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Cricket in USA

Any sport will never get popularized unless locals play in it. US cricket team will go down same way Canadian team. Only desis will play and no one will care.
 
Donal Cozzie said:
England don't explicitly import players though to my knowledge. The counties take on players who qualify as domestic and if the ECB like them, they take them. Morgan, Rankin, Joyce and the others all played for England as they played county cricket for the requisite period and in some cases even have British passports anyway.

The example of the UAE is also poor as that country is like 90% expats, therefore the UAE cricket team also being mostly expats is perfectly acceptable and representative of the country the work in. The USE is not the same.

The USA are literally approaching and essentially buying leftover players from SA, Pakistan, SL etc. Its a big difference to the UAE playing expats who work there who happen to be decent, or the ECB calling up foreigners playing county who qualify. The USA don't have a cricket infrastructure to develop a quality national side, see the u19 results, nor do they have the ability to tap into the domestic audience, so they're basically just buying their way in as US Cricket will always have wealthy desi backers who want to see big teams play there, or the US to qualify for events.

The USA are entitled to do this of course, its within the rules, but hypothetically, if some random Mongolian billionaire started paying tens of thousands to get random former or domestic players over there and start playing in intl tourneys, whats the difference? There is none. I want Associate teams who are genuinely developing a sustainable future qualifying i.e Namibia, Nepal, Malaysia, Scotland, Netherlands etc. Even the UAE, Oman , HK, all sides people wrongly chastise for being foreign XI's, have all done xcellent development work. The US lost to the Cayman Islands two years ago in comparison.

I don't want to see a haphazard US cricket community that's used its brute financial force to buy Patel, Aslam, loads of Saffers etc qualifying on that logic. In none of those cases that I'm aware of, bar Anderson and Plunkett, do any of them have even an iota of a US background, no passport etc. Its akin imo to KKR entering a national side in ICC qualifying. They can do it if they want but I don't like it and long term it aids US cricket in no way whatsoever.
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In my opinion they are targeting mainly immigrants and expats only in the long term aswell. They have huge desi expats so they want them to stay hooked to cricket, say guys like Usman Khuwaja or Adil Rashid who were either born there or came as little kids and I see nothing wrong with that. They have huge population so even if 50% expats pick up cricket as their favourite sport then they will have a reasonable team in 10-15 years and so on.
 
Via Cricket USA:

USA Cricket has hailed the news yesterday from the International Cricket Council (ICC) that there will be an expanded set of events that involve an increased number of Associate Members within the next ICC Rights Cycle from 2023 - 2031.

The announcement about the expansion in the number of participating teams at future editions of the Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Men’s T20 World Cup, as well as the scheduling of a Men’s T20 World Cup every two years, appears to reflect the ICC’s desire to grow the game in the coming decade outside of the non-traditional markets and aligns with USA Cricket’s long-term vision and strategic objectives.

This decision follows previous ICC announcements about the expansion in the number of Women’s and Youth events over the 8-year period as well.

Iain Higgins, Chief Executive of USA Cricket, expressed strong support for the ICC’s announcement, “Everybody within USA Cricket and across the US cricket community is delighted that the ICC has chosen to expand the number of participating teams in both the Men’s Cricket World Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup, following similar decisions in respect of the women’s game. These decisions help to provide additional opportunities for the best Associate Members to compete on a global stage on a more regular basis, and they therefore provide extra incentive to the USA’s national teams and players as we strive to develop an integrated domestic structure and environment that helps to drive high performance outcomes. The standard and quality of Associate Member cricket has never been stronger and we look forward to being able to demonstrate that on the global stage through these new opportunities.”

“In addition, the decision to schedule a Men’s T20 World Cup every other year, which follows a similar decision in respect of the Women’s T20 World Cup, also provides USA Cricket with additional opportunities to continue to seek the right to host part of these major events in line with the strategic objectives set out in our Foundational Plan. To that end, USA Cricket has already formally expressed to the ICC its interest in staging various major events in partnership with Cricket West Indies, and we look forward to working with CWI and the ICC over the next few months with a view to putting forward the best possible case to secure for the USA the hosting rights to some of the most exciting global cricket competitions, which would be extremely exciting and help us to achieve our long-term vision of making cricket a mainstream sport in the USA.”

Higgins concluded, “Our continued strategic focus on Women, Girls and Youth has also received a huge boost - not just the expansion of the number of teams in the Women’s Cricket World Cup and Women’s T20 World Cup, but also the introduction of the Women’s U19 T20 World Cup every two years. It is so pleasing to see these decisions align with our own strategic initiatives, including the establishment of a women’s pathway and the recent investment into the Men’s and Women’s U19 Training Groups, U19 National Coaches, U19 National Championships and broader support structures.”
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I bought a team in a league and so far the experience has been good. Pitches are not good and crowd generally doesn't show up but still 30-40 people to watch the game mostly related to players or cricket in some way. It'll take some time but t20 makes it exciting
 
Major League Cricket (“MLC”) and Atlanta Fire (“AF”) today announced an MOU to enter into a joint-venture partnership with the founders of Atlanta Cricket Fields (“ACF”) to develop the complex into one of the most extensive cricket training and playing facilities in the United States.

MLC and ACF have been collaborating on the development of the facility over the past year, which included the successful staging of an MLC Junior Championship event earlier this summer. As part of this partnership, the founders of ACF will join Major League Cricket’s investor group.

The seven-field facility in the Atlanta metropolitan region, located in Forsyth County, is one of the largest cricket complexes in the United States. ACF will become the second MLC National Cricket Center, following the founding of the MLC National Cricket Center at Prairie View Cricket Complex, located near Houston.

“Today’s announcement is another important step to establishing world-class training and playing facilities that will accelerate the rapid development of cricket across all levels in the United States,” said Sameer Mehta, Co-Founder, Major League Cricket. “Once complete, Atlanta Cricket Fields is going to positively impact all cricketers for the United States national teams preparing for international competition, who will enjoy access to elite cricketing facilities at MLC National Cricket Centers in multiple locations.”

“We would like to thank everyone involved in Major League Cricket, Atlanta Cricket Fields and Atlanta Fire for their wonderful efforts in combining to take this fantastic facility to the next level,” commented Iain Higgins, Chief Executive of USA Cricket. “The facility has great potential with the scale and quality it has already achieved, and we hope to see Atlanta Cricket Fields now become one of the premier cricket facilities in the USA. USA Cricket will use the ACF as a training hub in the South Zone, and for other tournaments once the developments are complete. We also plan to work closely with our partners at MLC as the developments take place to help ensure that it will have the best chance of being accredited by the ICC to host ODI matches in the future. Our thanks to everyone involved with the project, and we look forward to seeing cricket continuing to grow in the greater Georgia region in the years ahead.”

As part of the partnership at ACF, further developments to the existing facility will include:

The construction of new natural turf practice nets and wickets.

Development of a high-quality indoor practice facility.

Significant upgrades to existing cricketing facilities on the main oval to meet the ICC One Day International (ODI) Requirements.

Once complete, the project will position the MLC National Cricket Center at Atlanta Cricket Fields as an elite playing and training venue, whilst maintaining its standing as a community cricket hub for youth and recreational cricketers. It is anticipated ACF will play host to a number of elite multi-team tournaments over the next year, as well as an MLC training camp featuring MLC contracted players playing alongside some of the best amateur players in the country.


“Atlanta Cricket Fields is excited to collaborate with Major League Cricket to create the most extensive cricket training and playing facilities in the United States,” said Sumanth Yellanki, CEO, Atlanta Cricket Fields. “The entire team at Atlanta Cricket Fields has worked tirelessly since 2016 to establish the first dedicated seven-field cricket Facility in the United States. Our combined entities will focus on developing the talent and provide best-in-class infrastructure for the development of cricket across all levels in the United States.”

Atlanta Cricket Fields will also be the home of Atlanta Fire in Minor League Cricket, a national Twenty20 cricket competition for 27 city-based teams from across the United States. The inaugural Minor League Cricket championship will take place later this summer. The participation of Atlanta Fire in Minor League Cricket will give local players the opportunity to play in the most extensive nationwide cricket competition to take place in the United States.

USA Cricket Board Member and Chair of the ACE Relations Committee, Suraj Viswanathan said. "It's fantastic to see the hard work and efforts that have already been made at Atlanta Cricket Fields being recognized, and plans being developed to upgrade the facilities over time. We look forward to providing further support as the project develops and to hosting future USA Cricket matches and camps here in future."

“I could not be happier to establish ACF as the home field for Atlanta Fire and our growing fan base,” said Hasan Tarek, CEO and Founder, Atlanta Fire. “This partnership comes at a pivotal time in the development of cricket in the United States and is a positive addition for our local community. Together with ACF, Atlanta Fire will continue to build the platform for cricket by fostering young talent, engaging community partners and playing exceptional cricket.”
 
Pakistani legend Shoiab Akhtar is amongst four former cricketers who have been invited as special guests for the inaugural Pakistan Major Cricket League tournament that will be held from June 25 to 27 at the Maq Cricket Stadium in Hafizabad, Pakistan.

Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) is spearheading this effort to get foreign Pakistani nationals to pump finances into the tournament to assist cricketers at their place of birth. Chairman of CCUSA Mahammad Qureshi came up with the idea and got buy in from stakeholders with the aim of giving all Pakistani cricketers a chance at being recognised and getting opportunities to play cricket overseas after being spotted that this tournament.

Qureshi would have invited Akhtar at this very popular tournament, the US Open T20 in Florida many years ago. Now with this league starting back in Pakistan he has been able to get the former speed merchant to endorse it and he will be a special guest at the tournament. Joining Akhtar will be Shoaib Muhammad, Kamran Akmal and Aqib Javed.

According to Qureshi: “We are very happy to have these former cricketers as our special guests. This is a project that will only serve to assist cricket in Pakistan. We are giving players that platform to perform and a chance at being seen by overseas cricket clubs, so that they can develop their game further. All matches will be shown on MaqTv and we will be taking the action to the world.”

The tournament will see five franchises battling for glory, namely Karachi Sharks, Lahore Lions, Faisalabad Bears, Hafizabad Stallions and Islamabad Tigers.

https://ccusa.info/akhtar-among-invited-guest-for-mcl-pakistan
 
LOS ALTOS, CA - Minor League Cricket (MiLC) announced today final rosters for the Toyota Minor League Cricket Championship presented by SLING TV, with games set to begin this Saturday, July 31 across the country. The competition is the most extensive to ever take place in the history of American cricket in a new dawn for the sport in the United States, with twenty-seven participating teams competing over 218 matches scheduled to take place in 21 cities nationwide.

The competition’s unprecedented scale will be demonstrated on opening weekend with 24 games held at nine different venues. In the Atlantic Conference, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Atlanta areas will host matches, while in the Pacific Conference, the Chicago, Detroit, Houston, San Jose and San Diego markets will see games take place.

Fifteen players who have represented their countries in full member international cricket will take part, including Amila Aponso (Sri Lanka), Corey Anderson (New Zealand), Narsingh Deonarine (West Indies), Sami Aslam (Pakistan), Shehan Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) and Dane Piedt (South Africa).

The league will form a critical part of the pathway for player development for the United States National Team, with each MiLC roster featuring a minimum required number of Under 21 and Under 19 players. Over 20 American cricketers capped at Senior Level for Team USA will play in Minor League Cricket, as well as the entire roster of 14 players that were recently named to the USA Cricket Under 19 panel.

“The opening weekend of Minor League Cricket, with games featuring 27 teams taking place across six different states, will showcase the growth of cricket infrastructure nationwide thanks to the commitment and investment of so many in the American cricket community,” said Justin Geale, Tournament Director for Major League Cricket. “All 27 teams feature both experienced and emerging talent who will battle it out to become the first champion of Minor League Cricket, in what is a truly historic development for the sport of cricket in the United States.”

The Toyota Minor League Cricket Championship will feature 10 weekends of competitive play in the short-form Twenty20 format loved by cricket fans around the world, culminating in a finals weekend on Oct. 2-3. Total prize money of $250,000 for the competition represents the largest purse ever on offer in American cricket.

More than 100 matches will be streamed live, available to watch for free on Willow TV’s web or mobile apps and YouTube channel. Enhanced coverage at eight venues will feature multi-camera coverage and live announcers for multiple matches across the 10 weekends of championship play.

“The scale of ambition and vision in our partnership with Major League Cricket is beginning to bear truly tangible fruit with the start of Minor League Cricket this weekend. The benefits and developments for the wider cricket community will be multi-faceted with continued infrastructural progress and the addition of more than 200 Twenty20 matches to the calendar for American cricket," said USA Cricket CEO Iain Higgins. “Most excitingly, the league will provide really significant opportunities and exposure for our young, homegrown cricketers to compete at a higher, nationwide level with mandatory youth spots guaranteed in all Minor League Cricket teams. Minor League Cricket provides a tremendous step forward towards achieving the vision of making cricket a mainstream sport in the United States as outlined in USA Cricket’s Foundational Plan.”

Minor League Cricket is the only nationwide tournament involving the strongest male players playing against each other at the best available facilities and forms a critical part of the evolving USA Cricket domestic cricket structure and pathway. The primary aim of the tournament is to give a platform and opportunity for the best cricketers in America to showcase their abilities at a national level and build cricket in communities across the country.
 
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https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/58507018

United States batsman Jaskaran Malhotra has become the ninth man to hit six sixes in an over in top-level cricket.

The 31-year-old hit the runs off Papua New Guinea pace bowler Gaudi Toka in a one-day international in Oman.

He is just the second player to achieve the feat in ODI cricket after South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs in 2007.

It also ensured Malhotra, whose previous highest score was 18, finished unbeaten on 173 - the highest one-day score by a US batsman.

The previous highest was 95 by Aaron Jones against United Arab Emirates in 2019.

Malhotra has also broken the record for the highest score by a number five in ODI cricket, eclipsing the 162 by South Africa's AB de Villiers against West Indies at the 2015 World Cup.

It is also the third-highest ODI score by a player from one of the International Cricket Council's associate nations.

The remarkable innings, which included 16 sixes and four fours, helped the US recover from 29-3 to reach 271-9 from their 50 overs, with the next highest score just 22.

The India-born wicketkeeper batsman made his List A USA debut in 2017 before the US gained ODI status in 2019. He has since gone on to make six T20 and seven ODI appearances.

The United States won the first match of the two-match series on Monday by seven wickets.

Nine batsmen have hit six sixes in an over in top-level cricket:

1968 - Sir Garfield Sobers (for Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan)*
1984 - Ravi Shastri (Bombay v Baroda)*
2007 - Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa v Netherlands, World Cup)
2007 - Yuvraj Singh (India v England, T20)
2017 - Ross Whiteley (Worcestershire v Yorkshire, T20)
2018 - Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends, T20)
2020 - Leo Carter (Canterbury v Northern Districts, T20)
2021 - Kieron Pollard (West Indies v Sri Lanka, T20)
2021 - Jaskaran Malhotra (United States v Papua New Guinea, ODI)
*first-class cricket

In 2013 Jordan Clark became the first Englishman to hit six sixes in an over in a second XI game against Yorkshire at Scarborough, off the bowling of left-arm spinner Gurham Randhawa.
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Ireland Men’s cricket team is set to become the first Full Member nation to tour the United States to play against the USA Men’s national team in Florida this December. The tour will be played over the Christmas period and is the first-ever multi-format white-ball series between the two sides.

In addition, the Ireland Men’s Under-19s World Cup squad will accompany the senior squad for a preparation camp and white-ball series against USA Men’s Under-19s, ahead of the Irish team’s participation in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in January being held in the West Indies.

The five-match series between the two senior teams will feature two T20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals, all of which will be played at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Florida.

The series precedes Ireland’s scheduled World Cup Super League Series with the West Indies in January in the Caribbean (venues and match dates to be announced shortly).


The fixture schedule


20 December: T20 Warm-up match (details TBC)

22 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 1st T20I (Florida; start 2pm local time)

23 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 2nd T20I (Florida; start 7pm local time)

26 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 1st ODI (Florida; start 10am local time)

28 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 2nd ODI (Florida; start 2.30pm local time)

30 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 3rd ODI (Florida; start 2.30pm local time)



The dates for the additional training camp and three Men’s Under-19s matches will be finalised and announced shortly.

The Irish men’s squad will depart from Dublin on 16 December, landing in Miami. Following the series, the squad will depart on 31 December for the Caribbean to prepare for the West Indies series.

As part of the agreement, Cricket Ireland is also pleased to announce their hosting of a reciprocal tour by the USA Men’s team to visit Ireland for a series of international matches in the next three years.
 
I really hope they develop a strong team. Will be good for cricket if they do - there is certainly a market for it with plenty of desis living there and actually citizens too.
 
This was poorly scheduled. You want to attract Americans to the event and you're putting most of the matches on weekdays? I would love to go but the schedule doesn't work for me.
 
United States may emerge as a potential host for the 2024 T20 World Cup as a stepping stone to help cricket be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

As per a report in Sydney Morning Herald, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to award a joint bid by USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies (CWI) to host the 2024 T20 World Cup.

If this indeed happens, then it would be the first global tournament that will not be hosted by either India, England or Australia since the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The decision to give US a right to host 2024 T20 World Cup will also help the game's efforts to be included in the Olympic Games, starting with Los Angeles in 2028 and following up with Brisbane in 2032.

India's Olympic Association (IOA) has also indicated it will try to put forward a bid to host the 2036 Games. So, if cricket is included in 2028 LA Olympics, then the longevity of the sport in the mega event will be ensured.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...k-us-to-host-2024-t20-world-cup-report/831850
 
ST JOHN'S, ANTIGUA & LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA - Cricket West Indies (CWI) and USA Cricket join today to celebrate the selection of the two organizations as the winners of a joint-bid to host the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. The global governing body confirmed the details on Tuesday, with the historic announcement a hugely transformational one for the sport in the Americas region who will act as co-hosts of the ninth edition of the event.

This will be the fourth occasion the West Indies will be hosting a World Cup event on behalf of the ICC, and the first time ever that a major ICC event comes to the United States. The 2024 edition will be the first T20 World Cup to feature 20 teams. With an expansion of ICC global events announced earlier in the year, the 20 nations will compete in 4 groups in a 55 match tournament to be played over 25 days starting in June 2024.

The joint bid is part of a strategic partnership between CWI and USA Cricket which aims to unlock the potential of the USA and fast track the growth of the sport; to inspire the next generation of young West Indians and ignite the cricketing passion in the Caribbean; and to combine these two forces for the benefit of world cricket.

The co-hosted T20 World Cup will see approximately two-thirds of the 55 matches being held in the Caribbean, with the World Cup venues being drawn from the 13 established international cricket grounds in the West Indies. In the United States, where the remaining one-third of the matches are likely to be played, there will be up to five venues, some of which are already ICC-approved for international cricket, some of which are under construction, and some of which will be repurposed specifically to host World Cup matches. All of the venues across both countries will be selected following a competitive tender process to be run over the coming months.

The alliance between the hosts and the overall bid planning started two years ago and will deliver an event that will:

Blend iconic West Indies grounds with new and developing venues that will leave a lasting cricket legacy in the USA.

Broadcast matches in prime-time to cricket fans, wherever they are in the world.

Inspire the next generation of cricket players and fans across the West Indies.

Accelerate cricket's drive towards mainstream status in the USA.

Deliver matchday experiences that combine a Caribbean carnival with the best of American sportainment.

Break new ground on digital innovation and integration.

Enhance cricket's prospects of inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Unlock long-term commercial opportunities for the ICC and its Members with corporate America

Quote from Ricky Skerritt, President of CWI “Staging the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 across the Caribbean and USA will be the most significant sports event held in the West Indies for a generation and the most impactful cricket event ever staged in the USA. It will accelerate cricket’s drive towards mainstream status in the USA and should help to unlock new commercial opportunities for the ICC and its membership. I take this opportunity to thank all those at ICC, USA Cricket and CWI who helped to make this 2024 venue selection decision possible.”

Quote from Paraag Marathe, Chair of Board of USA Cricket, “On behalf of the USA Cricket Board, we are overjoyed with today's news after what has been a massive piece of work with our friends at Cricket West Indies to put together the winning bid for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The ICC has identified the USA as a strategic market for growth that will benefit cricket around the world. A major event in 2024 will be the critical catalyst to improve facilities, develop a professional league, grow the fanbase and inspire public and corporate support. Bringing 20 different nations together for the first time in what will be the biggest T20 World Cup of all time in 2024 is also the ideal showcase for the prospects of including cricket in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and leaving a legacy of facilities and public enthusiasm for the sport across America ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”

Quote from Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI “We are extremely delighted to have been chosen by the ICC to host the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, in partnership with our friends at USA Cricket. We are developing a really important strategic partnership with USA Cricket and we firmly believe that this is the right time to stage a marquee ICC event in the Americas. We are confident that we can blend the unique Caribbean matchday experience with the very best in American sporting entertainment and infrastructure, creating unparalleled fan experiences for those in and out of the venues, including inspirational and well attended Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Fan Zones and a Trophy Tour that inspires a million schoolkids across the Americas region. This is a big challenge but also a fantastic opportunity to grow the game in this region and I'm confident that we can deliver a brilliant showpiece event for world cricket.”

Quote from Iain Higgins, the outgoing CEO of USA Cricket, “For USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies to have been awarded the co-hosting of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a huge statement of intent from the sport on the potential for cricket in the Americas region. USA Cricket is incredibly grateful to the ICC Board for showing faith in the partnership to make history in 2024. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be delivered in a way that has the potential to break attendance and broadcast viewership records and set a new benchmark for commercial success, staging matches in broadcast prime-time to audiences around the world and inviting new public and private partnerships from corporate America for the ICC and its Members to develop over the next eight years of ICC event. We believe that now is the time for CWI and USA Cricket to come together with a shared spirit and purpose to unite this region and unleash a new dimension for cricket that will change the course of the growth of the game across the Americas forever."
 
Wicket-keeper batter Monank Patel has been appointed as USA's skipper ahead of the Ireland series. Ireland will be visiting the United States as a Full Member Nation of the ICC for the first time, for the multi-format white-ball series of five international matches from December 22 to December 30. Left-arm spinner Vatsal Vaghela and wicket-keeper batter Rahul Jariwala received their maiden call-up as USA Cricket announced the squad for the Ireland series. "The National Selection Panel have also named a new One Day International captain with Monank Patel taking the reigns as the leader of the United States now in both white ball formats, with Aaron Jones remaining as his deputy in both ODI and T20I formats," USA Cricket said in a statement.

Patel, who took over as T20I captain on the successful tour of Antigua will now become National Men's Captain going forward. USA Cricket said Saurabh Netravakar remains a key member of the team and leadership group but will have the freedom now to focus more on his bowling in both ODI and T20I cricket.

"In terms of the change of captaincy, the National Selection Panel felt that Monank was the correct choice as leader across both of our primary formats to keep a consistency within the playing and leadership group," said Chair of the Men's National Selection Panel, Michael Voss.

"We would like to pay tribute to Saurabh's leadership and qualities as captain of Team USA in recent years who has been a fine captain for America, we are certain he will remain a key part of the team for many years to come," he added.


USA T20I squad: Monank Patel (capt./wk), Karima Gore, Aaron Jones, Marty Kain, Ali Khan, Jaskaran Malhotra, Xavier Marshall, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nisarg Patel, Gajanand Singh, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Rusty Theron, Vatsal Vaghela.

USA ODI squad: Monank Patel (capt./wk), Rahul Jariwala (wk), Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jaskaran Malhotra, Xavier Marshall, Sushant Modani, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nisarg Patel, Gajanand Singh, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Vatsal Vaghela.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/monank-patel-named-usas-full-time-white-ball-skipper-2647562
 
MenInG said:
United States may emerge as a potential host for the 2024 T20 World Cup as a stepping stone to help cricket be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

As per a report in Sydney Morning Herald, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to award a joint bid by USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies (CWI) to host the 2024 T20 World Cup.

If this indeed happens, then it would be the first global tournament that will not be hosted by either India, England or Australia since the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The decision to give US a right to host 2024 T20 World Cup will also help the game's efforts to be included in the Olympic Games, starting with Los Angeles in 2028 and following up with Brisbane in 2032.

India's Olympic Association (IOA) has also indicated it will try to put forward a bid to host the 2036 Games. So, if cricket is included in 2028 LA Olympics, then the longevity of the sport in the mega event will be ensured.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...k-us-to-host-2024-t20-world-cup-report/831850
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It would certainly be the best way to give cricket a chance of launching in the US. Host a tournament there and see what happens.
 
I think (going back to my OP 4 years ago), nothing has changed. Cricket in America is all about money….. locals are not that target. Globalization is not the target, but investing in rich markets is. USA is a financially thriving country, the expats here are the most well off cricket fans in the world. That’s that target market; the West Indians, Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, etc.

They want their kids to play the sport and they want local leagues so they can watch the games, etc. How financially lucrative it is at the end of the day remains to be seen.

But anybody who thinks the target audience is white/black/Latino first/second…n generation Americans is absolutely misguided. I have been involved in cricket here for over 30 years and I have seen that demographic get involved seriously at the local club level NOT EVEN ONCE!
 
Stewie said:
I think (going back to my OP 4 years ago), nothing has changed. Cricket in America is all about money….. locals are not that target. Globalization is not the target, but investing in rich markets is. USA is a financially thriving country, the expats here are the most well off cricket fans in the world. That’s that target market; the West Indians, Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, etc.

They want their kids to play the sport and they want local leagues so they can watch the games, etc. How financially lucrative it is at the end of the day remains to be seen.

But anybody who thinks the target audience is white/black/Latino first/second…n generation Americans is absolutely misguided. I have been involved in cricket here for over 30 years and I have seen that demographic get involved seriously at the local club level NOT EVEN ONCE!
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I don’t think anyone in USA is targeting cricket for any audience other than the desi expats. The desi expats are in huge numbers now so it makes sense to target them and hopefully get a decent team.
 
shujaatraza said:
I don’t think anyone in USA is targeting cricket for any audience other than the desi expats. The desi expats are in huge numbers now so it makes sense to target them and hopefully get a decent team.
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I was referring to James’ comment. When people talk about launching cricket in the US, they don’t realize cricket has a very very long history here to begin with. The very very first international game of cricket was not played between England or Australia, or England and India.
It was played between USA and Canada in 1844 in New York.

Majority “American” Americans just never got into it. Also the sports scene is saturated with other sports they focus on. Cricket would never be mainstream here. It will just be a niche expat sport. So if you think you will be fine with filling stadiums in Florida during the World Cup with expats flying in from across the country, well and good. Go for it!
 
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USA cricket is doing pretty well. Canada used to be way ahead of them but USA has surpassed them.

Getting a series against a Test nation (Ireland) is a good move. They need to keep on playing against good sides.
 
USA 188/6 (20) CRR: 9.4

United States opt to bat

==

United States Squad:

Monank Patel (c & wk), Gajanand Singh, Nisarg Patel, Ritwik Behera, Ryan Scott, Saurabh Netravalkar, Sushant Modani, Xavier Marshall, Yasir Mohammad, Ali Khan, Marty Kain

Ireland Squad:

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, Shane Getkate, Neil Rock (wk), William McClintock, Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Benjamin White
 
FORT LAUDERDALE, USA – A dramatic innings of 65 from 42 balls by Gajanand Singh inspired USA Men to overcome a poor start and power home over a “rusty” Irish side in the first T20I of the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series.

Playing in only his fifth T20I, the 34-year old Guyanese-born batter hammered five sixes and three fours in a 52-minute blitz on the visiting bowlers. The powerful left-handed Singh was aided by some wayward bowling lines from the Irish bowling attack that drifted too frequently to Singh’s favoured legside, and the batter obliged by clearing the ropes four times between square leg and mid-wicket.

Singh was supported well by T20I debutant Sushant Modani who made 50 from 39 balls – the pair hit a 110-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The partnership was a much-needed ‘rescue job’ after the home side had started poorly, losing four wickets inside the first five overs, with Ireland’s Barry McCarthy the chief destroyer taking three of the early wickets.

Ireland sensed a way back into the match with Singh’s departure – tickling a Ben White quicker ball through to the keeper Neil Rock, but at 126-5 with just over four overs remaining the New Zealand-born T20I debutant Marty Kain smashed a quickfire 39* from 15 balls to ensure the US finished with a highly competitive total of 188-6. In fact, it was the momentum generated through the last five overs that proved decisive in the end – the home side hitting 72 from the last 30 balls to take the game away from Ireland.

McCarthy claimed the last wicket to finish with his T20I career-best figures of 4-30.

Needing a quick start from the new opening ball, the new opening partnership of Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie started with intent – captain Balbirnie slapping a boundary through cover off his first ball, and Stirling playing a powerful cut shot to the boundary a few balls later.

However, USA speedster Muhammad Ali Khan struck first, tempting Balbirnie into a hook shot and he holed out at deep square leg.

Stirling then stepped up the pace and looked threatening with three slashing off-side boundaries from spinner Kain’s first over, but just as the Belfast-man’s innings looked to gather speed he was beaten playing a pull shot by a ball from paceman Saurabh Netravalkar that kept low and was out for 31 off 15 balls.

Lorcan Tucker, playing at No.3 for the first time, looked to dig in, and received some support from Curtis Campher (17) and Shane Getkate (19), but as the overs passed the boundaries dried up and the run rate required increased significantly.

Neil Rock (7) and William McClintock (9) lost their wickets chasing quick runs, and while Tucker picked up his first T20I half-century with 57* from 49 balls, the Irish batters looked forlorn in the last five overs, finishing on 162-6 from their 20 overs.

The USA take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, with the two sides returning to the same venue tomorrow evening for a day-night encounter that should see a buoyant local crowd turn out.

After the match, Captain Andrew Balbirnie said after the positive start, it was “pretty brutal stuff by us and not good enough”. He offered that their was an element of “rustiness”, but stated that “we can’t start like that”, saying that he believed “the intent was there, but we just didn’t execute” (the full interview is attached).

MATCH SUMMARY

USA Men v Ireland Men, 1st T20I, Broward County Stadium, Florida, 22 December 2021

USA 188-6 (20 overs: G Singh 65, S Modani 50; B McCarthy 4-30)

Ireland 162-6 (20 overs: L Tucker 57*; S Netravalkar 2-26)

USA Men won by 26 runs
 
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WOW.

I absolutely thought USA would get smashed. When they were like 20/4, I thought my suspicions were to be true. But the last 5 overs with the bat were incredible. Then some solid bowling in the second innings, Ali Khan at the death did great. Fantastic win.

U-S-A! U-S-A!
 
Very surprising for me, big win this for USA. Quite embarrassing for Ireland.
 
As a USA fan since 2015, this is exciting for me. 6 years ago we couldn't beat Canada at home. But the ICC saw something. They saw that there are people who want to see cricket in America thanks to the all stars series. They saw that CPL matches in Florida were well attended, demonstrating support beyond a few matches here and there. They saw that we have international caliber players like Steven Taylor and Ali khan.
When the USA hosts the T20 world cup there are two matches I absolutely must get tickets for. Pakistan vs India, for that will most certainly be held in the United States and will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The second is USA vs Pakistan, for my country of birth (USA) will face the country I still love so much (Pakistan). And while any other day I would have worn a Pakistan kit at a Pakistan match, I always promised myself I will support American cricket first if they ever play Pakistan. I don't think I will be the only one to do so.
Looking forward to watching USA go for the series win tonight!
 
zn426 said:
As a USA fan since 2015, this is exciting for me. 6 years ago we couldn't beat Canada at home. But the ICC saw something. They saw that there are people who want to see cricket in America thanks to the all stars series. They saw that CPL matches in Florida were well attended, demonstrating support beyond a few matches here and there. They saw that we have international caliber players like Steven Taylor and Ali khan.
When the USA hosts the T20 world cup there are two matches I absolutely must get tickets for. Pakistan vs India, for that will most certainly be held in the United States and will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The second is USA vs Pakistan, for my country of birth (USA) will face the country I still love so much (Pakistan). And while any other day I would have worn a Pakistan kit at a Pakistan match, I always promised myself I will support American cricket first if they ever play Pakistan. I don't think I will be the only one to do so.
Looking forward to watching USA go for the series win tonight!
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If ICC play smart, they can bring a drop in wicket at a big stadium like Metlife stadium for India-Pakistan match for T20 WC , 82,000 tickets will be sold out in a minutes.
 
Good to see USA cricket making progress, it has great potential. I have had some involvement in USA cricket in the past. Have played league cricket ( 40 overs/inning ) in Northeast for few years and was a one of the two selectors for the Eastern zone and once was offered to be the manager of under 19 team for the WC held in SL, but did not have time ( was still in training ) and they also wanted me to raise money for the team expenses.
 
moghul said:
If ICC play smart, they can bring a drop in wicket at a big stadium like Metlife stadium for India-Pakistan match for T20 WC , 82,000 tickets will be sold out in a minutes.
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It won't work due to pitch dimensions. You would be looking at 45 meters long on if you stuck it right in the middle of the field.

If they are smart they could find a way to enormously expand the stadium in Lauderhill to 30-40k seats. USA cricket could get return on investment by playing quad series yearly against ECB or WI in February and March when the weather is perfect and getting a USA based cpl franchise. There need to be 20-30 matches per year including league cricket to make it work.
 
zn426 said:
It won't work due to pitch dimensions. You would be looking at 45 meters long on if you stuck it right in the middle of the field.

If they are smart they could find a way to enormously expand the stadium in Lauderhill to 30-40k seats. USA cricket could get return on investment by playing quad series yearly against ECB or WI in February and March when the weather is perfect and getting a USA based cpl franchise. There need to be 20-30 matches per year including league cricket to make it work.
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You're right , MET stadium's field is not big enough. They played a charity match there once but it was not an official match , dimension were not standard.
 
Watching tonight's match live on willow TV. Enjoying the moment. USA on top here but Ireland still has tucker not out in 61. He's the danger man here
 
Tucker is last man out for 84. Target is 151. It's challenging enough for the USA. The lower middle order bailed out the bad top order last time out. The bowling performance was decent but khan definitely had a bad day.
Big question is if USA can rotate strike and work their way to the total
 
Tucker, Ireland bowlers level USA T20I series

Ireland have avoided T20I series defeat with a nine-run victory over the USA in Lauderhill.

Setting the hosts 151 for victory thanks to a lone hand from Lorcan Tucker, Ireland turned the screws with a strong bowling performance, headlined by a calm final over from the experienced Mark Adair.

In a change from the opening match of the series where they won by 26 runs, USA skipper Monank Patel opted to bowl first in Lauderhill, bringing Vatsal Vaghela into debut in place of Xavier Marshall.

Going into the second match with an unchanged line-up from their first-up defeat, captain Andrew Balbirnie walked out with Paul Stirling, though lost his partner by the end of the first over. Opting for the spin of Nisarg Patel in the opening over, Monank's plan delivered immediate dividends, with Stirling adjudged lbw for 5.

Backing up his 57* from 49 balls in the first match, Lorcan Tucker looked in imperious form, hitting his first ball for a boundary off left-armer Saurabh Netravalkar. Captain Balbirnie looked in good touch with two early boundaries of his own, only to pick out Sushant Modani at deep backward square-leg.

Tucker and Curtis Campher countered during the Powerplay, moving the Irish to 59/2, though the work was undone in the first ball of the seventh over, with Campher miscuing a slog to Marty Kain at long-on for 17 (11).

Tucker continued in his push despite the loss of partners at the other moving to 50 from just 32 balls despite the loss of Shane Getkate (5) and Neil Rock in the 12th over for four, finding Ritwik Behera in a soft dismissal. Vaghela claimed both victims to finish with an impressive 2/16 (3) in his first taste of international cricket.

Kain was busy in the outfield for the hosts, taking an incredible catch to remove Will McClintock for 1. Attempting to slog Nisarg Patel over the mid-wicket boundary, McClintock's mistimed shot looked to have fallen to safety, only for Kain to run forward thirty metres before holding on while sliding low to the ground.

Tucker continued a near single-handed batting effort, moving into the seventies with a six off American spearhead Ali Khan. He proceeded to hit the quick for another two boundaries after losing Barry McCarthy (0) to an athletic run out from behind the stumps, and was ultimately the last wicket to fall on the penultimate ball of the 19th over for 84 (56). The tourists finished on an even 150, ruing the wasted seven deliveries.

USA begun their chase emphatically through left-hander Ryan Scott, slapping boundaries off consecutive balls of the opening over. Moving the score to 19/0 inside the first two overs, the USA looked to have taken an early hold of the match, only for Scott to be run out by Curtis Campher for 11.

The wicket of Scott halted the hosts, scoring just seven runs from the next two overs. The lack of runs heaped pressure on Ritwik Behera and Monank Patel, eventually leading to the wicket of Behera for a 23-ball 16. Monank was joined by match one hero Gajanand Singh, though could only add 28 between themselves by the time Monank was dismissed by Ben White for 26. Singh fell to Curtis Campher lbw for 22 (20), and the required rate continued to lift.

Needing a rate of more than 11 an over, Sushant Modani put the foot down with two sixes and a four, though became Campher's second of four victims, with the quick finishing with 4/25 (4).

Campher claimed Kain (11) straight after Modani, as well as Yasir Mohammad for a duck in the match's 18th over, moving the hosts out of favouritism and needing 28 off the final two overs.

Nisarg Patel and Netravalkar found 11 runs in the penultimate over, though 17 off the final six balls was a bridge too far. Adair was cool for Ireland, beginning with a dot ball, and held his nerve despite conceding a boundary, bowling consecutive dot balls to brush the hosts aside.
 
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The first One Day International in the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series scheduled for Boxing Day has unfortunately been cancelled this evening due to a positive COVID case in the umpiring team of Match Officials during the ongoing testing as part of the series’ COVID managed environment.

This has left all 4 of the umpires unavailable for the first ODI with the 3 negative tested umpires being deemed as close contacts to the 1 positive case.

The 2nd and 3rd ODIs, currently scheduled for the 28th and 30th of December, will go ahead as planned, with an alternative match official group if required.

USA Cricket would like to thank all fans and supporters for their continued support and understanding.
 
Been watching an interview with the VP of Marketing for Major League Cricket, Tom Dunmore, and it's a good starting point for anyone trying to understand the US cricket scene.

I've always thought of US cricket being a non-starter due to obvious and long-standing challenges such as interest and participation from the non-SC/WI expat community, competition from other American sports, and a lack of international standard grounds in a massive country.

However if I have this right, MLC have partnered with Cricket USA. They're a private entity with exclusive rights to an American franchise T20 league, and in return they've agreed to invest in youth programmes, domestic (Minor League) cricket and grounds. In other words there's a deeper commitment than simply milking an annual T20 league.

A Minor League Baseball stadium in Dallas is being repurposed for cricket, and there's another ground in Morrisville, North Carolina. Other encouraging news is the US are also co-hosting the 2024 T20 World Cup with WI, and the ICC's push for cricket's inclusion in the 2028 LA Olympics, while the USNT just drew a T20 series vs Ireland.

I'm still skeptical but a successful T20 league with targeted investments in specific regions/metros with strong cricket following would at least be a start.
 
The only people who play cricket in US are south Asians, and that too is decreasing as the second and third gen born residents get interested in other sports. Forget about US, cricket will become niche sport in several test nations within a couple of decades. This is the reality.
 
USA Cricket and Cricket Ireland have agreed on a 24-hour postponement of the opening one-day international of the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series after new COVID issues.

The following is a statement from USA Cricket:

The opening One-Day International in the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 28 December has been pushed back by one day to Wednesday 29 December, due to a small number of new positive COVID cases within the playing and support staff groups.

All of the remaining players and support staff have undergone a full suite of antigen testing this evening, all with negative results. If both teams can complete an additional set of negative testing tomorrow, then the series will proceed with the amended dates of 29 December and 30 December. The final match in the series will remain as scheduled on Thursday 30 December which is a Day/Night fixture with a 2pm start.

The three umpires who were initially deemed as close contacts to the one positive case in the umpiring group have now all tested negative, and these three umpires now await final ICC confirmation to officiate on 29 and 30 December.

Both Boards would like to thank all fans and supporters for their understanding with the issues being experienced, and they would like to sincerely thank all those involved in making the series possible, including broadcasters, sponsors, volunteers, staff and many other stakeholders.
 
USA Cricket and Cricket Ireland have jointly agreed to the cancellation of the one-day international leg of the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series over COVID-related concerns that have emerged today.

While all players in both current playing squads have returned negative COVID results overnight, two members of the Irish support staff have tested positive, as well as several partners of players, resulting in two of the Irish players being deemed as ‘close contacts’.

The ODI series had earlier been interrupted by COVID cases detected amongst members of the USA squad and umpires for the series, and as such the risks and concerns about further spread have meant that both Boards have regrettably agreed to cancel the remaining two scheduled matches.

The Irish touring party are scheduled to depart Florida for Kingston, Jamaica on 31 December for their series against West Indies, however, the two members of the support staff who have tested positive will be required to complete their isolation in Florida before their onward travel arrangements are finalised.

The USA players and support staff will travel back to their respective homes and leave the COVID Managed Event Environment as soon as possible.

In addition to the joint statement, Richard Holdsworth – Cricket Ireland’s High Performance Director - said:

"The decision has been a difficult one to make, but clearly the right outcome from a player and staff health and safety perspective. While there are no positive Covid results amongst the Irish players, we have had two support staff test positive and a number of travelling partners and family members also testing positive. This has meant two players within our playing ranks being deemed 'close contacts' and have been isolating while they are further tested and monitored.

"From a broader perspective, consideration had to be given to the current series as well as the second leg of our tour. We need to be mindful of travel requirements for entering Jamaica and meeting Cricket West Indies Covid protocols.

"Over the coming days we will prioritise the health and safety of our players and staff, and work with local officials in ensuring our people are well looked after - whether preparing to travel onward to Jamaica, or having to remain in Florida a little longer in isolation.

"We would like to thank USA Cricket for hosting us, and working so closely with Cricket Ireland and the ICC on the series. It is a real pity for the fans, staff, volunteers and all those who have helped put this series on to see it end this way, but we see great potential in cricket in the USA and will certainly return during better times.".
 
ICC CONFIRMS AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION FOR USA AS CO-HOST OF ICC MEN'S T20 WORLD CUP 2024

USA Men’s National Team will qualify automatically as co-hosts of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 alongside West Indies

The decision from the ICC will see USA guaranteed to appear in what could be a first ever World Cup appearance, although both the USA Senior Men’s & Women’s sides have the chance to qualify for the respective next ICC T20 World Cups in 2022 and 2023

USA Women’s National Team also discover their qualification pathway for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, whilst the inaugural 16 Team ICC U19 Women’s World Cup was confirmed for early 2023 in South Africa

USA Cricket welcomes the ICC Board decision today to award automatic qualification to the co-hosts of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, with both the USA and West Indies guaranteed places in the expanded Men’s T20 World Cup that will see 20 teams participating in it for the first time.

12 teams are to qualify automatically for the event. The top eight teams from the 2022 event will be joined by the two host Members, West Indies and USA, plus a number of the next highest ranked teams on the MRF ICC Men’s T20I Rankings table as of 14 November 2022, with the remaining places then going through Regional Qualifying.

USA Cricket is looking forward to co-hosting what will be a transformative, world class event alongside our co-hosts in Cricket West Indies in 2024. It will be a historic tournament where history will be made with a Cricket World Cup coming to North America for the very first time.

The ICC also announced the qualification pathway for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 where the USA Women’s National Team will have to come through the Women’s Global Qualifier where two spots will be up for grabs.

There was also fantastic news for the Women’s youth game with South Africa confirmed as the host of the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, to be staged in January next year - 16 teams will qualify - giving USA Women’s Under 19 team a real chance to appear in this inaugural event.
 
They are improving and there certainly seems to be some investment going into cricket in USA now. I think they can become the best non test playing side - they certainly have the interest in cricket there with HUGE Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi community who can play the game.
 
USA Cricket is delighted to announce the return of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 to the United States for the first time since 2019, with back-to-back home tri-series starting next month scheduled for Texas from May 28th - June 15th, 2022.

The Moosa Stadium in Houston will officially become the second ODI venue in the United States, pending final ICC accreditation, with the venue providing great quality grass wickets and infrastructure for both series.

The full schedules for both series are now confirmed with the first tri-series featuring USA vs Scotland and the UAE being played from May 28th - June 4th, with all sides playing each other twice. Then, just a few days later, Team USA will be taking on top of the table Oman, and Nepal from June 8th - June 15th with the same format and number of matches.

The MLC National Cricket Center at the Prairie View Cricket Complex will also play a crucial role in the two series, with the facility being used for several warm-up matches and training sessions by all five international sides involved in Texas.

Chair of the USA Cricket Committee, Sushil Nadkarni, said, “Our Men’s team will play a record number of 20 One Day Internationals in 2022 as our journey in Cricket World Cup League 2 restarts on home soil with everything to play for and the target being a top 3 finishing spot to advance to the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in 2023. USA Cricket would like to thank everyone involved at both Moosa Stadium and the Prairie View Cricket Complex for their hard work and support as we bring One Day International Cricket to Texas for the very first time. We are confident we will be in for two excellent ODI series in these historic first Texas hosted ODIs in May and June and hope to see USA cricket fans show up in large numbers to enjoy the games.”

USA Cricket Operations Director, Richard Done said, “It is fantastic to see the ODI format return for the USA Men’s National Team on home soil, with these two series being hugely significant for our continued aim of taking a top 3 place in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. Logistically, the greater Houston area in Texas made the most sense for a number of reasons for these matches and we are strongly looking forward to hosting 4 very fine international sides here in the Lone Star State. Our sincere thanks must go to Sakhi Mohammad, Tanweer Ahmed and their teams for the immense support to USA Cricket to organize these ODIs. After what has been such a difficult two years or so for Associate cricket due to the pandemic, we are hugely looking forward to hosting Nepal, Oman, Scotland, and the UAE for two brilliant series of cricket on American soil.”

There are now three ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series for Team USA, which have had their dates confirmed by the ICC, with the two home series being complemented by a first tour of Scotland for the USA Men’s Team in August. Team USA Men will then play two further away CWCL2 series later in the year to be hosted by Namibia and Papua New Guinea, respectively.
 
The Knight Riders Group, owners of IPL franchise KKR, on Friday announced that they are building a cricket stadium in Los Angeles with support from Major League Cricket (MLC). The initiative has been taken keeping the 2028 Olympics in mind as cricket could feature in the Summer Games to be held six years down the line. The cricket venue will be built on a 15-acre land. "Our investment in MLC in America, is based on our belief in the exciting future of cricket in the USA and is well aligned to our strategy of establishing Knight Riders as a global brand in T20 cricket," Bollywood superstar and KRG co-owner Shah Rukh Khan said in a statement.

KRG, who are the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders, are the founding investors in MLC.

"Plans to build a world class cricket stadium in the greater Los Angeles area is exciting for us and MLC. This will no doubt have a transformational impact on one of the world's most iconic metropolitan areas," he added.

The development would see a multi-million dollar investment and the internationally renowned architects HKS will design an iconic home for the sport in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the release added.

The stadium plans include state-of-the-art training facilities, locker rooms, luxury suites, dedicated parking, concessions, field lighting and an international-grade pitch to meet International Cricket Council standards.

USA Cricket is expected to bid for future men's and women's World Cup tournaments, with the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup already set to be co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies.

The ICC is also bidding for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles, and if successful, the stadium at Great Park is expected to be a centerpiece venue for the event in Southern California.

NDTV
 
In a significant push to popularise cricket in the US, a USD 120 million funding has been secured from prominent Indian-American business leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, to launch the first professional T20 league in the US. Major League Cricket (MLC), the first professional Twenty20 Cricket League in the US, announced Thursday that it has completed an initial close of a USD 44 million Series A and A1 Fundraising Round led by a group of America's leading business leaders.

It said that with an additional commitment of USD 76 million in further fundraising over the next 12 months in place, MLC plans to deploy more than USD 120 million to launch the country's first-ever professional T20 league.

The investor groups for the Series A and A1 Fundraising Round, which includes MLC's seed funding round, were led by Nadella among others.

"The significant funding committed by an outstanding group of investors will allow Major League Cricket to build first-class facilities and accelerate the sport's development across the country, bringing world-class professional cricket to the world's largest sports market,” Major League Cricket co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan said.

“This investor group comprises leading business executives and successful tech entrepreneurs who have led some of the world's most prominent companies. "They bring tremendous experience and expertise in support of MLC's plans to launch a transformative Twenty20 league and establish America as one of the world's leading homes for international cricket events,” they said.

Nadella has said that growing up in India, cricket was one of his "passions" and "playing cricket taught me more about working in teams and leadership that has stayed with me throughout my career".

He played cricket competitively as a member of his school's team and has said that he enjoys watching Test cricket, “which is the longest form of any sport in the world".

MLC said that the USD 120 million investment will primarily be dedicated to building premier cricket-specific stadia and training centers to “develop a new generation of American star cricketers”.

The other investors include Madrona Venture Group MD Soma Somasegar, Founding Partners at Milliways Ventures and Rocketship VC Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, Chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions Zyter Sanjay Govil, Managing Partner of Perot Jain, among others. Additional Series A round investors include Akamai co-founder Preetish Nijhawan, Accenture MD Sankar Kaliaperumal and Director at Meta and former Microsoft Executive Dhigha Sekaran.

MLC, which is exclusively sanctioned by USA Cricket, represents the “most ambitious and transformational venture” ever undertaken in the American cricket landscape.

“Focused on staging world class Twenty20 cricket for American cricket fans, MLC will feature top players from around the globe and provide a stage for domestic cricketers to showcase their talents to a global audience.

As the ICC's member body for the United States, USA Cricket has selected MLC as its exclusive partner for the development of the planned T20 league.

MLC will also provide support for both the USA's Men's and Women's teams, with the goal of elevating them to the highest level of international competition. In 2024, the USA will co-host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup alongside the West Indies.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sat...t20-league-2993229#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
 
USA Cricket are delighted to announce that Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Women’s National Women’s Team and Women’s Under 19 Teams after the advertised recruitment process was completed. Chanderpaul will begin the role immediately as the Under 19 team depart for the Caribbean today on Sunday July 3rd for the Cricket West Indies Under-19 Rising Stars T20 Championship which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago from July 5th - 13th.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, widely acknowledged as one of the best batters in the history of West Indian cricket, has been based in the United States in Orlando, Florida since 2005 and has been progressing through the coaching pathways since his retirement from professional cricket. Chanderpaul is also currently the Head Coach of the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2022 edition of the Caribbean Premier League and most recently, has served as the batting consultant of the Cricket West Indies Under 19 men’s team.

Chanderpaul has signed a one and a half year contract until the end of 2023 and will fly today with the Under 19s side who play a round-robin format against six Caribbean teams: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and Windward Islands.

USA Cricket Operations Director, Richard Done said, “We are thrilled to have attracted someone of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s caliber to work with both the Women’s Senior and U19 Teams as Women’s Head Coach, and lead them onto the global stage. We have an exciting crop of young cricketers, of which many are already making their mark at senior level. Combining the two roles will provide coaching consistency across teams for those players as they develop. Apart from his distinguished playing career of 454 Test, ODI, and T20I matches, and captaining West Indies, Shivnarine comes to USA Cricket with head coach experience in the CPL, and having worked closely with both male and female elite players in the West Indies, and internationally. This depth of experience will be invaluable, not only in his primary role, but to the development of the wider high-performance player and coaching pathways in the USA. Shivnarine’s passion for the Women’s game and long-standing links with American cricket made him the stand-out candidate from the recruitment process that saw much interest.

The new USA Women’s Head Coach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul said, “I am excited to have been appointed as the Head Coach of the USA National Women’s Team and Women’s Under 19 Team. The Women’s game is something I am a huge advocate of, and I have followed the progress of the USA Women’s National team with keen interest. I’ve enjoyed being involved in American cricket over the years as a resident of Orlando, so to be given this opportunity to become the Head Coach for USA Cricket is an incredible one. I’m really looking forward to using my 20+ years of international cricket and my recent coaching experiences, to help the women’s teams progress to World Cups in years to come, particularly the inaugural Under 19 Cricket World Cup in January.”
 
US cricket team one win from reaching first World Cup

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — It's almost natural that Vatsal Vaghela's first exposure to cricket in California was at a baseball field, where cricketers had to wait for the baseball players to finish and leave.

Cricket gave birth to baseball, though the offspring quickly eclipsed the parent as the summer pastime for Americans. But step back for a minute there, baseball, because Vaghela and his teammates on the United States cricket team aim to reach their own kind of World Series this week.

They need one more win on Friday to qualify for a cricket World Cup for the first time.

The U.S. has easily beaten Jersey and Singapore in its first two games at a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. The prize is a place at the T20 World Cup in Australia in October, and another victory in the semifinals will clinch it for the Americans. T20 stands for Twenty20, the shortest format in international cricket.

"It's very exciting. We all know how important this tournament is," Vaghela said.

The 20-year-old Vaghela was born in Milpitas, California, to Indian immigrants and a love of cricket, unsurprisingly, was passed down to him by his father. Cricket is small fry in Milpitas, located in Silicon Valley, but it's the only sport that matters in India, so down to a baseball park they went to play cricket.

"I picked it up just watching my dad play tennis-ball cricket with his friends at the local baseball field, and I think I was, like, 10 or 11 when I started playing cricket," Vaghela told The Associated Press in an interview.

Dad must have been a good coach because Vatsal's 16-year-old sister, Isani, plays for the U.S. women's team.

The connection to cricket-loving countries is strong throughout the U.S. men's team in Zimbabwe: Captain Monank Patel was born in India. Batter Steven Taylor was born and raised in south Florida by Jamaican parents. Other players were born in or have connections to Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa.

Batter and U.S. vice-captain Aaron Jones was born in Queens, New York. That's Mets country in baseball terms. But Jones' West Indian heritage dictated there was only one game for him, and it wasn't at Shea Stadium. The cricket World Cup was always the ultimate goal.

"For me, it's everything," Jones said. "The World Cup is the biggest thing in cricket. For me growing up as a little man, I always wanted to play in World Cups.

"This is a great opportunity right now. Definitely, it will be a big achievement, we've been talking about it over the past couple of years. It will be a big achievement not only for us, but for everyone back home in the USA."

Well, it's unlikely that "everyone" back home will care. Many will not even know. But this is the time for Americans to take just a little bit more notice of cricket, not just because the U.S. team is close to reaching the World Cup. The next T20 World Cup after this one will be co-hosted by the U.S. in 2024.

Cricket has two World Cups. There's the older 50-over version, the Cricket World Cup, and the shorter 20-over version called the T20 World Cup. The 2024 T20 World Cup will have games split between America and West Indies, the first major cricket tournament to be staged in the U.S.

Another U.S. player, fast bowler Rusty Theron, has a good cricket perspective. He played for South Africa before moving to America and qualifying to play for the U.S. in 2019. He's noticed cricket take off in the U.S. "in a big way" in the last few years.

"(There's) more media coverage, obviously, and some financial incentives for players to take up the game," Theron said. "It's something that's tangible for people to buy into, beyond just the national team, but making a living out of cricket. I think the foundation is there.

"What a lot of people don't really know is that cricket has been around in the U.S. for a long time, it's now just a matter of trying to professionalize the talent we do have."

Theron is right about cricket's history in the U.S. because it was popular in the 1700s and 1800s and George Washington was allegedly a fan, and might even have played in a game once.

"When I talk about cricket with my friends, they have absolutely no clue about it," said Vaghela, who is studying at University of California Santa Cruz. "But once I get them introduced to it, they get so interested. My roommate back in college absolutely loves watching cricket now that I've talked to him about it."

And he might even get to watch Vaghela and the U.S. appearing in a World Cup soon.

https://m.startribune.com/us-cricke...-world-cup/600189580/?clmob=y&c=n&clmob=y&c=n
 
With T20 leagues worldwide dotting cricket’s calendar, leading to a tipping point and heated discussions on the all-powerful ICC board, Major League Cricket officials know it will need to stand out amid the congestion.

“We want to be competitive and on par with what the standard is for new leagues,” MLC co-founder Vijay Srinivasan told me. “Our goal is to bring the best players to the USA. We need to be competitive with the benchmark outside of the Indian Premier League.”

To rival other nascent T20 leagues, including in the UAEUAE -0.3% and South Africa which launch in January, MLC will probably need to fork out close to half a million dollars for the top players.

Salary caps - along with rosters and franchise names - are expected to be announced early next year for the six-team tournament to run on July 13-30, 2023. Srinivasan wouldn’t reveal how much top players could be remunerated, but it’s expected to be significant.

MLC has secured more than $40 million in funding and over $100 million in “handshakes” with private investors including tech giants MicrosoftMSFT 0.0%. The tournament will also have a couple of advantages it hopes can lure marquee names. Firstly, MLC will be played at a time of the year free of rival T20 leagues although it’s at the height of England’s red ball season.

Secondly, perhaps most importantly, the glitzy and glamorous locale of the U.S. - the world’s biggest sports market and home to many famous athletes and teams - will become something of an irresistible magnet.

“We've been engaged with a number of key players who are available in the window,” Srinivasan said. “This is a destination that is seen as top tier for pro sport. The degree in interest we've seen make us feel confident that we will have a strong group of players.”

July is also a relatively quiet part of the calendar in the competitive American sports market. It’s led to entrepreneurs thinking outside the box in a bid to carve out a niche during the quieter period between when the NBA ends in June and the start of the NFL season in September.

“Summer’s boring as sh**,’ said iconic rapper-actor turned businessman Ice Cube, who prefers not to waste words, at the Big3’s introductory press conference in January 2017.

“We need something that we can really get behind in the summer and the Big3 is just what the doctor ordered,” he said of his three-on-three basketball league which has built a following in the years since.

Cricket, while not quite boasting a front man like Ice Cube, has enough of a core following in the U.S. through South Asian expats, while the faster and furious three-hour game of T20 is hoped to appeal to a new fan base.

"There are few American sports active in this period. There is an appetite for a new sport,” Srinivasan said. "Our goal is for games to have a family-friendly atmosphere. We can convert non-cricket fans by having some of the best players coming to the U.S.”

It’s not just about merely developing a top T20 league although the MLC will obviously be at the heart of propelling the sport into the mainstream consciousness. Infrastructure - with unique dimensions and characteristics for cricket needed - is being developed in key locations across the U.S. and strategically placed in proximity to colleges in a bid to further build a connection within those communities.

Dallas has been earmarked as the hub of cricket in the U.S. with the newly constructed Grand Prairie Stadium, located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a crowd capacity of 7500, to be the competition’s primary venue for the first edition.

The grounds across the country will likely be used for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host, while it’s hoped to attract other major cricket events. There is the tantalizing dream of a match between India and Pakistan, whose rivalry peaked during an epic T20 World Cup clash last month at the MCG in front of 90,000 fans, one day being staged in the U.S. in what would surely do wonders for the sport.

“We would love for our venues to be available to stage those matches.. not just India-Pakistan...we want teams to have a massive appetite to come here,” Srinivasan said.

“We need venues to be ready. We want MLC to demonstrate that USA is capable of hosting big cricket events.”

After such anticipation with MLC announced over three years ago before being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, expectation is building for what will be a defining moment in a coveted destination that is cricket’s No.1 target market.

“We want the MLC to stand alongside other top T20 leagues in the world,” Srinivasan said. “There is an immense amount of excitement. We are trying to pull off something that hasn't been done before.”

Forbes
 
In its latest legal spat, USA Cricket has been served fresh lawsuits by former captain Sushil Nadkarni and Ajay Jhamb. The plaintiffs filed the litigation against the members of the Nomination and Governance Committee (NGC) of the Board - Vince Adams, Nisarg Patel, Sara Farooq and Jim Isch - after the committee decided to disqualify Nadkarni and Jhamb from standing for the player director and league director posts respectively.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs seek before the court to have USA Cricket dissolve an 'unconstitutionally' formed NGC and establish a new NGC in compliance with the constitution. The plaintiffs have additionally sought the elections slated to be held on February 6 be rendered invalid as a reason of an 'improperly' formed NGC that lacked the authority to properly present candidates before the Board.

As reported by Cricbuzz earlier, the NGC 'flimsily' disqualified Nadkarni from contesting the player director election citing failure to submit a resume/CV which Nadkarni argues he complied by providing a link to his LinkedIn profile. However, Jhamb's disqualification for the league director post is even more glaring. In what might be a clear violation of the USAC constitution which requires the NGC to field at least 3 candidates for the post of League Director, the NGC rejected other applications including Jhamb's to only field two candidates for the election. The lawsuit further alleges Anj Balusu's candidature (one of the two finalised candidates) to be unconstitutional after he was stripped off his individual membership with USA Cricket due to a missing birthdate.
 
MLC Draft on Monday , League Secluded July 13, 2023
HOUSTON, TEXAS

A new era in American cricket will launch in when six teams set to compete in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) this summer will select their rosters for the historic competition. The first-ever draft will be held Monday at the Space Center Houston, located at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Multiple Indian Premier League team owners have invested in or partnered with Major League Cricket teams, including the Kolkata Knight Riders (Los Angeles), Chennai Super Kings (Texas) and Delhi Capitals (Seattle).

Several MLC teams have unveiled their team names and logo ahead of the draft, along with high- performance partnerships with some of the world’s leading cricket entities. Select overseas star players for each time will also be announced soon.

Teams will select nine domestic players to form the backbone of their rosters. The draft will be conducted in a “snake order” format, meaning the team that picks last in the first round will get the first pick in the second round. The draft will last nine rounds. No trading of picks is allowed.

Each team has three minutes to make their selections in rounds one to five and two minutes in rounds six to nine.
The league’s historic opening match will take place on July 13, 2023, at the newly-constructed Major League Cricket venue, Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie, Texas. The 2023 season will feature 19 matches to be played over 18 days, building up to the first-ever MLC championship final to take place on July 30, 2023. More information on the MLC schedule and broadcast details will be announced later.
 
IPL owners buying team in MCL, not unexpectedly , they saw a great potential in MLC in USA . Hope Shahid Khan the owner of Jacksonville Jaguar also buys a team , will be supported by a very large Pakistani community in USA.
 
Mumbai Indians, owned by Reliance Industries Ltd, is expanding into the United States with a Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise – MI New York.

The team is set to compete in the historic inaugural season of MLC this July following the completion of necessary customary due diligence; negotiation, and execution of definitive binding agreements, and receipt of required corporate, regulatory and third-party approvals and compliances.

MI New York unveiled its name and logo today with a graphic featuring the iconic MI logo followed by NY, featured on the New York skyline.
Mrs. Nita. M. Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians, said, “I am thrilled to welcome our New York franchise to the growing MI Family! With our entry into the first T20 franchise cricket league in the US, I hope we are able to establish Mumbai Indians as a global brand of fearless and entertaining cricket! This is another new beginning for MI and I look forward to the exciting journey ahead.”

The roster for MI New York will start to be filled out over the next week. Select marquee overseas players will be announced soon, while the best American domestic players will be selected at the inaugural MLC Domestic Player Draft on Sunday, March 19, in Houston, Texas.

MI New York will be one of six teams to take the pitch for the first time at a new MLC venue built in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The season is set to open July 13 and end with the first MLC championship final to take place on July 30. MI New York joins teams from Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington in MLC and will play the explosive Twenty20 (T20) format of the game, with matches typically lasting three hours.
 
England World Cup winner Liam Plunkett and former Australia captain Aaron Finch are among the players to sign up for a new United States T20 tournament.

They will play for the San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket in July.

Batter Finch, 36, is one of six overseas players along with former South Africa skipper Quinton de Kock.

Pace bowler Plunkett, 37, is eligible as a domestic player because his wife is American.

He made the last of his 89 one-day appearances for England in the 2019 World Cup final triumph against New Zealand at Lord's.

Plunkett signed up for the tournament - the first US professional T20 league - in 2021 after leaving Surrey, but the proposed start date of 2022 was pushed back by a year.

He has played for the Philadelphians in the Eastern Division of Minor League Cricket and also expressed an interest in playing for the US.

Each of the six teams picked nine US-based players in Sunday's domestic player draft alongside six overseas signings, with more set to be announced in the next few weeks.

Finch, who retired from international cricket last month, will captain the Unicorns alongside Plunkett and Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.

Wicketkeeper De Kock will play for Seattle Orcas along with another Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, while DC Freedom signed Sri Lanka spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje.

The tournament takes place between 13 and 30 July in Dallas, Texas.

USA Cricket became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2019 and hopes to become a full member by 2030.

The ICC is also bidding to have cricket included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
 
Hammad Azan and Ehsan Adil picked by Mumbai Indians!

FrottEdaEAEmN-Q
 
Harmeet Singh made history in Houston by being named the first pick of the Major League Cricket (MLC) draft when the six MLC franchises converged at Space Center Houston to make their domestic picks and announced big international signings as the historic 2023 season prepares to take flight. Singh was selected by the Seattle Orcas, who unveiled their name and logo earlier this week.

Singh, a 30-year-old all-rounder who bowls left-arm off spin, has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was on the India U-19 squad that won the 2012 World Cup, along with leading the Seattle Thunderbolts to the 2022 Minor League Cricket championship.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Singh said. “And also nervous at the same time. I played in Seattle in the Minor League. Now Major League Cricket. It can’t get better for me.”

The Seattle Orcas, Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders and Texas (team name still to be announced) each made nine picks with some teams announcing major international signings during the two-hour event.

The major signings: Former Australia one-day international captain Aaron Finch and Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will join San Francisco, South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje and Sri Lanka legbreak bowler Wanindu Hasaranga will play for Washington and former South Africa captain and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock as well as hard-hitting Australian all-arounder Mitchell Marsh signed for Seattle.
Washington selected wicketkeeper Andries Gous with the second pick. Gous recently played in Abu Dhabi’s T10 league.

MI New York selected USA international batter Steven Taylor with the third pick, San Francisco selected former New Zealand international and batsman Corey Anderson fourth, Los Angeles Knight Riders selected star USA Cricket bowler Ali Khan and Texas picked fast bowler Rusty Theron, who has played for multiple IPL teams, with its first pick in the first round.

Several other big names were selected in the Major League Cricket draft: Unmukt Chand, who captained the India U-19 team to the 2012 World Cup, joined Los Angeles in the second round; Liam Plunkett, a star bowler for the England team that won the 2019 World Cup, joins San Francisco, and former Pakistan international Hammed Azam was taken by MI New York.

The 2023 MLC season starts July 13 in a brand-new cricket-specific venue – Grand Prairie Stadium – in Grand Prairie, Texas. Teams will play the explosive Twenty20 (T20) format of the game, with matches typically lasting three hours. The regular season will consist of five games, with each team playing each other once, followed by a playoff round and the championship on July 30.

Teams will announce more big-name international signings as they become official, and each squad has a chance to pick another domestic player in early July based on performances in the Minor League Cricket season.
 
USA becoming a viable source of income for cricketers now - another source of competition for PSL at some point?
 
$174 million dollars are being invested in this league. Can they recover this money? I doubt whether the North American and Canadian Desi's will be hooked on to this for much longer especially given how busy life is in this part of the world. There was only one Canadian T-20 league in 2019 and it was not held again.
 
This seems to be the only new T20 franchise cricket venture I am rooting for in it's success. The US is a huge market with untapped potential, a game like cricket can catch on if marketed well. The only way I see it becoming a huge success though is if Indian, Pakistani and West Indian cricketers play in this competition and create some hype around.

I was seeing just the mention of Virat Kohli on Joe Rogan podcast going viral, there is definitely potential, but it needs to be marketed in a manner of a fun exciting alternative to slow paces Baseball. They might need to make it similar to the hundred or make a few changes to fasten up the game.
 
Each of the six franchises — based in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York City — has a $1.5 million salary cap to secure 18 players, with a maximum of seven overseas stars.

Australian vice-captain Steve Smith, who has turned New York into his second home, will not be available for this year’s MLC competition because it clashes with the Ashes, but the 33-year-old has reportedly been in talks with the competition’s bosses about an appearance in 2024.

The Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to get underway in the United States and the West Indies in June next year, and Smith could have a vacant window after the tournament.

The United States has been earmarked as one of cricket’s growing markets, with the nation’s financial power and sizeable South Asian diaspora fast-tracking the sport’s development.

The first season of the MLC is slated to begin on July 13 in Texas.

Fox
 
Savak said:
$174 million dollars are being invested in this league. Can they recover this money? I doubt whether the North American and Canadian Desi's will be hooked on to this for much longer especially given how busy life is in this part of the world. There was only one Canadian T-20 league in 2019 and it was not held again.
Click to expand...

Very few care about cricket in North America. Cricket is not even among top 3 sports.

It is likely that this league will not generate profit (not anytime soon at least).
 
I don’t see this league being successful here. People here don’t even know what cricket is (will admit, people know the word cricket more now then a decade ago…when people used to think cricket was the cellular carrier or the bug lol). IMO a top down and bottom up approach needs to be used. If investors are willing to take a loss for years and spend good money on advertising, then it could potentially be a good venture. Spending $$$ to compete with baseball is going to be very tough. These investors and the ICC should invest at the grassroots level simultaneously, so kids know that their is a good future playing the sport.

The US market is already saturated with the NBA, NFL, NBL, etc. I haven’t even added the college stuff.

Honestly, they would be better off in investing this money in China. Don’t know why they don’t focus on the Chinese market.
 
These guys have deep pockets and will need them but there is no passion or anything resembling interest amongst the larger population. It will crash like the Dubai league
 
IPL owners are in there so the prospects look good.

USA cricket needs the locals to buy into cricket or it will be an uphill battle.
 
Saj said:
IPL owners are in there so the prospects look good.

USA cricket needs the locals to buy into cricket or it will be an uphill battle.
Click to expand...

In order for the local population to take an interest, these guys need to do a lot of investing in educating the people on cricket and spend a lot of money on advertising.

Even the 2nd or 3rd generation desi population doesn't care about cricket. It has the stigma of a "fob sport" attached to it.
 
The endeavour will work if it can appeal to the large, and wealthy, Indian diaspora in the US.
About seven or eight years ago I was in Manhattan for work and there was a legends cricket game held at one of the baseball grounds and I went along as I didn’t have anything better to do.
Full capacity of about 25 000 fans — virtually all of Indian origin and really only to watch Tendulkar.

The cricket was actually really average, but it showed there was a demand but really to watch Indian players.
If the large franchises like Mumbai Indians get involved and send some of their players over, then this could make money.

Can’t see the non-desi US population showing any interest at all
 
mmkextreme_1 said:
In order for the local population to take an interest, these guys need to do a lot of investing in educating the people on cricket and spend a lot of money on advertising.

Even the 2nd or 3rd generation desi population doesn't care about cricket. It has the stigma of a "fob sport" attached to it.
Click to expand...

That's the biggest issue. Cricket is absolutely dead by third generation for south Asians (for most families, it's second gen). That clearly shows that there's no scope for growth.

Soccer has been growing since there are plenty of latinos in US, and soccer is played by almost every country on earth. The American culture is intertwined with latino culture. However, south asian culture isn't that relevant in US aside from first gen. In southern US states, latino culture is American culture (due to close ties with Mexico/Puerto Rico because of proximity). So ancestry and legal status is irrelevant, and soccer remains popular. However, south asians get assimilated into greater American society, thus losing touch with minor cultural aspects (like cricket)

Aside from that, cricket has to compete with baseball, another bat and ball game. Why would white Americans learn a new sport for no reason? Are indians learning baseball? Soccer doesn't have any alternative, so a white guy will be playing soccer if they feel like kicking balls.

I would like to see the growth of cricket among second generation South Asian Americans and onwards. Is there any data on that? Because at the end of the day, if American born asian kids don't learn cricket, then nobody else will.

The only growth strategy I see so far is appealing to the first gen immigrants (FOBs), who already follow cricket. Is there any concrete plan to expand beyond that?
 
They've made visa rules tougher, otherwise a lot more Pakistani cricketers would have left Pakistan and ended up in America.
 
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