Those of us who never played the game find it surprising that cricket is said to be the planet’s second-most popular sport after football.Whether you accept this or not, it’s hard to deny that interest is at a peak this year because of the ICC Cricket World Cup competition now underway.World Cup madness is reflected in the jump in online sales of cricket-related gear. Internet searches for cricket-related products were up 130 percent in February (when the Cup competition began) compared with February 2010, according to Alibaba.com.

The surge represents a good opportunity for small sporting-goods suppliers and manufacturers in cricket-crazed India, says Sandeep Deshpande, Alibaba.com’s India country manager. Indian suppliers in recent months have been getting nearly half of their business from cricketing countries such as the U.K. and Australia, where buyers are looking for cricket bats and balls, jerseys and other cricket wear. But even traditionally cricket-averse countries are showing an uptick in interest during the Cup.Alibaba.com statistics show that about 12 percent of global enquiriesare coming from greenfield markets like the U.S. and China, where the International Cricket Council (ICC) is actively promoting the sport, Deshpande said.”With cricket gaining global acceptance, the potential is much larger than ever before,” he said. The World Cup final is scheduled for April 2.