After four long years of anticipation for cricket fans, the 2019 Cricket World Cup finally began a few weeks ago. With 10 countries competing for the title, we thought it would only be fit for us to research into the background of the competing nations and find out what brought them to the field.
Although there are 12 countries that have been awarded ‘Test’ status under the International Cricket Council (ICC), only 10 countries qualified to compete in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. These countries are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, England, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies.
The sporting event will take place in stadiums across the UK, with thousands of fans from across the world visiting to support their home nation. In order to fully appreciate and absorb the increase in culture and languages entering the UK during this period, we believe it’s only right for us to do a little bit of research into the competing nations. Therefore, below is part two (click here to read part one) of everything you need to know about the countries that are participating in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
New Zealand
- Cricket is the most popular summer sport in New Zealand, whilst rugby is the second most dominant sport in the Nation.
- The origins of the sport in New Zealand can be traced back to December 1832, where Henry Williams reported a game of cricket being played on Horotutu Beach in his diary.
BONUS LANGUAGE FACT – The most widely spoken languages in New Zealand are English and Māori.
India
- Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India.
- In June 1932, India joined the ICC.
- The sport was first introduced to India during the British Raj via the East India Company.
BONUS LANGUAGE FACT – The most widely spoken languages in India are Hindi, English and Bengali.
Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka was awarded Test status by the ICC in 1981.
- The first recorded match was played in 1832, although it is widely assumed that the first game played was in 1800.
- Cricket was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British government.
BONUS LANGUAGE FACT – The most commonly spoken languages in Sri Lanka are Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Pakistan
- Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan.
- Pakistan was awarded Test status in 1952.
- Much like Bangladesh, the sport actually predates the country. India were introduced to cricket by the British during the British Raj. Pakistan then continued to play the sport after they were given Independence from India.
BONUS LANGUAGE FACT – Whilst Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, only about 10% of people in the country can actually speak it. Punjabi is the most commonly spoken language, followed by Sindhi, Seraiki and English.
West Indies
- Cricket is the most popular sport in the Caribbean.
- The West Indies gained Test status in 1928.
- Cricket was originally introduced to the West Indies by the British.
BONUS LANGUAGE FACT – The official language of the West Indies is English, although French Creole and Spanish are also very popular.
With 2015’s winners being Australia and 2011’s winners being India, which nation will you be placing your bets on to win the Cricket World Cup 2019?
Elliot Glynn
