Plight of cricket in USA! Played the first-ever international cricket match in 1844, country still a minnow

Despite a quickfire century (100 off 79 balls) from wicketkeeper-batter Shayan Jahangir, USA could only manage to post a paltry 207 on the board in 49 overs. Nepal made light work of the run chase and registered a win by 6 wickets with seven overs to spare.

The US cricket team are winless in the competition so far and face a relatively stronger Netherlands and Zimbabwe in their next fixtures. Coach Kevin Darlington’s side is not the favourite to qualify for the knockout stages. It faces an uphill task to at least eke out a couple of wins and take the confidence from Zimbabwe to the upcoming assignments.

The USA is a powerhouse in almost every popular field game on the planet such as baseball, football, rugby, ice hockey, etc. But the country which has been participating in the ICC competitions for the last two decades hasn’t been able to make a mark in cricket.

Even though the first ever international cricket which was played in 1844 featured the United States and Canada, the sport witnessed a slow decline in the North American country in the next century and a half. Baseball – which is another bat-and-ball game – became a much-preferred sport in the country. While cricket, a first cousin to baseball, stayed neglected in the country and found takers from a very small fraction in the USA.

At the start of this millennium, the USA played its maiden ODI debut more than a century later, 2004 to be precise, during the ICC Champions Trophy. They played against New Zealand and Australia in the group stage in the UK.

Why Cricket is a neglected sport in the USA?

The associate nations like Canada, Netherlands, UAE, Oman, Namibia, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, and others are doing reasonably well and taking good strides in cricket. However, the same couldn’t be said about the USA, a country that has a rich sporting culture and no dearth of resources. But the question arises why cricket is in such bad shape in the USA.

The prime reason for the same is that cricket has been able to connect with the local public. There have been some patrons of the sport – which is primarily played by the Commonwealth Nations – but the general US diaspora has been largely alienated from the Gentlemen’s Game.

Cricket is still an outsider’s game and only popular amongst the immigrants from the Indian sub-continent. These immigrants from the sub-continent and expatriates from the Caribbean nations, primarily hold the majority of the locals who play cricket in the USA.

Even the current US national cricket teams – both men and women – comprise players who are either immigrants from the Indian subcontinent or Caribbean, or their parents (now US citizens) hailed from these countries. Many players in the current US national men’s team are those who have shifted their base to the country seeking greener pastures as they weren’t getting enough opportunities in their native countries due to stiff competition.

The local connection is still missing with the cricket teams in the US. However, the Minor League Cricket system is witnessing an influx of young talents but that number is still very small and will take another decade to have a sizeable talent pool. There are no local stars in the current team, who can inspire the next generation of kids to take up the sport.

The unavailability of cricket grounds and pitches was also a big reason why local talents didn’t flourish in the country. Unlike baseball, football, and rugby – which have good infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, the same couldn’t be said about cricket.

Until 2008, the USA didn’t have a single cricket stadium which met international standards. To date, Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida and Moosa Stadium in Pearland, Texas meet international standards and have ODI status. New venues are now coming up in the USA at the start of this decade, where the upcoming Major League Cricket – the franchise-based T20 tournament involving the US and other international cricketers – will be played.

What the future holds for cricket in the USA?

The ICC is making stringent efforts to get cricket included as an Olympic sport and targets the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics for the sport’s debut. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also ready to include it to tap into the market in the sub-continent, with T20 being the preferred format for the Olympics.

The inclusion of cricket into the Olympic fold could be a major shot in the arm for the sport and even for US Cricket for that might pique the interest of the younger generation. But even that will take more than a decade for the USA to harness a rich talent pool for cricket.