History of the TLD

The .cricket top level domain was introduced as part of ICANN’s new gTLD expansion and became generally available in 2014. It was created to serve the global cricket community, reflecting the sport’s strong cultural and commercial presence across regions such as South Asia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean.

Main Use and Industry Position

.cricket is primarily used by cricket boards, clubs, leagues, academies, media outlets, equipment manufacturers, fan communities, and event organizers. It occupies a clear niche as a sport specific domain and is positioned as a branding and identity tool rather than a general purpose alternative to legacy TLDs.

Comparison to Other TLDs

Compared to .com or .net, .cricket offers far stronger semantic relevance for cricket related content but significantly less universal recognition. When compared to other sports related TLDs, .cricket benefits from serving a single globally followed sport, which provides clearer audience targeting and brand alignment.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

Pros

• Strong relevance for cricket focused organizations and communities

• Clear branding and instant contextual meaning

• Improved name availability compared to legacy TLDs

Cons

• Limited usefulness outside the cricket ecosystem

• Lower general public awareness than traditional TLDs

• May require additional marketing to build trust with non core audiences

Registration Criteria

.cricket is generally available for registration to individuals, organizations, and businesses worldwide with no requirement to demonstrate a direct connection to cricket.

Summary

.cricket is a specialized top level domain designed for the global cricket industry. It is best suited for entities that want a domain name that directly reflects their involvement in the sport, offering clarity and branding strength while trading off broad recognition.