10 Interesting Facts About Cricket You Might Not Know

Cricket is a popular sport and has a large number of fans from all over the globe. If you are new to this sport, it may appear complicated for you at first.

However, once you understand cricket’s rules and principles, you will undoubtedly become the next lover of this game. Let’s begin your acquaintance with cricket by considering exciting facts about this sport.

Cricket Is a Dangerous Sport

An interesting cricket fact is that despite being a noncontact sport, it can still be dangerous. Of course, if we compare cricket with other sports, it is less likely to get injuries. However, tragic events took place during the history of the existence of cricket. For example, the first lethal case occurred with an England player named Jasper Vinall in 1624. Another cricketer who died in 1989 was British player Wilf Slack. Thus, playing cricket there is no need to forget about safety.

First Cricket Ball

Nowadays, there are still discussions about the origins of cricket. It is very likely that cricket arose in the time of the shepherds who play this sport to pass the time. This fact is supported by the first found cricket ball that was made of wool.

Cricket Is The Second Most Popular Sport

Everybody may be aware of great cricket popularity but did you even guess it is the second most loved sport in the world? Cricket first appeared in the 16th century and nowadays it has a lot of viewers and players from different countries. Even those fans who can’t watch their favorite games because of geo-restrictions have the possibility to make use of a VPN for sports events.

If you adore watching cricket online you should know about the VeePN. This VPN for Singapore and other countries residents is an ideal opportunity to get access to any desired online content. You can easily go on this provider’s website to obtain more information and find out what benefits and services you will be provided with. With virtual private network services, you can simply join 2.5 billion fans of cricket and enjoy watching this sport.

First Cricket Wickets

This may be hard to imagine, however, cricket wickets were originally made up of two stumps. It was the norm until 1775 but everything changed when an English cricketer named Edward Stevens hit the ball between the two stumps without dislodging the bail three times. The third stump was added soon after this event.

Material for Cricket Bats

Another interesting cricket fact you may want to find out is what cricket bats are made of. As a rule, white willow serves as the material for bats of this sport. Almost every cricket bat you will find in England will be probably made of white willow or likewise usually called cricket bat willow. The lighter wood of this tree provides hitters with the possibility to hit the ball with greater accuracy.

What About Women’s Cricket?

Cricket is known as a sport played by men generally. However, women decided to join and started to play this sport at least in the 18th century. Surrey, Hampshire, and Sussex are English villages that even held their own tournaments. Women took part in these tournaments and winning teams were able to win prizes such as barrels of ale and lace gloves.

The Longest Cricket Game

What do you think about how much time the longest cricket match lasted? You may suppose such a game took approximately several hours with regular breaks. As a rule, bad weather can serve as a protracted game. However, you will be surprised since the longest cricket game lasted for 14 days. This match result was a draw because it was time for the British ship to bring the team home.

Place of Cricket in the Olympics

The origins of the Olympics can be traced to 776 BC, however, cricket was introduced only once in 1896. This is weird why such a popular sport was played just one time at the Olympics. Only men took part in that contest and Great Britain won gold. Luckily, today there are talks of cricket returning to the Olympics in the future.

The Cricket World Cup

Despite huge cricket popularity, the first Cricket World Cup was held only in 1975. Since then it has become the biggest event on all cricket fans’ calendars. The Cricket World Cup was founded by countries such as England, South Africa, and Australia. Since 1975, the Cricket World Cup has been held once every four years. The most recent event was held in 2019 when England took the cup.

The Unchanging Rule

The cricket rules were written in 1774 by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Today, it will be challenging to count how many times the laws of the cricket game have changed. Now, modern cricket differs enough from the initial game. Still, there is a single rule that stays unchanging to the present day. The length of the pitch should be 22 yards. Meanwhile, all the other rules got a little bit different.

Conclusion

Being a favorite sport of many people, cricket continues to attract new fans and players. Even despite its somewhat confusing rules, it is complicated not to be affected by cricket.

Do you want to know more about this popular sport to surprise your friends or relatives? Then, you should familiarize yourself with the above-mentioned interesting facts about cricket that will surely make everyone stunned.