International structure
More than 120 cricket-playing nations are recognised by the International Cricket Council.[3] In the countries of South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, cricket is the most popular sport.[4][5][6] Similarly, it is the most popular sport in Australia,[7] United Arab Emirates,[8] Bermuda,[9] Cayman Islands[10] and the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, which are collectively known in cricketing parlance as the West Indies.[11] Cricket is also the national sport of England[12] and The Bahamas,[13] and a major sport in the countries of Europe (including Wales,[14] Scotland,[15] Ireland[16] and Italy[17]), Africa (containing South Africa,[18] Zimbabwe,[19] Kenya,[20] Namibia,[21] Uganda[22] and Zambia[23]), Asia (including Hong Kong,[24] Fiji[25] and Papua New Guinea[26]), and in New Zealand,[27] etc.
Cricket is internationally governed by International Cricket Council (ICC), which is headquartered in Dubai and includes representatives from the ten Test-playing nations and an elected panel representing non-Test-playing nations.
Each nation has a national cricket board which regulates cricket matches played in its country. The cricket board also selects the national squad and organises home and away tours for the national team.
Nations playing cricket are separated into three tiers depending on the level of cricket infrastructure in that country. At the highest level are the Test-playing nations; they qualify automatically for the quadrennial World Cup matches. Below these are the Associate Member nations. The lowest level consists of the Affiliate Member nations.
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