Only soccer rivals cricket in transcending the world of sport to become a deeply felt expression of culture. And in cricket-mad South Asia, a frenzy of feeling for the game burst open for the past two months as the Cricket World Cup 2011 was played out in host countries India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Fourteen nations participated in the tournament, and the semifinals featured what is arguably the world’s most heated sports rivalry: India vs. Pakistan. Collected here are pictures from the past few months of people playing, watching, and living cricket in several countries in South Asia. — Lane Turner
Indian Hindu priests hold a replica of the Cricket World Cup trophy during a special prayer organised to seek blessings of Hindu god Lord Ganesha for the victory of the Indian cricket team in the tournament, at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai on Feburary 17, 2011. (STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
Cricket
Indian Hindu priests hold a replica of the Cricket World Cup trophy during a special prayer organised to seek blessings of Hindu god Lord Ganesha for the victory of the Indian cricket team in the tournament, at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai on Feburary 17, 2011. (STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
