Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each on a field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch. The game is played by 120 million players in many countries, making it the world's second most popular sport. Each team takes its turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. Each turn is known as an innings (used for both singular and plural).
The bowler delivers the ball to the batsman who attempts to hit the ball with his bat away from the fielders so he can run to the other end of the pitch and score a run. Each batsman continues batting until he is out. The batting team continues batting until ten batsmen are out, or a specified number of overs of six balls have been bowled, at which point the teams switch roles and the fielding team comes in to bat.
In professional cricket, the length of a game ranges from 20 overs per side to Test cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.
Cricket is generally believed to have been first played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international match was held. ICC, the game's governing body, has 10full members. The game is most popular in Australasia, England, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies and Southern Africa.
Full Members
Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or associated countries. Full Members may also represent a geographical area. All Full Members have a right to send one representative team to play official Test matches. Also, all Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. West Indies cricket team does not represent one country instead an amalgamation of over 20 countries from theCaribbean. The English Cricket team represents both England and Wales.
| Nation | Governing body | Member since | Current Test rankings | Current ODI rankings | Current T20 rankings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | Cricket Australia | 15 July 1909 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
 Bangladesh | Bangladesh Cricket Board | 26 June 2000 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
 England | England and Wales Cricket Board | 15 July 1909 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
 India | Board of Control for Cricket in India | 31 May 1926 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
 New Zealand | New Zealand Cricket | 31 May 1926 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
 Pakistan | Pakistan Cricket Board | 28 July 1953 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
 South Africa | Cricket South Africa | 15 July 1909 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
 Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Cricket | 21 July 1981 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
 West Indies | West Indies Cricket Board | 31 May 1926 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
 Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe Cricket | 6 July 1992 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
*Last Updated: 8 March 2015 | AResigned May 1961, readmitted 10 July 1991.
Top Associate and Affiliate Members
All the associate and affiliate members are not qualified to play Test Cricket, however ICC grants One Day International status to its associate and affiliate members based on their success in the World Cricket League. The top six teams will be awarded One day international and Twenty20 International status, which will allow the associate and affiliate teams to be eligible to play the full members and play official ODI cricket.
| Nation | Governing body | Member since | Current ODI rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan | Afghanistan Cricket Board | 2001 | 14 |
 Canada | Cricket Canada | 1968 | 16 |
 Ireland | Cricket Ireland | 1993 | 11 |
 Kenya | Cricket Kenya | 1981 | 13 |
 Netherlands | Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond | 1966 | 12 |
 Scotland | Cricket Scotland | 1994 | 15 |
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