Cricket is as foreign to most Americans as driving on the left side of the road or drinking warm beer.
This year, however, the United States is getting an up-close look at the bat-and-ball sport that originated in England, which resembles a crooked version of baseball where the pitcher purposely bounces the ball in front of the batter.
The US national cricket team – which dates back to at least 1844 – has already caused a shift in the game’s hierarchy by defeating Pakistan last week at the Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in New York, Texas, Florida and six other locations across the Caribbean.
The teams next game is scheduled for Wednesday against India on Long Island, about an hour outside of New York. The Americans were not expected to win, but neither were they expected to beat Pakistan – a traditional power that reached the final in the last T20 World Cup in 2022.
“We know we really want to get the word out as it relates to cricket in the country to people born and raised in the United States,” said Aaron Jones, the American team’s best batsman. “I think the further we get into the tournament, the better for us and the better for us to get the fans on board.”
Still, similar to the match against Pakistan, the Americans can expect the other team to receive most of the crowd support on Wednesday at the temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
The South Asian diaspora, like most people in their home countries, is crazy about cricket. They certainly showed up on Sunday for the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan at the same venue, located not far from immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn.
“I think the fans will support both teams, to be honest,” Jones said on Tuesday. “We also have a lot of Indian players in our team. So, I think the fans will support both teams.”
Although the United States is known for playing the first international cricket match against Canada in 1844, the sport’s participation has declined over the decades, while baseball – a pastime more similar to the game of rounders, with players running around the bases , rather than just back and forth – flourished on these shores.
But it’s back. Cricket has been added to the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the first time the sport will be played at the event since the 1900 Paris Games.
“With cricket being one of the biggest sports in the world, it is only a matter of time before the majority of people participate, as far as people born and raised in the United States are concerned,” Jones said. “I think America is a place where people love sport and obviously this World Cup is going to open a lot of people’s eyes and in a few years obviously with cricket in the Olympics that’s going to be a really big thing as well. ”
There is also a professional Twenty20 circuit in the United States that began operating last year. The second season of Major League Cricket is set to begin on July 5 with six teams.
Twenty20 cricket is the shortest of the three main forms of the game. Each team is batting for 20 overs (about 120 balls bowled, or six deliveries per over) or until the fielding team eliminates 10 of the 11 opposition players. One-day cricket expands this to 50 overs for each team, while Test cricket has an unlimited amount of overs, with each side batting twice. A test match – the most revered form of the game – can last up to five days, with breaks for lunch and tea during daily sessions lasting around eight hours.
Cricket teams score significantly more runs than baseball teams. The Americans, for example, racked up 159 runs against Pakistan to level the score after 20 overs were completed and then won in a super over – the equivalent of an extra innings in baseball.
The US national team is made up of players with roots in the sport’s hubs, including India, Pakistan, South Africa and the Caribbean. They know their wickets by their stumps, their centuries by their balls and their pace by their spin, even if most of their compatriots do not.
They also know what they face on Wednesday, facing the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of cricket’s biggest stars.
“As a kid, I always wanted to play against the best players in the world and I will definitely have the opportunity to do that now,” Jones said. “I don’t mean intimidating. I’m excited to play against them, talk to them and definitely beat them too.”
So far in the T20 World Cup, the United States has defeated Canada in the opening game of Group A and then defeated Pakistan on Thursday. If the team falls against India, the Americans will need to beat Ireland on Friday to have a chance of advancing to the Super 8 — the next stage with the eight quarterfinalists divided into two groups of four.
Pakistan, however, re-entered the contest by defeating Canada on Tuesday. If Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday, there could be a somewhat tricky playoff game to decide whether the Americans advance to the next round.
“Right now we’re focused on playing India tomorrow,” Jones said, “and then whatever happens after that… we’ll deal with it.”
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