When BTTW's first 'List of Cricket Playing Countries' appeared on the page's October 25 edition, the goal was to do what the name implied, list every country where cricket in played, even if it is just half a dozen or so expats meeting on the grounds of an embassy compound as an excuse to have a refreshment.

This list goes further, updating by 11 the number of countries where the international form of the game has a 'confirmed presence', as well as classifying all countries according to factors such as whether they have a national governing body, league structure, etc. etc.

Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Laos, Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo and Uzbekistan are revealed as members of the family of cricket playing nations, while Cameroon, Cote D'Ivore, Liberia and Uruguay join the list of countries where enthusiasts are attempting to get the game going.

The list does not include those were cricket is rumoured to be played, but has not been confirmed.

Some stats:

• Countries/political units where cricket is played or has a 'presence': 154
• Countries on list which are not members of the Commonwealth: 87
• Countries on list in ICC's African Development Region: 30
• Countries on list in ICC's Americas Development Region: 37
• Countries on list in ICC's Asian Development Region: 22
• Countries on list in ICC's East Asia-Pacific Development Region: 24
• Countries on list in ICC's European Development Region: 41

If the second figure excites you, remember this, outside the Test countries, there are just 70,000 cricketers playing the game, with the likelihood that the vast majority of those were born in Commonwealth countries.

Nations with membership of the ICC
Full Member/Part of Full Member nations of the ICC:
Anguilla*, Antigua & Barbuda*, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados*, Dominica*, Grenada*, Guyana*, India, Jamaica*, Montserrat*, New Zealand, Pakistan, St.Kitts & Nevis*, St.Lucia*, St.Vincent & The Grenadines*, Trinidad & Tobago*, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales).
* denotes part of West Indies Cricket Board

Associate Member/Part of Associate Member nations of the ICC:
Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, France, Gambia*, Germany, Ghana*, Gibraltar, Hong Kong-China, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Malawi+, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria*, Papua-New Guinea, Sierra Leone*, Singapore, Tanzania+, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Zambia+.
*Denotes part of West African Cricket Conference.
+Denotes part of East & Central African Cricket Conference

Affiliate Members nations of the ICC
Nations with a formal league structure:
Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Finland, Greece, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Samoa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu
No formal league structure: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Morocco, Philippines, Spain

Non-Members of the ICC
Countries with a formal league competition structure:
(And have a national governing body) -
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Burma, Botswana, Iran, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Maldives, Norfolk Island, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, South Korea, Turks & Caicos Islands, Ukraine, Yemen
(Do not have a national governing body) - Lesotho, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands Antilles, Russia, Turkey

Countries where formal cricket clubs exist but there is no competition structure:
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Iceland, Jersey, Laos, Latvia, Monaco, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Rwanda, Slovenia, Swaziland, Taiwan, Vietnam

No formal clubs but usually played on an 11-a-side basis:
Solomon Islands, US Virgin Islands

Where cricket is played on an irregular basis/rules and team numbers subject to local permutations:
American Samoa, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hungary, Madagascar, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Slovakia, Togo, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

Countries where cricket is not played, but there are moves to get it established:
Cape Verde, Cameroon, Cote D'ivore, Liberia, Romania, Suriname, Uruguay

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd