Facts and statistics about Cricket are essential as it’s a game that is a heartthrob for millions of its fans! And that too all around the world…
Facts and statistics about Cricket
Let’s start with the common ones, shall we?
Cricket is an outdoor game. The indoor version of cricket played on a virtual screen is the new trend too.
Let us not talk about virtual and get outside on the stadium under the scorching sun!
The sport is completely physical with the physical fitness of course being the must. An athletic game played between two teams. Consists of 11 players each with one of them appointed as the captain. A few other players stay on each side who thereafter fill as substitutes for an injury.
The objective of the game is to score more runs while restricting the opponent team from scoring more than yours.
Historical facts about cricket
Initially said to be a summer game of England in the 1900s, it has gained enormous popularity worldwide.
Until the 18th century, bats were the same shape as hockey sticks. A simple reason is that the ballers bawled underarm.
ICC - International Cricket Council
Facts and statistics about cricket state that, international cricket is on-board ever since 1/2 century!
ICC is the international cricket body that sets the rules for international cricket tournaments.
A squad of 15 players is a must for all international tournaments as saying by ICC.
Participation of countries: ASIAN and NON-ASIAN
ASIAN - Asian countries include India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. They led to the founding of the Asian Cricket Conference in 1983. It took the task of developing the sport in the rest of Asia.
Bangladesh joined the crew by the 21st century and eventually turned into a new force in the cricket world.
Subsequently, Nepal, Malaysia, and Afghanistan also played in the competition.
Afghanistan then rose to prominence by qualifying for the World Cup in 2014.
The Asian Cricket Conference renamed itself as Asian Cricket Council in 2003.
With an association of 25 countries, the council is subordinate to ICC.
NON-ASIAN - On the other hand it's Non-Asian countries.
England, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa started their cricket journeys in the early 20th century.
Abe Bailey, the then president of the South Africa Cricket Association formed an international council. In 1906, they founded the Imperial Cricket Conference. He later renamed it the International Cricket Council.
Zimbabwe, Ireland, Kenya, Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, and the United Arab Emirates have been participating in international tournaments for more than two decades.
According to stats, a total of more than 100 countries associate themselves with ICC at present.
International cricket format
According to the facts and statistics about cricket, there exist three formats.
Firstly, Test Mach which carry on for 5 days.
Secondly, One-Day International (ODI) carries on for one day with 50 over aside.
Thirdly, T-20 International with 20 over aside. (T20 is the latest and also the most popular)
Interesting facts and statistics on Cricket
Fact 1- Dhaka’s Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and the Bangabandhu National Stadium have a record of holding more ODI’s than the Lord’s!
Fact 2- Lord’s has hosted 57 ODI matches. Whereas Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and the Bangabandhu National Stadium have hosted 108.
Fact 3- Virendra Sehwag’s highest scores in T20, ODI, and Tests are 119, 219, and 319 respectively.
Fact 4- Alex Stewart, former England team captain, and a stunning wicketkeeper was born on 8th April 1963. The interesting fact is that he scored 8,463 runs in Test cricket.
Fact 5- The youngest captain in Indian Cricket history was Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi who was 21 years old. Also the youngest Test captain in the world. T. Taibu broke the record in 2014 followed by Rashid Khan.
Fact 6- Adam Gilchrist holds the most number of tests right after his debut. He played 96 Test matches between 5th November 1999 and 24th January 2008 without a drop!
Fact 7- Ishant Sharma grabs the title of ‘lucky charm’ to its opposition team. He’s responsible for dropping the three highest wickets against India in the 21st century.
Alistair Cooke- 294 runs at Bastion in 2011, Michael Clock- 329 runs at Sydney in 2012, and Brendon McCullum- 302 runs at Wellington in 214. All the three wickets were lost by Ishant.
Facts about World Cup
England stands out to be the only country to host the highest number of World Cup tournaments.
A former Indian player Chetan Sharma is the first to achieve 3 hat-ricks in the world cup against Zimbabwe in 1987.
Ricky Ponting (Australia) and Clive Lloyd (West Indies) are the only captains to win the trophy twice.
The tossing of the coin occurred twice in 2011. It was a match held between India and Sri Lanka.
Hall of Fame
The legacy of cricket is as rich as the game itself!
Hall of Fame in the category by ICC. Players and Umpires with excellent success show in this list. Let us ponder upon their statistics.
WG Grace (1880-1899) - He’s considered the father of English cricket. Also known for his promotion and development of the game.
Sir Donald Bradman (1928- 1948) – Sir Donald was the father of Australian cricket. Regarded as the best batsman ever, he has an outstanding 99.94 average in 52 Tests.
Jack Hobbs (1908- 1930) – Best English opening batsman ever in Test history! Also, the oldest player to score a Test century while he was 46.
Has a supercarrier that lasted for 29 years. Has scored a total of 199 centuries and 61,760 runs in the first- class and averages 56.94 in Tests.
Vivian Richards (1974- 1991) – A former West Indian batsman. Also the toughest in the history of cricket. Known as a 'live wire on the field’ it was definitely a challenge to stop him.
Sunil Gavaskar (1971- 1987) – He played 125 Tests and 108 ODIs for India. He has a benchmark of 10,000 runs in Tests. Known for his aggressive batting style, he’s also the first to break Bradman’s record of 29 centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar (1989-2013) – The ‘run machine of Indian Cricket’. Only player throughout the world to give 24 years without dropping his benchmark. He has successfully broken almost all the batting records in the history of cricket.
His stats talk about his journey: 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78 in the Tests.
18,426 runs in ODIs with the most centuries.
The only player to have played 200 Tests and also the most ODIs.
His batting matched with that of Sir Donald too by a number of cricketers.
The other players include:
Sydney Barnes (1901-1914), Jim Laker (1948-1959), Garfield Sobers (1954-1974), Richard Hadlee (1972-1990), Malcolm Marshall (1978-1991), Kapil Dev (1978-1994), Imran Khan (1971-1992), Wasim Akram (1984-2001), Brian Lara (1990-2007), Shane Warne (1992-2007), Muttiah Muralitharan (1992-2011), Ricky Ponting (1995-2012), etc.
A tribute to Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev belonged to the Indian cricket team. Known for his miraculous performance on board, he holds the hearts of his fans till now.
He was the first Indian captain to have won the World Cup in 1983. He served Indian cricket for 15 years of his life and was the best all-around player.
In a Test match against West Indies, his 9 for 83 is drop-dead famous. But very few of his fans know that he bowled 30.3 overs on the trot in that innings. A 30.3 overs by a space bowler is simply difficult to imagine.
However, his score of 175 against Zimbabwe in the World Cup is the best marked in the history of ODIs.
In India, Kapil Dev is not less than a legend. Winning a World Cup for the first time was a landmark in Indian Cricket history that his captaincy blessed India with.
INDIAN cricket fans- a fan base like no other!
According to the facts and statistics about cricket, the origin of cricket in India trace back to Bombay. The first Indian community to start playing the game were the Zoroastrians, the Parsis.
Parsis were in close contact with the British due to trade. In 1848 they founded the first Indian cricket club called "Oriental Cricket Club".
Ever since then, cricket flows in the veins of a number of fans in India.
There is more than 1 billion cricket fan around the world. Out of these 1 billion, India alone makes 90% of it.
Facts and statistics about cricket state that the largest market research of cricket hails from India. ICC states the report.
The highest fan base for the most respected cricketer in India is of course M.S. Dhoni. It is a big achievement for a captain to win 3 cups for India. The T-20 Cup, the World Cup, and the Champions Trophy.
Conclusion
Cricket, is a game not only played in huge stadiums but is a game that you would find on every street. People find the game of cricket a homely one. No matter how many ages pass but you’ll find the game then and there. Such is the popularity of it!
