs.
But the concept of Test Cricket is a bit different. Twenty20 (T20) or One Day International (ODI) matches last for only one day, but a single match in the Test Cricket format lasts up to five days.
Understanding test cricket will be more accessible if we take some real-life examples. Suppose there is a test match about to start between India and Australia. The players will play the game for five days, and on each day, approximately ninety overs will be played. After the first thirty overs, there is a lunch break of thirty minutes and a tea break of fifteen minutes after another thirty overs.
Suppose Australia decided to bat first, then they have to score as much as they can in the first innings until all their wickets fall off, or they declare their innings, followed by the batting of India in the first innings. If Australia scored 300 runs in their first innings, India has to score more than 300 to take the lead. Suppose India scores 396 in the first innings, so they now take the lead of 96 runs.
After that, the second innings begins, where again Australia comes out to bat and tries to cover up the lead and score as much as possible to set up a target for India. Say, after covering up the information, Australia scores another 430 runs. India has to score 351 runs to win the match, while Australia must take all the wickets before the target is completed. Once the five days are over and neither the target is achieved nor all the wickets have fallen, the match is declared a draw.
What Are Commonwealth Countries?
In simple words, the countries colonized by the British Government previously in historical times but are now independent and have their government are Commonwealth Countries. The organization comprises 56 countries, among which Gabon and Togo have joined this year.
It was first established in 1931 with its initial members United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. India joined this organization in the year of its independence, i.e., in 1947.
Nowadays, a country can join Commonwealth Countries by appealing to the heads if a country fulfils the eligibility criteria and is approved by the organization’s authorities.
Why is Cricket Famous in Commonwealth Countries?
After knowing what Commonwealth Countries are, it is quite evident why Cricket in Commonwealth Countries is pretty famous. The reason is that cricket was first introduced to the world by the United Kingdom. As the United Kingdom colonized many countries when cricket was first invented, it is quite probable that they would also play the game in those countries.
This resulted in the people of those colonies getting inclined towards the game. Thus, even after the British left, the country’s residents still played the game in those countries. With time, cricket became famous there and especially when it landed on an international platform as a competition and players from different countries gathered to compete and represent their country.
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Cricket was a game that was first played by a few young shepherds when they used to meet to graze their cattle. It was somewhere near South-East England, invented in the 16th century.
The official rules of cricket that are followed while playing the game now were first made by the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1744 at the Lord’s in England. The club added regulations such as the maximum thickness of the bat, LBW, a third stump, and a middle stump.
The oldest cricket stadium that is still in use by professional players is the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. It was established on 15th March 1877.
No, cricket is not quite famous in all commonwealth countries. It is renowned in the old commonwealth countries such as India, England, Australia, South Africa, etc. These countries are in a good position in the world rankings as well. But in the countries like Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria, Jamaica, etc., it is common not to play cricket even though these are commonwealth countries.
