Top 2 most popular game in the world

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Top 2 most popular game that captivate the hearts of millions worldwide are football and cricket.

Football

What is football?

Football, commonly referred to as association football or soccer, is a sport in which two teams of 11 players each strive to score goals into the other team’s goal without using their hands or arms. The team that manages to net the highest number of goals emerges as the victor. Football is either the most popular ball sport in the world or the sport with the most participants and spectators.

What is the origin of football?

In Britain, modern football was first played in the 19th century. Even while “folk football” had been played with different rules since the Middle Ages, it only became standardized after becoming a winter sport in public schools. The Football Association was founded in 1863, and it held the first cup tournament between local football clubs in Britain as well as standardized the regulations.

How many people play football?

According to estimates from the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), there were around 250 million football players in the globe at the start of the twenty-first century.

What is the biggest football event?

The FIFA World Cup stands as the pinnacle of honor in the realm of soccer championships. It is a quadrennial event and very likely the most watched sport in the world, with each tournament attracting billions of television viewers.

Football, known as association football or soccer, is a game where two teams of 11 players each, excluding the use of hands and arms, strive to score a goal by using any part of their body other than their hands and arms, in the opposing team’s net. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball, and that too within the penalty area near the goal. The team that scores more goals emerges victorious.

Football is the most popular ball game in the world in terms of players and spectators. This game may be played practically everywhere because to its simple rules and little equipment needs, including gyms, streets, school grounds, parks, and beaches in addition to actual football fields. Over 1.3 billion people were “interested” in football at the start of the twenty-first century, according to estimates from the organization that governs the sport, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). In 2010, the month-long FIFA World Cup final was watched by more than 26 billion people worldwide on television.

Cricket

What is Cricket?

Two teams, each with 11 players, compete in the sport of cricket. Before the match begins, the captain of each team tosses a coin, and the team that wins the toss decides whether they will “bat” or “bowl.” If they choose to bat, they will have to score as many runs as possible, which the opposing team must try to surpass.

If they choose to bowl, they need to prevent the other team from scoring more runs. Runs can be scored by running between wickets or hitting the ball to the boundary, with a boundary shot earning the batsman either 4 or 6 runs. Cricket matches can have varying numbers of overs, such as 20 overs or 50 overs. Cricket can be divided into innings and overs, with each over comprising 6 deliveries, and multiple overs forming an inning.

History of Cricket

Cricket has a long history that dates back to antiquity. Cricket originated in the southeast of England, hence it mostly belongs to England. Cricket has been popular all throughout the world, especially in nations like Australia, India, Pakistan, and the West Indies, and is now England’s national sport.

The history of cricket is believed to date back to possibly the 13th century. In its early days, cricket was played with a hockey stick since there were no proper cricket bats. The ball was referred to as a “chattan” or a “patthar” (stone). The sport was played at a location known as “The Kent,” and the first official match took place in 1744 between The Kent and All England. Cricket gradually shifted to Lord’s Cricket Ground, which became the headquarters of international cricket in 1814. The first English team embarked on an overseas tour in 1859. Over the years, cricket evolved, transitioning from stone to ball and from hockey sticks to cricket bats.

Rules of Cricket

Cricket has several rules:

  • There should always be 2 teams, each consisting of 11 players.
  • No-ball (when the bowler oversteps the crease)
  • Wide ball (when the ball is out of the batsman’s reach)
  • Leg before wicket (LBW is given when the ball hits the batsman’s leg pads and he’s out of the crease)
  • Stumping (when the batsman is out of the crease and the wicketkeeper hits the stumps with the ball)
  • Run out (when the batsman fails to reach either crease and the ball hits the stumps)
  • Hit wicket (when the batsman accidentally or intentionally hits the stumps with their bat)
  • Catching (when the fielder catches the ball on the boundary, inside the circle, or behind the wicket)
  • If the ball hits the boundary, 4 runs are awarded.
  • If the ball goes beyond the boundary, 6 runs are awarded.
  • If the ball is caught by a fielder and it’s deemed as a mistake by the batsman or fielder.
  • If the ball is caught by a boundary fielder and it goes beyond the boundary, 6 runs are awarded.
  • If the ball is caught by a fielder and it goes beyond the boundary, 6 runs are awarded.
  • If the ball is accidentally or intentionally caught by a fielder outside the boundary, 6 runs are awarded.

Formats of Cricket

Cricket has three international formats:

  • Test Cricket: Test cricket lasts for a total of 5 days, with each team having 2 innings. In Test cricket, each day consists of 90 overs. The team batting last (in the 5th day) has to chase the target set by the opposing team.
  • One Day International (ODI): Also known as ODI cricket, each team gets 1 inning with 50 overs in total. At the end of the day, one team has to chase the target set by the other team.
  • Twenty20 International (T20I): T20 cricket is considered the shortest and fastest format of cricket. Each team gets 1 inning with 20 overs. Similar to ODI, at the end of the day, one team has to chase the target set by the other team.

Tournaments in Cricket

  • ICC Cricket World Cup
  • ICC Champions Trophy
  • T20 World Cup
  • Ashes Series
  • Champions League Twenty20
  • NatWest Series
  • Asia Cup

Cricket Leagues

  • ICC World Cricket League
  • Indian Premier League (IPL)
  • Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
  • Pakistan Super League (PSL)
  • Big Bash League (BBL)
  • Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)

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