The FIFA World Cup might be attracting viewers across the planet, but cricket has a huge audience too, with a fan base of more than 1 billion people, a survey found.
The report, conducted by Nielsen Sports for the International Cricket Council, put the number of fans at 1.039 billion — mostly male, living in South Asia and with an average age of 34.
However, 39 percent are female, the survey said, adding that the five-day Test format remains popular, attracting interest from 70 percent of fans.
The council said it was the biggest market research project into the sport, involving 19,000 interviews around the world with fans aged 16 to 69.
It showed that the sport needs to retain its focus on all three international formats: Tests, 50-over one-day games and Twenty20s, council chief executive Dave Richardson said.
“We get a number of doomsayers predicting the death of Tests, even 50-over cricket, but actually the strategy to focus on all three formats is still probably the right way to go,” Richardson said in a conference call from Dubai.
The upcoming World Test Championship, starting in July next year, would only enhance the popularity of the game’s traditional format, he added.
“I hope it will be a significant rise in interest around the world and will add to the number of fans following Tests,” Richardson said.
The council also said that a “global strategy” was in the works to make cricket “an easier sport to follow.”
Jargon such as googlies, jaffas, maidens and chin music make cricket notoriously inaccessible to newcomers, while the sport’s support remains rooted in its traditional markets.
“Passion for cricket in the sub-continent drives 90 percent of the fans,” said Aarti Dabas, the council’s head of media rights, broadcast and digital.
The survey also identified almost 300 million active participants older than 16, and said that 87 percent of fans want T20 cricket included in the Olympics.
GUNNING FOR A WIN: The victory sending Arsenal to the final for the first time in six years was cathartic for a team who had lost their previous four semi-finals Arsenal on Tuesday reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg. Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium. It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in last year’s UEFA Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 UEFA Europa League. In their first final for six years,
SUPERSTAR DELIVERS: Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to propel the Spurs to a 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday shook off the early exit of injured star Luka Doncic, rallying without him in the second half for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early in the final frame. “Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy after that because he does so much for us, but we bonded together,” said
Ademola Lookman on Thursday scored on his Atletico Madrid debut in a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie that sent Diego Simeone’s team to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada also scored for Atletico as they advanced to the last four for the third straight season. Atletico are trying to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-2013. Hancko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute and Giuliano Simeone added to the lead in the 30th, before Lookman got his first goal for Atletico on a fast
DEADLINE DAY: Rennes’ Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month, but was reportedly put off the move due to the Blues’ bloated squad Liverpool on Monday won the race to sign Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet on the quiet final day of the English Premier League transfer window, while Crystal Palace swooped for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen despite the collapse of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan. The Reds agreed a reported fee of up to ￡60 million (US$82 million) for the highly rated Jacquet. However, the 20-year-old will not join the Premier League champions until the summer despite Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements. Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month, but was reportedly put off
RSS