Facts About Cricket That Might Help Explain Its Popularity
In world popularity, only soccer boasts a larger fanbase than cricket. With an estimated 2.5 billion fans worldwide, the sport is undeniably an international obsession. The question is, how much do you really know about cricket? Do you know who holds the most impressive records, or what those records even are? If you've ever found yourself wondering the answer to these questions, then you're in the right place. Here's a breakdown of some interesting aspects about the second most popular sport in the world.
36 Is Not The Record For Runs Conceded In An Over
An over in cricket is defined as "six consecutive legal deliveries from one end of a cricket pitch the to the batsmen." At this point in play, the umpire calls "over," and the teams switch sides. For years the belief was that 36 runs were the most ever given up in an over.
The record, for the record, is actually 77, and it was set by R.H. Vance, who did it in a game between Canterbury and Wellington. During the over, scoreboard operators lost count of the damage and needed to ask spectators for help to keep their numbers in order.
Wilfred Rhodes Shocked The World With This Feat
Over the course of his illustrious career, Wilfred Rhodes participated in 1,110 first-class matches. He played from 1898 until 1930 and collected a mind-boggling 4,204 wickets. That incredible record still stands today.
Rhodes also finished his career with a 30.81 batting average and 3,969 runs scored. His feats made him the first player to ever scores 2,000 runs and 100 wickets in Tests. After leaving his playing days behind, he got into coaching, although his ability to relate to young players held him back from further success.
A Surprisingly Aggressive Attitude
A Test match is the longest possible match in cricket. They can last up to five days and are incredibly grueling and exhausting. Because of this, most players are more cautious early in the match to conserve energy.
During one match Chris Gayle bucked the trend and came out swinging. A West Indian icon, Gayle's aggressive play got him a six off the first ball of the match. He is the only player to ever do this is a Test match.
The Delivery Record Was Set In 2003
The 2003 Cricket World Cup took place in South Africa and featured the game's fastest delivery of all-time. Shoaib Akhtar was bowling for Pakistan when he unleashed a devastating 161 kilometers per hour delivery.
Akhtar played on the national team from 1997 until 2011. His last tournament was supposed to be the 2011 World Cup. He was selected by Pakistan and announced that he would retire when it was over. Unfortunately, he was not able to retire on his own terms and was cut from the team after the group stage.
970 Minutes In The Crease
Hanif Mohammad is considered one of the smartest cricket players to ever put on pads. Using his smarts, he spent a record 970 minutes in the crease playing for Pakistan against the West Indies in the late 1950s.
He made his record time during a marathon of 337 innings. We're stunned just thinking about it. To make him seem even more superhuman, he was able to bowl successfully from either hand, which is a rarity in the world of cricket.
The Australian Revival
Cricket's popularity was waning in the 1980s. Then Allan Border showed up and revitalized the sport. It's not often one athlete is credited with saving an entire sport, but in this case, and on this continent, it's true.
As the captain of the national club, Border played in 153 consecutive test matches, becoming one of the iron men of cricket. He was instinctive on the pitch and had deadly batting skills, making him a marvel to watch. Today, Border makes his living as a commentator for the sport.
Technique Above All Else
Another oldie but goodie, Don Bradman made his international test debut for Australia in 1928 and played for 20 years. He valued technique above all else, only hitting six sixes during his legendary career.
In total, Bradman finished his career with 28,067 runs scored and a 95.14 batting average. In the middle of his career, he was so beloved by his home country that the Royal Navy named a ship after him. Tragically, it was sunk by a German aircraft in the first year of its life.
So Hard It Has Only Happened Twice
Today, having a bowler take all ten wickets in a test match is thought to be a nearly impossible feat. In the history of the sport, it has only happened twice: once in 1956 and then again in 1999.
In 1956, English cricketer Jim Laker took ten wickets against Australia. Forty-three years later Anil Kumble embarrassed Pakistan by taking every wicket in the second Test played in Delhi in February. It could be another 40 years for a bowler to take ten wickets again.
Only Six Players Have Hit Double-Centuries In One Day
A double-century in cricket happens when a player scores 200 or more runs. During One Day International competitions, this has happened eight times by six players: Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Martin Guptill, Chris Gayle, and Fakhar Zaman.
Three of the eight times these double-centuries were scored it set new world records. Twice they occurred during World Cup competition. Amazingly, the world record for runs scored was never set during World Cup play. The current world record is 264 runs, set by Rohit Sharma in 2014.
England And India Don't Follow The Same Paths
The game of cricket can be absolutely devastating. A team can be up one minute, then fall victim to a brutal comeback. England has suffered the three worst come from behind losses; one from 60-over, another from 50-over, and a third from 20-over.
On the flip side, India might be the luckiest country to ever play cricket. Their national team is the only one to overcome the same deficits and win matches. All three wins for India happened in finals, too!
Alec Stewart Has A Special Birthday
Alec Stewart was born on August 4th, 1963. Written differently, that date is 8-4-63. Unbelievably, when he retired from the English national cricket team, he had 8,463 runs. Now you'll never forget the day the legend was born!
During his career with England, Stewart was groomed to the captain and was given the official title when he was 35-years-old. His captaincy lasted a little less than a year, but his influence on cricket in his home country continued to live on well after his retirement.
The Fastest Test Match In History
A Test match is supposed to last five days. When fans buy tickets to these matches, that's what they think they're paying for. Twice, however, those tickets were only good for one day!
One Test matches took place in 2000 and featured England facing off against the West Indies. The other occurred in 2011 and saw Australia take on South Africa. All four innings of each match concluded on the first day, leaving fans with four times of free time on their hands.
As Consistent As They Come
MS Dhoni made a name for himself in One Day International competitions as the captain of India's national team. A batsman by trait, he has scored more than 10,000 runs in his career thanks to his consistent play.
The only thing Dhoni has never done is to score a century during a One Day International outside of Asia. This has led to criticism of his career, but we see it as proof of how consistent his play is in every game that he doesn't need one massive match to boost his numbers.
The Harsh Life Of A Captain
In every sport worldwide, a captain is chosen to represent the team and its players. In cricket, the captain is the most stressful position any player can hold. If you don't believe us just ask South African cricketer Graeme Smith.
Smith was 22 years old when he was named the captain of South Africa. He owned the title for over 100 Test matches, becoming the only player to do so. By the time he was 32 years old, the mental wear of his captaincy, and physical tear of the sport became too much to handle and he retired.
Playing For Both Sides
Usually when you play for one international cricket team, you play there until you retire or they cut you. Sometimes a player comes along who defies the sports laws of nature, though. Dirk Nannes began his cricket career playing for the Netherlands.
Nannes became so highly regarded that Australia "poached" him, and convinced him to switch sides. At the time Australia was the best cricket team in the world and saw an opportunity to get better. How could Nannes resist?
A Long And Decorated Career
In 1989, 24 cricket players made their international debuts. Of those 24, Sachin Tendulkar of India played the longest. He was 16 years old at the time of his debut and retired in 2014 after 25 years.
Chris Cairns was one of the players who made his debut the same year. He was the second-to-last player of the 24 to retire, putting his bat down in 2004. Not only did Tendulkar play ten years longer than anyone else in his debut class, but he is also widely regarded as India's best batsman of all time.
Bowling Records By One Man
In 2010, Jamaican cricketer Courtney Walsh was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. During his career, he was known best for his bowling skills, which he used to set records in that were thought to be impossible.
Walsh became the world's highest wicket-taker in 2000, which broke Kapil Dev's six-year record. One year later, he was the first bowler to take 500 wickets in Test cricket history. His 519 wickets was a record when he retired that stood until 2004 when Muttiah Muralitharan passed him.
Wasted Centuries
Imagine for one moment being in the World Cup final of the second most popular sport in the world. The pressure would be insurmountable for some. For Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, it must have felt like just another day in the office.
Jayawardene has hit centuries in a World Cup semi-final match as well as a World Cup finals match. No other player has ever done this, putting the cricketer in rarefied air. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka lost both matches, leaving its star player without a title or trophy.
Most World Cup Trophies In History
With five Cricket World Cup trophies collected, Australia is the most decorated cricket team in the history of the sport. Will they add a sixth soon? During their run of success, Australia also won 34 straight matches over three tournaments, setting an unbreakable record.
Currently, Australia is the 5th ranked team in the world. India takes on the top spot on ICC's list, followed by New Zealand, South Africa, and England. The top ten is rounded out by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
The Most Centuries By Far
Before heading off into the cricket sunset, Sachin Tendulkar needed to add one last record to his Hall of Fame resume. He accomplished it by scoring a century, which was his hundredth century in international play.
Tendulkar is the only player to have 100 centuries to his name. In 2013, he was listed to be worth $160 million by Wealth-X. The number makes him the richest cricket player in the world, a title that was well earned from his playing days and personal business investments.
The Name's Hobbs, Jack Hobbs
Born on December 16, 1882, Jack Hobbs gets to kick this list off. Hobbs played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and also for England for 61 test matches between 1908 and 1930. He had some quality years on the ground.
Referred to as "The Master," many experts like to say he's one of the greatest batsmen ever to pick up the sport of cricket. Maybe because he has the most hundreds in first-class cricket with 199. The Master is also the leading run-scorer in first-class too (61,760).
Premier Batsman Wally Hammond
In case you're unaware, test cricket is the form of the game with the longest match duration, and is the game’s highest standard. Only the national representative teams can gain "Test status." Aided with that information, you should know that Wally Hammond had over 7,000 runs in test cricket.
Throughout his whole career, he racked up over 50,000 runs. The typical career batting average in cricket is in the range of 20 to 40. Hammond averaged 58.45 during his time in test cricket! Many say he’s the best batsmen from the ’30s as well.
South Africa's Shaun Pollock
Throughout history, two of the best to ever play cricket have come from South Africa. One of them is Shaun Pollock. There are 11 fielding positions in cricket, and Pollock was a bowler. As the name implies, the bowler sends the ball towards the wickets that the batsman tries to protect.
Pollock was an all-rounder bowler who was capable of causing trouble to anyone he bowled against on the field. Overall, he took 421 wickets in test matches and 667 in First-class games.
Current Indian Team Captain, Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the current captain of Indian national team and boy is he fun to watch. The batsman plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore and has served as their captain since 2013. He won the ICC Test Player of the Year in 2018 as well as the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2017-18.
In 77 Test matches so far, his batting average is 53.76, and in 228 ODI matchups, his average is 59.47. In ODI, he's scored 10,943 runs. He’s quickly become the current top player in cricket.
Warne Is The Benchmark
Shane Warne was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1994 Wisden Cricketers Almanack. They say Warne is the greatest leg spinner (right-arm with a wrist spin action) of all-time as well. In 1997, he was the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World.
Leg spinners understand Warne's career to be the benchmark of success. If they think they’re doing anything of importance and it doesn’t even come close to Warne, then they need to head back to the drawing board.
A Formidable All-rounder
Jacques Kallis is a South African who used to serve as the Test and ODI captain for them. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler. Not only is he one of the best cricketers, but he's also probably the greatest all-rounders as well.
His batting average in Test was 55.37, and in ODI it was 44.36. His runs scored were 13,289 and 11,579, respectively. His class really is matchless when it comes down to it.
The Greatest Batsman Pakistan Has Ever Produced
ESPNcricinfo described Javed Miandad as "the greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced." That's high praise that Miandad rightfully deserves. He played for Pakistan in tests between 1975 and 1996. Some intangibles that stood out for him were his impressive control and unique technique.
Many know him due to the historic last ball big six when his team played India in 1986 at Sharjah when four runs were needed to win. Miandad’s attitude helped him stand out as one of the best, with a batting average of 52.57 in Test.
The Great Bowler Glenn
Glenn McGrath was born in Australia and played all formats of cricket for 14 years total. He is the principle reason why the Australian team dominated world cricket from the mid-'90s to the mid-2000s.
He’s considered the top bowler of Australia and world cricket. His fast-medium pace was a pivotal part of his skillset. In 124 test matches, McGrath took 563 wickets! He even managed to bowl ten wickets in one match three times during test matches.
The Greatest From Sri Lanka
Meet Sanath Jayasuriya, the most celebrated Sri Lankan cricket player and former captain of the Sri Lankan national team. Not only is he the best Sri Lankan, but many consider him one of the greatest One Day International (ODI) player as well.
He was criminally well-rounded in both batting and spin bowling, but it was his aggressiveness in batting that put him over the top. He's played 445 ODI matches and scored 13,430 runs in the process.
Two-Time Champion Ponting
When you lead a country to secure two consecutive World Cup titles as the captain of the team, you're as great as they come. That’s the case for Ricky Ponting, who led his Australian team in 2003 and 2007. He’s become regarded as the most exceptional cricket captain ever.
If that wasn’t enough, in July 2018, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. His batting average in test matches is 51.85, which is well above the standard.
Record Man Brian Lara
When you're discussing cricket players from the West Indies, Biran Lara of Trinidad is more than likely top two if not number one. He’s set several records in his day, including the one for the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501).
Another record we’re sure he’s glad to hold is the for the highest individual score in a Test innings when he scored 400. Overall, Lara set the standard for fantastic cricket players hailing from the West Indies.
The Destructive Bowler Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram of Pakistan was a phenomenal bowler. He was left-armed and bowled with significant pace. They called him the "King of Swing," as his bowling caused substantial problems for batsmen. Many consider Akram to be the top left-arm fast bowler to play.
He's bowled 22,627 in Test and 18,186 balls in One Day International competition. Akram also shares the record for most international hat-tricks with Lasith Malinga. His top number of scores in a test match is 257.
Ranked The Greatest At One Point
The Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan was a bad man on the field. In 2002, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack rated him the greatest Test match bowler ever. He deserves to be on this list more than anyone else.
Do you want to know why they rated him the best in Test? Muralitharan took 800 wickets in his Test career, a record that might not ever get broken. His batsman skills weren’t that bad either, as he accumulated 1,256 runs scored in Test.
Lillee Was No Slouch On The Field
Rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation," Dennis Lillee was a sensational Australian player. Lillee was a fan favorite and had a “never-say-die” attitude which won over the fans even more. Lillee ranks number 22 on the list of players who have taken 300 or more wickets with 355.
In 2009, Lillee officially entered the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. A decade before that, he was one of ten inaugural inductees to enter the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame (1996).
The Greatest England Product
Every country has a player that is undoubtedly the best from that region in all sports. For cricket players from England, Ian Botham takes the throne in those regards. Not only was he the greatest from England, but he's also known as the best all-rounder from the ’70s.
He might not have played as many matches in Tests or ODI as some of the other players on this list, but his numbers speak differently. In only 102 Tests, he took 383 wickets and scored 5,200 runs.
Khan The Minister
Today, you can find Imran Khan as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. He figured once he finished with cricket, he could do his country some justice off the field. On the ground, he led his country towards World Cup glory in 1992.
Khan demonstrated immaculate leadership and skills during his playing days and earned himself the reputation of a top tier bowling all-rounders. He played his highest number of matches in List A cricket, where he took 507 wickets across 425 games.
India's Hero
In 2002, Wisden named Kapil Dev the Indian Cricketer of the Century, so that lets you know how amazing this man was on the ground. Something else amazing about him is his captain skills. Up until 1983, India had never won a World Cup.
When he became the leader, he led them to their first victory as a gifted batsman and bowler. Dev epitomized what it meant to be an all-rounder without a doubt, and that's why he’s so high on this list.
Sir Vivian Richards
Earlier we discussed a different player from the West Indies, Brian Lara, and how he was one of the best from that area. Well, this man is right up there with him. Sir Vivian Richards, known as Viv Richards, is a top tier batsman and that isn't up for discussion.
His batting average for Test matches was 50.23, and that is utterly insane. He accomplished that in 121 games and scored 8,540 times while he was at it. He only lost eight times as a captain.
All-Rounder Machine
All-rounders display different types of styles and techniques that enable them to dominate the game on all fronts. The 5'11" Gary Sober started as a bowler but quickly got promoted to the batting order early in his career for Barbados.
To classify him in the same group as the other West Indies men on this list might be slightly unjust because Sober is widely considered to be cricket’s best all-rounder. In 93 Test matches, his batting average was 57.78, and he took 235 crickets on top of scoring 8,032 runs.
Sachin The Great
When you talk about records that seem impossible to break in sport, surely Sachin Tendulkar's name gets mentioned. The former captain of the Indian national team was masterful with the bat and scored a hundred 100’s in his career. That means he’s scored 100 or more runs in a single innings, one hundred times.
Not only that, but he also is the highest run scorer ever in International cricket. No wonder one of his nicknames is "God of Cricket." We would hate to bowl against him.
The Don
Considering Don Bradman as the best cricket player of all-time is justifiable for several reasons. Referred to as "The Don," this Australian player achieved a feat that many consider the best achievement by any sportsman across all major sports.
The Don had a batting average of 99.94 in Test, which is entirely absurd. There's a folklore that says Bradman used to practice alone with a golf ball and a cricket stump to hone his skills. There might be some legitimacy to that.
