5 Cricket Fun Facts You Need To Know

Cricket is undoubtedly one of the most prominent sports across all generations. Here are some fun facts that a cricket fan must know. Also, you can look for platforms like PA online sportsbooks when you want to commence your betting career in Pennsylvania. 

Chris Gayle's famous six

In more than a century-long history of test cricket, no cricketer has ever managed to hit a six right off the first ball of the match. It was only Chris Gayle who achieved this title. 

It was a West Indies vs. Bangladesh test match played at Mirpur in November 2012. Chris Gayle was the opening batsman of the game. As always, he managed to stun the audience with his performance by smashing 18 runs in his first over, with a whopping six at the very first ball. He was playing against a debutant off-spinner Sohag Gazi. 

Vinod Kambli has a higher average than Sachin Tendulkar

Vinod Kambli is a former Indian cricketer who is notably a childhood friend of Sachin Tendulkar's. Vinod Kambli has played 17 Test matches in total as opposed to Sachin Tendulkar, who has performed in as many as 200 tests. Vinod made his debut in Test cricket in 1993 against England, much after Sachin Tendulkar. 

Surprisingly, Vinod Kambli has a higher Test average than Sachin Tendulkar himself. Kambli scored a total of 1084 runs at an average of 54.20, while Tendulkar has an average of 53.78. Rumour has it that Kambli and Tendulkar drifted apart because of cricket. 

India has won all three world cups

Interestingly, India is the only country to win the 20, 50, and 60-over Cricket World Cups. It won its first World Cup in 1983 under the captainship of Kapil Dev. The final match was played against West Indies. 

The 50 and 20-over World Cups were played under the leadership of MS Dhoni in the years 2011 and 2007, respectively. The 2011 win was made against Sri Lanka by six wickets. It was perhaps the most viewed sports event ever. 

Indian premier league

IPL has revolutionized cricket and made it even more exciting. It is the first-ever sporting event in India to have introduced the concept of cheerleaders. It has paved the way for cricket enthusiasts and celebrities to participate in the game through owning teams. 

Pepsi paid around $72 million to be the main sponsor of the event. Though cricket betting is no new phenomenon, IPL has given it an exciting twist. 

Richard stokes witnessed the magical innings of both Laker and Kumble

Richard Stokes is the only person in the world who has seen Jim Laker, as well as Anil Kumble, take all ten wickets in an inning. He was ten years old when he saw Jim Laker's match in 1956. Jim Laker was regarded as one of the greatest spinners in cricket history. 

Coincidentally, forty-three years later, he also got the chance to witness a similar phenomenon in India vs. Pakistan match. Richard has only seen these two Test matches in his entire life.