Imagine you filmed a game of cricket in your back garden. Now imagine that some time later, that same video led you to meet England cricket captain Ben Stokes.

That’s what happened to Knaresborough brothers James and Mark Wood.

The pair are the founders of the viral social media account, Backyard Cricket, which boasts 340,000 followers on Instagram and millions of views on TikTok.

What’s the secret to their success? Playing a game of cricket in the back garden of their home and posting it for the world to watch.

The Stray Ferret sat down with the pair to find out how they went from hitting a ball into the garden bushes to meeting England’s test captain.

Lockdown cricket

“It all started in lockdown,” says Mark, 19, as we sit looking down the wicket that they created at the bottom of their backyard in Knaresborough.

The brothers began filming themselves bowling overs at each other in their back garden, using the back wall as the wicketkeeper.

Coming out of the 2020 lockdown and with a new found freedom of inviting one person round as a bubble, the pair decided to invite a friend over and start making videos.

In August 2020, the game advanced from the top of the garden to the bottom, where the brothers took a stone path out, seeded it and made it as flat as possible to replicate a cricket pitch.

With the help of their sister’s boyfriend, who was a green keeper at Pannal Golf Club, the pair managed to create a pitch fitting for the game.

But the idea of putting it on social media came some time after Mark and James had been filming themselves and their friends playing.

The brothers posted the first video on TikTok in May 2024 and left it without giving it much thought. Some hours later, James picked up his phone and noticed an influx of notifications.

Mark says:

Each year saw a new addition to the pitch which viewers see on their phone screens. New netting was added to stop balls flying into neighbours gardens, a roller was bought to create a flatter wicket and some floodlights from B&Q were installed to help film day and night matches.

The unique camera angle was James’ idea which is merely putting an iPhone on a wire to help facilitate the shot looking down the pitch over the bowler's arm — which both agree is good for viewers to see the spin from the ball.

In total, the pair estimated they’ve spent between £500 to £1,000 on creating the pitch which has helped contribute to their growth in followers.

‘We don’t take the criticism to heart’

After they began publishing videos, Mark says there was one occasion where the page gained 40,000 followers in a day.

But, a vast audience can come with some pressure. Much of the comments critique the bowling in matches and criticise the batting technique.

For Mark, who plays for Goldsborough Cricket Club along with his brother, the engagement from viewers is all part of the fun of backyard cricket.

Much of the content is specifically backyard cricket matches between Mark and James and their friends.

Others are tailored to cricket fans in general, such as the tribute video to England’s all time wicket taker, James Anderson, who retired in July this year. That post has attracted 2.1 million views on TikTok and 760,000 likes on Instagram.

However, most of the content is simply a cricket match between friends — which is easily organised as Mark explains with a smile:

The take off in the social media pages has been remarkable and caught the attention of those in the higher echelons of the game.

For instance, the pair were invited to play with Northern Superchargers and England spin bowler, Adil Rashid.

The page has also caught the eye of brands, such as cricket-themed bar Sixes, Neon and London-based Indian restaurant Brigadiers — all of which now have partnerships with Backyard Cricket.

One of those sponsorships led to a high profile meeting with England test captain, Ben Stokes.

The pair were invited to the Sixes bar in Fulham to meet Stokes and England bowler, Matthew Potts, where they filmed a challenge with Potts and had his captain commentate.

James, also 19, said:

The attention from sponsors has led Mark and James to make an important life decision.

With the demand for videos, brand content and a new YouTube platform which the brothers have launched, Backyard Cricket is beginning to become a full time occupation.

As a result, the pair have delayed going to university — Mark was due to go to Durham and James to Edinburgh — for a year to see where the venture takes them.

Both intend to dedicate more time to the project. Mark has taken on responsibility for editing the short-form videos for socials, while James will focus on long form for YouTube which the pair intend to monetise.

In the long term, both hope to make it a viable and long-term project.

James said:

The page has captured the imaginations of cricket fans around the world, from those who bowl off-spin in their back gardens to the England captain who is set to face down another Ashes series in a year’s time.

So, why do so many people watch a bunch of amateur cricketers slogging a cricket ball around a back garden in Knaresborough?

Mark has a theory:

From bowling at each other to pass the time in lockdown to millions of views on social media and brand deals, did the pair expect to be doing this four years on?