United States Cricket Team vice-captain Aaron Jones poses next to a giant cricket ball installed in the market to mark the 100th day of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on February 22, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images
a major cricket world cup The sport will come to the U.S. for the first time in June, and planning for its future in the U.S. begins
Cricket is a baseball-like sport that originated in England and has been popular in England for a long time. But the sport thrives in India, the world’s most populous country, and in a number of other former British colonies.
In the United States, it is mainly immigrants and their children who like cricket. But in 2023, Major League Baseball debuts in the United States with six teams: Los Angeles Knights, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Liberty, The movement got a boost.
Now, the United States men’s national cricket team will represent the country at this year’s International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup.Teams play in the Twenty20 or T20 format, which is the shortest and most popular format Movement form. Traditional cricket matches can last up to five days, while T20 matches usually last around three hours.
This year’s World Cup is co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies and will be held at three stadiums in Texas, Florida and New York in the United States, as well as multiple locations in the West Indies.
“This is a historic opportunity for the United States,” said former ESPN cricket writer Peter Della Penna.
succeed in india
While cricket has yet to break through in the United States, it has found success in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies. But the sport’s influence is undoubtedly greatest in India, where it is the most popular sport in a country of more than 1.4 billion people, according to research firm Statista.
cricket It is already a big business in the Asian subcontinent. In 2022, it will account for 85% of India’s national sports expenditure, According to ISPOa trade show for the sports industry.
And the ratings continue to break records. disney Said that the viewership of the 2023 professional Indian Premier League (IPL) matches broadcast on its Disney Star network Audience reaches record number 505 million In India, it became the first film to attract over 500 million viewers.
The average value of an IPL team is over $1 billionAccording to Forbes, investors are taking notice. In June 2021, private equity firm RedBird acquired a 15% stake in the IPL team Rajasthan Royals for US$37.5 million.
A year later, Indian cricket’s governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, sold television and digital broadcast rights for a record $6.2 billion. According to statistics, this makes the IPL the second most valuable event among global sports leagues, second only to the NFL. Jay ShahHonorary Secretary of BCCI.
The World Cup tournament in early June will bring some star power to the United States, culminating in a high-profile India-Pakistan game and a U.S.-India game.
“The 34,000-seat venue in New York for the (U.S.-India) game was sold out,” De La Pena said. “It just gives you a sense of how big of an opportunity (the U.S.) is going to have during the World Cup — the number of TV viewers is huge. It’s unprecedented for anything the U.S. has ever participated in — when you consider the Indian market and other markets like the United Kingdom or Australia.
The ICC’s decision to host some of the World Cup matches in the United States, especially the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan, is a big one. strategic initiatives According to USA Cricket, make the most of the country’s growth potential.The United States will host the tournament years before cricket enters the world 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Dela Pena, who has covered cricket for nearly two decades, also said the move was financially motivated.
“(The International Cricket Council) made sure that the India-Pakistan match was played on American soil because they know there are millions of people in the (South Asian) diaspora who are huge cricket fans,” De La Pena said.
The Times reports that cricketers Liam Plunkett (centre left) and Dwayne Bravo (centre right) pose for photos with children during a media day to mark the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup jointly hosted by the West Indies and the United States. 100 Days at New York City Plaza, February 22, 2024.
Mike Staub | International Convention Center | Getty Images
Tasmai Krishnan, an Indian youth cricket enthusiast and host of the podcast “Cricstatic”, said that the sport is “an integral part” of Indian culture. As new sports like pickleball grow in popularity, Tasmai said he hopes cricket will grow in the United States as well, and he’s interested in seeing how the U.S. will integrate into the global cricket circuit after the World Cup.
“From an Indian perspective, this opens up another area for cricket because it opens up another country that is going to be a fierce contender in the future,” Tasmai said. “It’s a great time for Team USA. Learning opportunities, and seeing a country like the United States competing makes my heart really full of joy.”
‘A dream come true’
De La Pena said the game between the United States and India will provide an interesting balance for Indian Americans to choose which country to cheer for.
One of them is George Samuel, a resident of Nassau County, New York, where some World Cup games will be held. Samuel is the head coach and director of the Queens United Cricket Academy, which develops cricketing skills in children and young people. Although he immigrated to the United States from India in 1987, he also worked as a cricket coach in England, Australia and South Africa. When he arrived in New York, he wanted to pass on the sport.
“I was so excited,” he said when he learned the World Cup would be held in his backyard. “When I came to this country, I never thought anything like this would happen – this is a dream come true.”
Samuel, who has already secured a ticket, said he believed this World Cup would be a springboard for cricket to take off in the United States, but he was not supporting either side in the final.
“I like to see good cricket. I have no loyalties. I want to see the United States showing good talent, I want to see good bats and bowls and a lot of sixes,” he said. A “six” is the cricket equivalent of a baseball home run.
Samuel’s teenage son Jeremy said that despite his family being of Indian descent, he cheered for the United States, the country of his birth, because he wanted to cricket professionally and play for the United States team.
Jeremy and his friends also had World Cup tickets and none of them had ever been to a major cricket match before.
“It’s really exciting to be able to watch the game here – it’s only 15 minutes from my house,” he said. “It’s a big moment for us to finally see cricket… and it makes me happy because now more people will know about cricket and start playing it.”
Others are more interested in supporting Team India against their traditional opponents.
Mythili Sankaran, a California resident, said she has watched every Indian match for the past 25 years. She didn’t even watch the U.S.-India game and only traveled to New York to watch India play Pakistan in the World Cup. .
“Growing up with the Indian team in India, we were always at a disadvantage. Now, India is one of the most promising and powerful teams in world cricket, if not the most promising and powerful team. One,” said Sankaran, who said she played cricket in college at the Indian level before immigrating to the United States.
“Being able to watch all these international stars, watching India play Pakistan in the United States – I didn’t think I would ever do that in my life,” she said. “I think the cricket audience in the United States is maturing, largely due to Indian-Americans, and now is the time.”
Sankaran said that ultimately, she hopes the World Cup marks the beginning of a new era.
“I hope… people can see women’s cricket in the United States as well,” she said. “The U.S. women’s cricket team is actually doing pretty well, so I hope there’s more awareness and visibility about it.”
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