Cricket is estimated to have over 2.5 billion followers worldwide, and it’s the second most popular sport next to European football.
To some, it may sound surprising that it is a popular sport, and that’s understandable. After all, cricket is mostly popular in countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. However, there are also followers in countries like Australia, England, and the West Indies.
But yes, the best cricket bookmakers in India can confirm how big of a sport it is in the country, which has a population of over a billion. Business Standard reported that around 612 million of the country’s population would watch cricket.
Has Cricket Always Been Popular?
It’s hard to gauge how popular cricket has been when it first came about. What’s known is that it originated in England during the 16th century as there are references that it was played in the 1590s.
It’s said to have started as a children’s game in Weald, and it was an area of dense woodlands in clearings that are now Kent and Sussex. But it was mostly in the 18th century when it started to be played outside England, during the British Empire’s expansion.
This was also pretty much when the sport made it to India. The sport gained popularity among the Indian elite and gradually spread to the masses.
The establishment of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 1928 and India’s independence in 1947 surely promoted the sport’s growth.
The same goes for Bangladesh as it’s also believed that the British people are the ones who brought the sport there. However, it was mostly played by expats and local elite.
In Australia, cricket has been played since the early 19th century. The sport gained popularity through intercolonial matches and tours by English teams, and it eventually became the country’s national summer sport.
Role of the International Cricket Council (ICC)
Cricket is governed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has been around since 1909 under the name Imperial Cricket Conference. Back then, it was only comprised of representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa.
Today, the ICC is based in Dubai, UAE and now has 108 member nations and 12 full members which are the following:
Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies
The ICC runs various development programs aimed at promoting cricket in associate and affiliate member countries. These programs include coaching, infrastructure development, and grassroots initiatives to nurture young talent.
They also organize international tournaments like the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup, and the ICC Champions Trophy where teams and players from different countries compete.
Aside from those, they play a big role in promoting cricket through various marketing campaigns and partnerships. Recently, they’ve also worked on a global growth strategy, aiming to get cricket to be part of the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
They’re also making more efforts to promote women’s cricket. They’ve been investing in initiatives like the 100% Cricket Female and Oman’s Cricket4Her program.
Cricket’s Expansion
The ICC has talked about how they want to bring cricket to more countries, and eventually hope to beat football as the number 1 sport worldwide. That would take a lot of work, and they would need to make the sport popular in bigger countries like the United States.
Cricket was once quite popular in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was played extensively and even had a significant following. However, it was eventually overtaken by baseball and was mostly associated with British colonialism.
So, for a long time, it’s become one of the least popular sports in the country. In recent years, though, it seems like the sport is once again flourishing, especially with the Major League Cricket.
Some of the matches in the 2024 T20 World Cup were also held in the US, and there was even a cricket stadium that recently opened because of this.
Aside from the US, it’s also likely that more countries will show interest in the sport, and that includes countries like Namibia, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea.
What Lies Ahead: Cricket’s Future Path
While there’s still a long road ahead to make cricket the number 1 sport, the ICC’s effort is surely paying off. It’s a big deal that some of the World Cup matches were played in the US, and we can only wait and see if more major cricket events will be held there.
That happening can surely boost the interest in sport, especially with the T20 format that is easier to follow compared to Test and ODI matches.
