A cricket World Cup has arrived in the U.S. for the first time (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via … [+]
After years of unfulfilled dreams and failed ventures, cricket has finally made a splash in the U.S. through the ongoing T20 World Cup marked by its $30 million New York experiment.
With the U.S. team enjoying a rousing campaign, igniting a nation long considered a sleeping giant in cricket, the tournament has received coverage in America’s most famous media institutions including The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.
There are still clearly some teething problems getting used to the jargon of this rather quirky British bat and ball sport with one report stating that “India was leading Pakistan for most of the match”. Any genuine cricket fan would have been in stitches reading that.
As the U.S. staging of the T20 World Cup concludes, with the modular stadium in Eisenhower Park in Long Island already being dismantled, there is an itch to get the tournament back.
The T20 World Cup ventured to Long Island, New York (Photo by Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty … [+]
The International Cricket Council (ICC) events are locked in until 2031, with money-spinning major tournaments played annually. Authorities won’t be considering hosts for that cycle until probably later this decade, but there will be a major temptation to earmark the U.S. a slot – and there could be a push for as early as 2032.
That might not be fanciful given the U.S. were awarded co-hosts of this tournament – which is the first ICC event in the current cycle through to 2031 – before schedule.
USA Cricket officials at the time had told me in 2020 that they weren’t pursuing any hosting bid before 2026 given the need to build infrastructure suitable for the vagaries of cricket which has different dimensions to baseball grounds.
But authorities were keen to start penetrating into the U.S. at a time when its affluent professional T20 competition – Major League Cricket – is building a footprint. Cricket is also making a long-awaited return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The India-Pakistan match in New York was a major spectacle (Photo by J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday … [+]
“It might take another decade…but why not host the World Cup again in the U.S.,” Seattle Orcas co-owner Soma Somasegar told me. “You want to get this sport exposed to a broad set of people in a high-caliber fashion.
“The best international teams and players coming here has sparked a level of interest and curiosity among the mainstream audience here.”
By then there should be much more infrastructure for cricket. The Orcas franchise is developing a home ground at the King County’s Marymoor Park, around 15 miles from Seattle. While the San Francisco Unicorns have a planned site in San Jose.
As I reported previously, discussions are being held over third party use of the Nassau County Stadium in Long Island post the T20 World Cup.
But it can be safely assumed that there will be a major cricket ground somewhere in New York with their franchise team MI New York owned by Mukesh Ambani – the 11th richest person in the world.
With other grounds around the country also mooted, it might mean the U.S. may have the capabilities to host the T20 World Cup outright. While this tournament opened the possibilities of cricket in the U.S., the next event there might actually provide the breakout.
In 2032 or beyond, perhaps what will manifest is cricket’s equivalent to the 1994 FIFA World Cup when soccer exploded onto the U.S. sports map.
“The World Cup has been phenomenal,” Somasegar said. “I’ve had mainstream Americans – those not from cricket backgrounds – who have been messaging me about the games.
“I’m hoping we don’t have to wait another 20 years for U.S. to host the World Cup.”
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