The top-level domain (TLD) ‘.CRICKET’ refers to one type of generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. TLDs are part of the text that comes after the final dot in an Internet address. For instance, in the internet address ‘www.example.com’, ‘.com’ is the TLD. They serve to identify the type of organization or the geographical area associated with the domain.
The ‘.CRICKET’ TLD, managed by Dot Cricket Limited, was delegated to the Internet’s Root Zone by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) on Dec 11, 2014, according to data from the information portal “IANA.ORG” dedicated to the IANA functions carried out by ICANN. It is intended to be used by individuals, teams, companies, and organizations associated with the sport of cricket. This gives the cricket-related community a potentially recognizable Internet space.
The ‘.CRICKET’ extension can be employed for cricket teams, leagues, equipment sellers, video game developers, individual players, coaches, and fans to have a domain name that clearly communicates their identity or interest related to cricket. For instance, a cricket team might use ‘www.teamname.cricket’ as their website address to clearly signify that their domain is connected to cricket. A retailer selling cricket equipment may go for ‘www.cricketgearshop.cricket’ to be upfront about the type of products it sells. This aids in online searchability and might boost website traffic as well.
In addition, it’s worth mentioning that the ‘.CRICKET’ domain extension also helps in terms of brand protection. For instance, an official cricket organization can benefit from securing ‘.CRICKET’ domain names relevant to its brand to avoid cybersquatting, a practice where individuals register domain names of popular brands intentionally for profit.
The official registry for ‘.CRICKET’ is FFM (Famous Four Media) which has launched many top-level domains. However, this company entered Administration in 2018 and UNR (Uniregistry) was selected as the emergency backend registry operator by ICANN. Domains utilizing the ‘.CRICKET’ TLD can be registered via various domain registrars like GoDaddy, NameCheap, Bluehost, etc.
To sum up, ‘.CRICKET’ is a TLD offering the opportunity to own a domain more relevant, memorable, and targeted to cricket which could benefit people and organizations closely associated with the sport of cricket.
Sources used:
1. ICANN: https://www.icann.org
2. IANA: https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db
3. FamousFourMedia: http://famousfourmedia.com
4. Uniregistry: https://uniregistry.com
5. GoDaddy: https://www.godaddy.com
6. NameCheap: https://www.namecheap.com
7. Bluehost: https://www.bluehost.com
