Imagine this, your little kid is a big fan of cricket and he is asking you “Papa, can you tell me about the good cricket team names and history?” Wait, before replying to your son, you should read this article.
First, you have to speak about the behind the story of cricket. Let’s get started!
Behind The Story of Cricket
Cricket is a popular entertainment game. The game is enjoyed by people all over the world. Young and old, more or less everyone loves to play cricket. Some come to watch the game and some to play. There are not only players on the field of play, there are also a crowd of spectators, supporters. Those who help to boost the morale of the players on the field of play.
Cricket was invented in England. As far as is known, cricket was played in the late 16th century. The earliest recorded date for the game of cricket is Monday, 17th January 1597 AD. On this day, a cricket match was played on the roof of Cambridge School in England.
First International Cricket Match
The first international cricket match was played at the George Cricket Club in New York from 24 to 26th August 1844.
The match was played between the United States and Canada, with the United States winning by 9 wickets.
And the first international test cricket match was played between Australia and England from 15 to 19th March 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Australian team won by 4 wickets.
Cricket World Cup History
The first Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1975. The tournament featured 8 teams, including England, Australia, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Kenya. The tournament was played in a round-robin league format, followed by semi-finals and a final. West Indies won the World Cup for the first time by defeating England by 4 wickets in the final. So the first world cricket champion was the West Indies.
Some Notable Events in Cricket World Cup History
The 1975 World Cup final, where the West Indies team won the World Cup for the first time by defeating the England team by 4 wickets.
The 1992 World Cup final, where the Pakistan team, led by Imran Khan, defeated the England team by 22 runs to win the World Cup.
The 2003 World Cup final, where the Australia team won the World Cup for the third time by defeating the India team by 2 wickets.
In the 2015 World Cup, the Bangladesh team defeated the powerful England team by 15 runs to knock them out of the World Cup and Bangladesh reached the quarter-finals of the Cricket World Cup for the first time.
In the 2019 World Cup final, England won the World Cup for the first time by defeating New Zealand in the Super Over. Sadly, despite the invention of the game of cricket, England had to wait 44 years to win the first World Cup trophy. All types of cricket fans criticized this match and New Zealand was unlucky there. The Super Match was also tied. But the absurd cricket law of counting boundaries in the Super Over knocked them out of the title. And this New Zealand team was the runner-up in the 2015 World Cup as well. And it was very difficult for them to be the runner-up in the 2nd consecutive World Cup.
Total Number of Cricket Team With Their Name
There are a bunch of good cricket teams in the world. There are some variations of teams like international teams, domestic teams and franchise T-20 league teams. Here is they are:
International Teams
There are two types of international teams like 1. Full Members of ICC and 2. Associate Members of ICC.
Full Member of ICC:
There are 12 teams who are full members of ICC.
Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland.
(Note: The West Indies is a consortium of Caribbean nations but counts as one team in ICC events.)
Associate Members of ICC
There are 90+ teams who are associate members of ICC.
Teams like Scotland, Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, Oman, Namibia, etc., compete in ICC tournaments.
Domestic Teams
There are two types of international teams like 1. First Class & List-A Teams and 2. Women’s Cricket Teams.
First Class & List-A Teams:
There are hundreds of first class and list-A teams from each country. Countries like India (Ranji Trophy: 38 teams), England (County Cricket: 18 teams), Australia (Sheffield Shield: 6 teams), etc., have multiple domestic teams.
Women’s Cricket Teams:
There are 10+ Full Members & 30+ Associates women’s teams. Similar to men’s cricket but with fewer teams at the highest level.
Franchise T-20 Leagues Teams
There are so many franchise T-20 leagues all around the world and so many teams played there.
Like, IPL (10 teams), PSL (6), BBL (8), BPL (7), CPL (6), The Hundred (8), etc.
World Cup Playing Nations With Their History
1. ICC Cricket World Cup (ODI) – 1975–2023
Total Teams Participated: 20
Full Members (12) – Regular Participants
- Australia (1975–2023) – 6-time champions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023)
- England (1975–2023) – 1-time champion (2019)
- India (1975–2023) – 2-time champions (1983, 2011)
- West Indies (1975–2023) – 2-time champions (1975, 1979)
- Pakistan (1975–2023) – 1-time champion (1992)
- Sri Lanka (1975–2023) – 1-time champion (1996)
- New Zealand (1975–2023) – Runners-up (2015, 2019)
- South Africa (1992–2023) – Semi-finals (4 times)
- Bangladesh (1999–2023) – Quarter-finals (2015, 2023)
- Zimbabwe (1983–2023) – Super Six (1999, 2003)
- Afghanistan (2015–2023) – Emerging contender
- Ireland (2007–2015) – Not qualified since 2019
Associate Nations (8) – Occasional Participants
- Kenya (1996–2011) – Semi-finalists (2003)
- Netherlands (1996, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2023)
- Canada (1979, 2003, 2007, 2011)
- Scotland (1999, 2007, 2015)
- UAE (1996, 2015)
- Bermuda (2007)
- Namibia (2003)
- East Africa (1975) – Combined team (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)
2. ICC T20 World Cup (2007–2024)
Total Teams Participated: 22
Full Members (12) + Top Associates
- West Indies – 2-time champions (2012, 2016)
- England – 2-time champions (2010, 2022)
- India – 1-time champion (2007)
- Pakistan – 1-time champion (2009)
- Sri Lanka – 1-time champion (2014)
- Australia – 1-time champion (2021)
- South Africa – Semi-finals (2009, 2014, 2024)
- New Zealand – Runners-up (2021)
- Afghanistan – Semi-finals (2024)
- Bangladesh – Super 8/12 stage
- Zimbabwe – Group stage
- Ireland – Super 8 (2009)
Associate Nations (10)
- Netherlands – Beat SA (2022), Super 12 (2022)
- Scotland – Beat WI (2022), Super 12 (2021, 2024)
- Namibia – Super 12 (2021)
- Oman – Group stage (2021, 2024)
- UAE – Group stage (2014, 2022)
- Hong Kong – Group stage (2014, 2022)
- USA – Debuted in 2024 (co-hosts)
- Nepal – Debuted in 2014, returned in 2024
- Kenya – 2007 edition
- PNG (Papua New Guinea) – 2021 edition
Key Observations:
- Most Successful: Australia (6 ODI titles) & WI/England (2 T20 titles each)
- Associate Surprises: Kenya (2003 ODI SF), Netherlands (2023 ODI upsets, 2022 T20 win vs SA)
What is the Big Three in Cricket?
The “Big Three” in cricket refers to the teams of India, England and Australia, who are the most powerful and financially influential nations in the game. These three countries control major decisions of the ICC, especially India. These three cricket teams receive the largest share of revenue and dominate the international schedule, often prioritizing matches among themselves for higher profits. Their influence has led to criticism for marginalizing smaller cricketing nations, reducing opportunities for growth, and creating an imbalance in global cricket. India has been the most criticized of these.
They have been criticized for their open abuse of power and financial arrogance, and for occasionally buying matches. While the Big Three ensure financial stability for the game, their dominance has raised concerns about the future of fairness and inclusiveness in cricket.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Which country invented cricket, and when was the first match played?
Answer: Cricket originated in England. The earliest recorded match was played on 17th January 1597 on the roof of a school in Cambridge. The first international match (USA vs. Canada) happened in 1844, while the first Test match (Australia vs. England) was in 1877.
2. Who won the first Cricket World Cup?
Answer: The West Indies won the first ODI World Cup in 1975, defeating England in the final. The tournament had 8 teams, including Kenya as the only associate nation.
3. Why are India, England, and Australia called the “Big Three”?
Answer: They control most of cricket’s money and power:
- They get the largest share of ICC revenue.
- They dominate scheduling (e.g., more Ashes/India-Australia matches).
- Their boards (BCCI, ECB, CA) influence ICC decisions, often sidelining smaller teams.
4. Which underdog teams have surprised everyone in World Cups?
Answer:
- Kenya (2003 ODI WC): Reached the semi-finals!
- Netherlands (2023 ODI WC): Beat South Africa; also stunned England in T20 WC 2022.
- Bangladesh (2015 ODI WC): Knocked out England to reach their first quarter-final.
5. Why did England win the 2019 World Cup on boundary count?
Answer: The final against New Zealand was tied twice (in regular play and the Super Over). England won because they hit more boundaries (26 vs. NZ’s 17)—a controversial rule later scrapped by the ICC.
