In Sri Lanka, there's no question that the most popular sport is cricket. I'm a bank clerk in Colombo, and I'd say almost every Sri Lankan has an opinion about our national team.
Cricket is played by two teams of eleven. One side bowls a hard ball towards a batsman, who tries to hit it and run between two sets of wooden stumps to score runs, while the fielding team tries to get them out. Professional matches can last anything from three hours to five days, depending on the format, but most people play a much simpler version. On any weekend you'll see boys and girls playing in narrow lanes, on beaches and in school grounds, often with a tennis ball and a plank of wood as a bat. And when the national team plays, the whole country stops. Offices put the match on television, people crowd around shop radios, and if we win, there are fireworks in the streets.
As for why it's so popular, I think there are several reasons. Historically, it came from the British colonial period and became part of school life, so generations grew up with it. But the biggest reason is national pride. Sri Lanka is a small country, so when our team beats much larger nations, people feel it's a victory for everyone. I still remember the excitement when my grandfather told me about the year we won the World Cup. Cricket is also cheap to play informally, so it's accessible to everyone, rich or poor. For many families, including mine, watching a match together is a real social occasion.