CRICKET is one of the most watched sports in the world and is played in over 125 countries.

The popularity of cricket is always on the rise, especially in England and Wales, but when did the sport first start and who invented it?

Who invented cricket?

Cricket is thought to have been invented by children in the south east of England.

Some researchers believe it may have been invented as early as the 13th century.

Other historians have traced its origins back to the 17th century.

How was cricket invented?

It is believed that cricket began as a children's game.

It's thought the game was played by kids for many generations before adults started taking it up.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game of cricket may have been adapted from bowls.

Children living in the Weald, an area of woodlands and clearings in south east England, are thought to be the inventors.

There wasn't a written reference to cricket being played by adults until 1611.

That same year, cricket was defined in a dictionary as a game for boys.

Cricket slowly spread around the world and the first ever international cricket game took place in 1844.

The game, between the US and Canada, was held in New York.

The ICC, then known as the Imperial Cricket Conference, was founded in 1909.

England, Australia and South Africa were the founding members.

There are now 12 nations who are full members of the ICC:

• Afghanistan
• Australia
• Bangladesh
• England
• India
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• Pakistan
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• West Indies
• Zimbabwe

There are 96 Associate Members, including Scotland.

What are the different formats of cricket?

There are three formats of cricket played at international level.

These three versions are Test matches, One-Day Internationals, and Twenty20 Internationals.

Test cricket is the traditional form of the game, and takes place over a five-day period comprising of two innings per team.

One Day Internationals, also known as ODIs, started in the 1970s.

These are one-innings matches of 50 overs per side.

The newest form of cricket is the Twenty20 Internationals, also known as T20.

As well as being the latest, the T20 matches are also the shortest and fastest form of the game.

A T20 match has 20 overs per side and is usually competed in three hours.