Cricket is back in North America with the T20 World Cup, a grand return for cricket. Nonetheless, will this game be able to have an implication among local people who may know almost nothing about it?
Cricket worldwide is driven by India but the International Cricket Council also believes that there is a lot of potential in the US market where 30 million fans are presently.
The T20 tournament is also considered as a significant precursor to the Summer Olympic Games which will be held at Los Angeles 2028 where cricket will make its first comeback since 1st June 1893 after 128 years.
New York, Dallas and Lauderhill have been selected as venues for sixteen games. Based on these figures, over half of 55 games scheduled, including playoffs would happen in different parts of Caribbean.
On day three of the event, South Africa will take on Sri Lanka at New York’s Central Park; this was the site of first international cricket match between America and Canada in 1844.
There was once you could see cricket being played across America however during civil war period in the 1860s; baseball a far faster alternative became popular.
“…(T20) it’s entertainment and that’s what people look for. That’s what Americans look for when you know they want entertainment,” says Brian Lara resplendent but little known cricketer who admits he can walk round Miami without being noticed by any one else there because he used to play for West Indian national team.
“You know I’ve spoken to an American many times and say ‘you play five day game and then it ends up being a draw? What is that?’ It means it becomes difficult,” he opened up about selling Test cricket to an American who might just warm up to shortest format though.
At least couple weeks of international cricketing on alien soil may not leave long-lasting imprint on local audience thereby ensuring development beyond South Asian or Caribbean expat community.
Cricket can prove to be a difficult game for novices to understand especially when it comes to terms like “third man”, “fine leg” or “deep mid-wicket”, which are names of some of the many field placements in the game.
ICC is making every attempt to reach out to the American audience by getting Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold sprinter, as a World Cup ambassador and promoting it during the Miami Formula 1 race.
In order for cricket to compete with baseball, NFL and NBA in average American household’s mind there must be growth at grassroots level.
“I definitely think that the sport can grow in USA. Once you have presence people start gravitating towards it and want to know more about,” Bolt who is from cricket loving Caribbean told PTI recently.
One reason why Americans should pay attention is because their team will make its debut at this world cup, comprised mainly of players from South Asian and Caribbean backgrounds.
Venu Pisike, the President of USA Cricket, believes that although an ICC tournament would bring some needed attention to the sport, it is competing in 2028 Olympics that will ultimately see a surge of interest.
Pisike said: “Cricket has up to now been mainly popular among expats and with marketing and promotion work on during the World Cup there is momentum and the World Cup itself will definitely increase opportunities for expanding this game in the United States.”
“Certainly, being in the World Cup creates awareness before cricket comes to Olympics which is one thing that could draw crowds because America is a sports country big time.
Pisike further stated that “Olympics has taken all other games from around crickets since cricketing going into Olympics would offer more chances to proliferate the tournament between world cup and Olympics.”
The USA squad selected for the championship is composed of semi-professionals who have full-time jobs just so as to feed their families. India-born Nisarg Patel of USA squad argues that things must change if cricket wants to attract more people in America.
“There needs to be a future in this game for an American boy at high school,” he said. Olympic medals are what built our nation; America has many sports.
“The kids need to know there’s something beyond playing cricket professionally,” explains a spinner who works in Los Angeles full time for a medical research firm.
Development of Major League Cricket last year marked the beginning of professionalism within the sport, however limited in nature it might have been
However, it will be an uphill struggle for ICC alongside its partners trying to get public attention towards this issue when already there are numerous active sporting activities taking place within its territory.
