When you are looking for a sport which can boast that its popularity spans various regions around the globe, it is hard to look past cricket as one of the most obvious candidates. Whilst, at first glance, people may believe that it is a relatively simple sport, the truth of the matter is that there are many different rules to follow. However, what cannot be disputed is the fact that it has, for many years, remained as one of the most well-known and recognised sports in the world. If you would like to learn a little more regarding the biggest events that crop up on the cricketing calendar, all you need to do is continue reading.
ICC Cricket World Cup
If you did not realise, there are three different types of cricket format, and they are as follows:
One Day Internationals (more commonly known as ODIs); Twenty20; and Test Matches.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is commonly viewed as one of, if not the, most important tournaments withinthe cricketing calendar. As is the case with most World Cups, this is held every four years; it was first started in 1975, with the most recent edition being in 2019. Some say that this tournament stemmed from the multi-nation matches that began in 1912.
By far-and-away the most successful country within the tournament, Australia currently boast a total of five wins, with a further two appearances in the final. They are followed by both the West Indies and India. However, the current holders are England, who won the event in 2019 whilst hosting with Wales. In times gone by, qualification for the tournament was predominantly based on being a full member of the ICC. This, however, has slowly-but-surely changed, with the next edition of the event, the 2023 World Cup, only having automatic qualification for the hosts, who in this case are India.
ICC T20 World Cup
As mentioned above, there is no single format of live cricket; in recent years, Twenty20 cricket hasseen a huge spike in popularity, culminating in the creation of the T20 World Cup in 2007. Like the name suggests, this is a format which revolves around the fact that a maximum of twenty overs can be played. Many people view this to be fantastic to the slower-paced ODIs, due to the fact that a T20 match can be completed within around three hours. On average, each team’s innings will last for approximately ninety minutes. This allows for a more engaging watch for the audience.
Although, as of 2019, there has been only six tournaments played, what cannot be denied is the infectious nature of the sport – it truly generates a buzz whenever occurring. Unlike the ICC Cricket World Cup, the intermittent periods between each tournament have been inconsistent. So far, the only country to win on multiple occasions is the West Indies, with many considering them to have dominated the spot, especially during the 2010s.
Indian Premier League (IPL)
Sticking to Twenty20 cricket, the IPL, or Indian Premier League, is a form of club-cricket which ranks amongst some of the world’s leading events, in terms of average attendance. So far, fifteen seasons of the IPL have taken place, all of which have been a resounding success; so much so, that countless players from overseas strive play in the IPL, hence why there is a rule which limits each squad of having no more than eight foreign players.
Within the league itself, there are ten teams – however, in the past, five others have competed.
By far, the most successful team within the league is the Mumbai Indians, having already won the title a total of five times; not only this, but they have managed to qualify eight times for the playoffs. Behind them, the Chennai Super Kings are often considered to be a step-ahead of the rest of the competition.
The Ashes
Sporting rivalries can trace their roots back countless years, and are always the subject of much debate between the two relevant teams. In the case of The Ashes, the feud is thought to have begun in 1882, and has since been contested seventy one times. For those of you that did not already know, the nations involved are Australia and England. Although the format has changed over the years, for the past twenty two years they have consisted of five test matches, effectively meaning that the contest is a best-of-five. Should the series be drawn, The Ashes will be considered to have been retained by the nation that previous winners.
As of 2020, Australia are edging the competition, having won thirty three times to England’s thirty two – it should be noted that there have also been six draws, the last of which was in 2019, when Australia remained incumbent holders. The winners of each series are typically presented with an urn which is said to contain the ashes of a cricket ball which has been burnt. This is a tradition which dates back to 1882, when the England captain, Ivo Bligh, was presented with the urn by some Australian natives. Currently, The Ashes Trophy, which is seen as a representation of the urn, is held in Lords’ MCC Museum.
