Cricket has its origins in sixteenth-century England and has grown massively popular in places like Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In fact, it is seen as the national sport in many South Asian states.

The last couple of decades has seen something of a rebirth of the sport. In addition to the traditional Test matches, which can go on for days, there are now one day and 20 overs competitions which are shorter and a significantly more fan-friendly experience.

These transformations have coincided with, or maybe are the cause of, the emergence of some ‘second-tier’ cricket-playing countries all over the globe. Though they are still quite a way behind the ‘big boys’ of world cricket, it seems the gulf in class is narrowing.

The laws of cricket are quite complicated, but here is a short summary of the sport. Cricket teams consist of 11 players on each side and the game is played on a large oval field. One team bats, attempting to rack up as many runs as they can. The batsman attempts to protect the wicket from the bowler while accumulating runs. When the bowler hits the wicket with the ball, or a fielder catches the ball after it is batted, then the batsman is ‘out’. When all the batsmen are dismissed then the teams swap roles, and the side that scores the most runs triumphs.

As mentioned, standard ‘Test’ games like those played in the famous Ashes series between England and Australia, can go on for many days. The more recent one day and twenty overs matches keep matches to 1 day of action.

The equipment required to play cricket is fairly simple and impromptu matches with family and friends can be easily organized. The most important items are cricket bats and balls. The bats are blade-shaped and can be up to 38 inches long. The balls are made from hard leather and have a cork core.

Because the balls are heavy and the fact that they can be delivered at up to 90mph, it is necessary for batsmen to wear protective gear, including a helmet, gloves and pads. Serious injuries are not uncommon in cricket.

The international body of cricket is the Dubai-based International Cricket Council (ICC). It has a hundred and four member nations, including 10 full members that play international Test matches. It also oversees the laws of the sport and is responsible for appointing umpires and officials.

In countries where cricket is keenly followed, almost every second person has an opinion or information about different aspects of the game. This can turn out to be very confusing and misleading at times. Based on such half baked information, the general public believes that they know all about cricket. Such unreliable information often leads the public to make unrealistic expectations and can also give birth to controversies. Online cricket information is the perfect source of authentic information for the serious cricket lover.

Finding information about anything in the internet is not at all difficult, given the amount of information available on the World Wide Web. Nonetheless what is important is fact that you must know where you can find authentic information. The internet is flooded with websites claiming to be containing information authentic information about cricket.

Online cricket information covers many aspects of the game. Starting from player information, statistics, landmarks, records, rankings, ratings you can find everything in online cricket information. Besides these features you can find many websites that have interactive cricket games for you to play. These interactive games are great means for you to indulge in playing games related to cricket.

Sites containing online cricket information also have many other features for cricket fans. If you miss the live coverage of a match, you can relive the exciting moments of the match by listening to pod casts offered by the online sites. Pod casts mostly contain expert opinion on the highs and the lows of a game. It can also include pre and post match analysis by a panel of experts to let you know all about the game. Missing out on live action can be easily compensated with pod casts.

Online cricket information site also provides cricket fans with news, views, features, columns, latest pictures and all the other happenings in the world of cricket. You can get information about both on field and off field activities related to the game.

Whenever you want to know the score of a live cricket match that is taking place, all you need to do is check out the sites which provide online cricket information. Most sites have scorecards which can be downloaded very quickly and you can know all about the latest position of the match. You will be updated constantly about the status of the match as the match progresses.