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Published 12:37 IST, January 23rd 2021

ICC defeats giants FIFA off the field for THIS top global sports business honour

The ICC has a solid presence on the internet and it's social media handles are among the most popular and engaging accounts in the sporting world.

Reported by: Jatin Malu
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The International Cricket Board (ICC) is the governing body of cricket which is responsible for the organisation and governance of cricket's major international tournaments across the world. The ICC has a solid presence on the internet and it's social media handles are among the most popular and engaging accounts in the sporting world. The ICC's immense popularity on social media has now helped them become the top-performing world sports federation on social media by reputed management consulting firm, BCW Global.

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ICC becomes the top-performing world sports federation on social media

In doing so, the ICC has beaten the likes of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Rugby World Cup. The news about the same was shared by Alistair Hogg, the Digital Content Manager at the International Cricket Council.

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As far as 'True Reach is concerned, the ICC (4.53 million) is miles ahead of the second-placed Rugby World Cup (333k) and third-ranked FIBA (242k). The ICC (59 million) is also leading by a huge margin when it comes to total followers. The apex-cricketing board is followed by FIFA (37.7 million), FIBA (12.2 million). This could probably be attributed to India being amongst the top two largest markets in the world, with cricket still remaining the country's most followed sport. Some of ICC's social media posts have also been on Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is amongst the more popular athletes from the Indian subcontinent, which has upped ICC's engagement levels with fans in recent times.

ICC Test rankings: Marnus Labuschagne replaces Virat Kohli

Kohli took a paternity leave after the first Test of their Australian tour. The cricketer missed the subsequent three matches, which prompted Ajinkya Rahane to take over as captain of the Indian team. As it turns out, Kohli has been displaced out of his Top 3 status in ICC’s batsmen rankings by Australian batting star Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 426 runs throughout the four matches Down Under.

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This is the first time that Virat Kohli has not featured in any of the top three positions in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen since 2016. The cricketer’s penchant for plundering consistent runs across all formats has made him one of the icons of modern-day batsmanship. While Virat Kohli is currently placed at No. 4 in the ICC Test rankings, he will get an opportunity to reclaim a position among the top three through India’s upcoming four-Test home assignment against England.

Among other changes in the rankings, Rishabh Pant jumped to No.13 to attain his best ever stance in the standings. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson continues his stay at the top with 919 rating points, closely followed by Australia’s batting talisman Steve Smith. Cheteshwar Pujara (at No. 7) and Ajinkya Rahane (at No. 9) are the other Indian batsmen apart from Kohli to make it into the top 10.

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SOURCE: TWITTER

Updated 12:37 IST, January 23rd 2021