This week, we're batting our best and bowling for the fences as we talk about fans of that popular English sport, Cricket! Why is it so popular? Is it really as slow as they say? Stay tuned!
Next week, there'll be less qq and more pew-pew when we dive into fans of StarCraft!
## Episode outline
### Fandom Facts
**Origins:**
Cricket is in some ways, not dissimilar from more familiar (to North Americans) sports such as baseball:
> Cricket is a ... played between two teams of eleven players each on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch with a target called the wicket (a set of three wooden stumps topped by two bails) at each end. Each phase of play is called an innings during which one team bats, attempting to score as many runs as possible, whilst their opponents field. Depending on the type of match, the teams have one or two innings apiece and, when the first innings ends, the teams swap roles for the next innings.
>
> — [Wikipedia - Cricket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket)
It is unclear when the sport began, but it is likely to have started around the middle of the 16th century and the first international matches took place in the second half of the 19th century (with the sport having grown globally as part of the expansion of the British Empire). Interestingly enough, the first international match took place between the United States and Canada (of all places) in 1844.
**Most Active:**
Unlike many recent fandoms we're explored, interest in cricket seems to be increasing! [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F09xp_,%2Fm%2F018jz) indicates a slow increase in interest in the sport since 2004, with a few spikes recently corresponding to the Cricket World Cup (the largest spike happening in 2015).
**Size of Fandom:**
The [Cricket subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/) has about 48 thousand subscribers.
In 2015-2016, the National Cricket Census of Australia recealed that over 1.3 million people play cricket (Australia has a population of about 24 million), 24% of cricketers being female.
[WorldAtlas.com](http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html) estimates the number of followers of cricket to be 2.5 billion (behind soccer, at 4 billion).
**Around the world:**
Cricket is popular around the world. The international governing body of cricket, the International Cricket Council, has 105 members representing a large part of the world. It is most popular in the British commonwealth, and, in particular, Pakistan and India.
### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/#-name) Famous Last Words
**G**
~~What is the connection between the game cricket and the insect cricket?~~
Has anyone become a fan of cricket via the fifth Doctor?
**Z**
Is there a rap song or concept album about the sport of cricket?
**T**
Why are people fans of such a slow game?
[// I may not know the _fan_ part of this answer, but I do know that cricket doesn't have to be a slow game. While I had heard of games lasting for days, these were probably games of _Test cricket_ which has unlimited overs (kind of like an at-bat?). _Twenty20 cricket_ is played over a few hours where each team has single innings of 20 overs (120 deliveries) which sounds a _lot faster_. ]: #
### The Verdict
**Z is in ... well, it's on the list, anyway.**
**T is out. Call me when there is robo-Cricket.**
**G is out... unless someone emails g@thenickscast.com with the best cricket has to offer. Then, maybe**
### This week's spotlight
**[Chance to Shine](https://www.chancetoshine.org/about-us)**
Chance to Shine is a charity that teaches kids life skills and spreads 'the power of cricket'.
[// Plugs go here ]: #
### Famous Last Words
This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, StarCraft!
**Z**
In the game StarCraft, there are three races you can choose: which is most popular in South Korea and why?
**G...
