There were several reasons.
Second, cricket is the English national sport game.
Englishmen started playing cricket in the first half of the 18th century.
Cricket is a long and slow game, isn't it?
At the world championships some games last as long as 5 days.
In school competitions the games are much shorter, they last 3 - 5 hours.
And do modern teenagers like playing cricket?
Many British schools have Cricket Clubs where students can develop their physical abilities and learn to play cricket.