While people often think of cricket as a single type of sport, it actually has several variations. Although cricket started out as a game with a single set of rules, there are now three distinct types that people play on the international circuit. Each type has its own rules, tournaments, and potential earnings.
Let’s take a look at each of them and what each type involves, how they came about, and what their big tournaments are.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the type of cricket that started being played competitively back in the 19th century. It runs on a five-day format of two innings each. Of all the types of cricket, it is test cricket that truly distinguishes the top players of the game because of its extended timeframes and the endurance required to make it through a game successfully.
In test cricket, players continue playing until all of the batsmen of the opposing team are out. The top test cricket teams get ranked on an annual basis, and the number 1 team receives an award of $1 million. Each of the top teams receives a cash award of some sort.
One-day Internationals
The second major type of cricket that is played on an international level is one-day internationals. One-day internationals are a much newer form of the sport, having had its first international games only in 1971. Soon after this, however, it started to gain popularity.
One-day internationals consist of one-inning matches that include 50 overs for each team. Although shorter than Test Cricket, this variant calls for a different set of skills and utilizes different types of techniques.
In fact, the most prestigious of the International Cricket Council’s tournaments, the 2024 Cricket World Cup, will be held in this format. In addition, the Champion’s Trophy, the Women’s World Cup, and the ICC Under 19 World Cup are also held in this format.
Twenty20
The most recent form of international-level cricket is Twenty20, having come onto the scene in 2007. As many fans don’t have the time to sit through multiple-day games, or even long ones on only one day, this version caters to the modern lifestyle. It consists of only 20 overs and usually finishes in approximately 3 hours. In place of length, the intensity of this style of cricket is greater. It involves bigger hitting and more spectacular fielding, giving viewers a greater amount of punch in a short time period.
There are a number of well-known tournaments that are part of Twenty20. The Champions League Twenty20, the Indian Premier League, and the ICC Champions Trophy are just a few of them. These tournaments involve different numbers of players from varying regions (the Indian Premier League, for example, is a domestic tournament within India), and they offer different levels of prize money up to several million dollars.
Watching and betting on the game
As the different types of cricket have proliferated and grown in popularity, viewership has similarly increased on a global level. Not only are participating countries increasing in viewership, but even other parts of the world are starting to get on board.
Betting has also become popular. With the growth of the Internet, it is now possible to find any number of sites where you can bet on your favorite team. For example, you can find an IPL betting app download easily. Betting is becoming more common for several reasons. For one thing, gambling is illegal in some countries, and it is possible to access other countries’ sites without crossing borders. And since you can also pay and collect winnings using cryptocurrency or other international forms of money, it is even easier to get involved.
Check it out today
If you’re new to cricket, check out what’s coming up on the international circuit and try to catch a game. If you live in an area where cricket is popular, you might even be able to catch one in person. And who knows? You might just find a new interest that will stay with you for life. Many people across the globe are developing an interest in playing and/or watching the sport. Don’t miss out on one of the fastest-growing pastimes on the planet.
