In the last couple hundred years, cricket has evolved from being an English sport to a truly international one. Spreading across the Commonwealth, first to India and later to other parts, the sport has become a mainstay in many different regions. Everyone is waiting for the Cricket World Cup 2024 schedule to come out to see when the big games will be.
Interestingly, the country that has become arguably the leading international player in the game is Australia. How is it that this team In particular has become so dominant? Winning a total of seven ICC World Cups – more than any other team – the Aussies have become a clear favorite on the international circuit.
Let’s take a look at their origins and how the sport became so popular there.
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Cricket comes to Australia
As everyone knows, cricket has its origins in England, but in the 19th century it started branching out to different parts of the Commonwealth.
It was in 1862 that the sport first came to Australia. By the 1870s, the first official tournaments were being played between England and Australia in Melbourne. It wasn’t long before the game’s popularity started spreading to other parts of the country.
Australia has favorable weather for playing year-round, although the official season is from September to April. The Big Bash League holds the national tournaments, and fans snatch up tickets as quickly as they can.
At this point, the sport is played competitively all over the country, and there are 12 official stadiums across Australia’s territories. People snatch up tickets to games as quickly as they become available.
Women are strong, as well
Not only is the sport popular among men, but Australian women are becoming more and more prominent on the competitive scene.
The Australian women’s team recently emerged as the top team in the world, looking to stay on top of their closest rival, England.
Cricket’s place in Australian culture
Cricket isn’t just popular as a professional sport to watch; it is a fully entrenched part of Australian culture. People say that only the Prime Minister has a higher popularity level than the national cricket team captain.
One of the reasons that the sport is so successful is because it gets support from all parts of Australian society – it gets a great deal of attention from the media, for one thing. So people are never at a loss for information.
Cricket is also well supported by the government. Amateur clubs are given substantial funding so that young people can be encouraged to take part.
The sport helps the economy
Not only is cricket popular as a form of recreation and competition, it has actually made a big difference in the Australian economy. The various professional events that take place each year contribute $150 million to the economy. This is significant by the standards of any sport.
As these tendencies grow, more and more institutions will become active in supporting the growth of the sport. And the competition will grow similarly. For a country comparatively small in size – and very small in comparison to some of the big giants in the sport, like India – this is saying a lot.
And, as people are getting more knowledgeable about the sport, related interests are growing in different directions. People are starting to become more active in betting on cricket, for example. Now that sites are international, and common payment systems are acceptable, people can get onto the sites of any country they want and participate from wherever they might be.
And there are a lot of options to choose from. You can find the best app for IPL betting with ease. And who knows where it might take you?
No stopping the Aussies soon
This is undoubtedly a team that is on the move, and they aren’t slowing down any time soon. It may well be that cricket becomes a defining feature of Australia, as other sports have come to be associated with particular countries. With such a high degree of popularity, support among the government and national institutions, and ever-increasing level of participation, we should be seeing more of Australia at the top of big tournaments for some time to come.