The 2015 Cricket World Cup is fast approaching. So, there's no better time to learn more about one of the most watched sports in the world and its biggest international tournament.

Here are 10 things you should really know about the Cricket World Cup:

Co-hosts once again

1. As is common at the Cricket World Cup, Australia and New Zealand will be joint hosts of the 2015 tournament. They will each hold 21 group stage matches, at 14 venues, with seven stadiums based in each of the countries. The final will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, known as the MCG, on March 29.

2. The tournament involves two groups of seven teams playing in a round robin format, with the top four in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. From then on, the tournament is a straight knockout.

3. Afghanistan will be playing in their first Cricket World Cup in this year's tournament. They have competed three times at the world championships in the game's short format, known as the ICC World Twenty20, but have been knocked out each time in the first round.

Huge TV audiences

4. An estimated 988 million people watched the second semifinal in the 2011 World Cup, between India and Pakistan, making this game perhaps the most watched sports event of all time. (In comparison, the 2010 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands had a global audience of 909 million people. Some 600 million viewed the 2014 final between Germany and Argentina.)

5. Australia hold the longest winning streak in World Cup history. Between 1999 and 2011 they won 34 matches in a row, in turn clinching three World Cup titles. To get there they beat 15 different opponents with 34 different players.

6. Shoaib Akhtar broke the record for the fastest ball ever bowled at the World Cup in 2003. He bowled at exactly 100 miles per hour (160.9 kilometers per hour) against England batsman Nick Knight.

7. The oldest player to play in a World Cup was Nolan Clarke of the Netherlands, who played in 1996 at 47 years and 257 days old. The youngest player in World Cup history is likely to appear at this tournament, when Yodhin Punja will take the field for United Arab Emirates some 50 days before his 16th birthday.

Lowest score ever

8. The lowest score in a World Cup match was Canada's 36, against Sri Lanka in 2003. That's well short of the average batting score at World Cups, of well over 100 runs. The highest total ever reached was achieved by India in 2007 when they scored 413 against Bermuda.

9. Despite being ranked currently number one in the world for football, Germany's national cricket team currently holds the lowly position of 37 in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.

10. Australia have won the most Cricket World Cups in the history of the tournament, victorious at 4 of the 10 events so far. This time the co-hosts are also favorites with the bookmakers. Defending champions India are considered only an outside chance.