A Moment Of Reflection for USA Cricket

“It was a lot of fun.”

This was a common refrain heard from many international superstars who had descended on American soil to play at the second edition of the U.S. Major League Cricket . Pat Cummins looked as relaxed as he’s ever been, squeezing in rounds of golf between games. Steve Smith, captain of the Washington Freedom was beaming when they capped off a near undisputed season with a decidedly one sided win in the finals defeating San Francisco Unicorns (almost as good a name as the Seattle Orcas) by over a 100 runs. This critic actually fell asleep on the job (Sshhh don’t tell the editors). Was some nail biting too much to ask, Steve? Now I have to use a nail cutter like regular people.

But that final is ancient history in cricket time. The players have moved on to other assignments with their home countries or at The Hundred (yawns in Brit) and Global T20 in Canada. Sri Lanka defeated India in a bilateral ODI series for the first time in 27 years, dominating by spin. The West Indies test team is still breaking our hearts (the word is limerence, google it). And then you had this minor sporting event called the Olympics but let’s not waste any time on that.

Ricky Ponting, the head coach of the Freedom and a forward thinking maverick, sees the United States as a playground for cricket’s future. He urged USA Cricket to push  the game at the grassroots level especially for kids.

Local administrators have already got that ball rolling with multiple initiatives like a minor league that has brought  small clubs and teams from across the country under its umbrella. The country has been divided into four zones to allow for easier selection and scouting, given that most US states might not have a strong cricket presence unlike more established cricket playing nations. According to USA Cricket, there are over 400 local leagues with around 200,000 players active around the country.

Plans are afoot to have a rookie league for newer entrants into the sport and age group tournaments with academies to nurture young talent, along with training for umpires and coaches. While still nascent, USA women’s cricket is slowly finding a foothold in the international game.

When Ponting spoke about grassroots though, he wasn’t just referring to the usual round of expats and first/second generation immigrants from cricketing countries like South Asia and the Caribbean, but children from all ethnic and cultural groups that call the U.S. their home.

I admire Ponting’s trademark Aussie bullishness but Americans still view cricket as this archaic pastime that they can use as fodder for bad jokes. If only they saw how baseball is a poor substitute, they might change their perspective.

Now that I’ve drummed up controversy, let’s get realistic for a second. Cricket is still very much an expat sport in the U.S.; they hosted an entire World Cup and it barely scratched the veneer of American primetime television.

Millions of Americans watched bemused at Indian techies frothing at the mouth supported men in blue. Grounds and accessibility were woeful especially in New York, and for those who could make it to the venue, ticket prices, upwards of $300 were out of reach. Major League Cricket addresses some of those failings in cost and access. They might spread the gospel of cricket in America but seem to operate in a comfy bubble of expat eyeballs.

For a beloved sport to be taken seriously in the U.S., this not-so-humble armchair critic feels that there has to be some bombastic cross promotions with other sporting megabeasts like the NBA or the NFL. Good luck getting those behemoths to share airspace but in my  dream scenario, I see Steph Curry bowling or Lebron hitting a six out of the ground. If we can get superstars to play cricket and experience its joys, then audiences might start paying attention beyond a distracted guffaw at hearing that a cricket match can go on for five days.

USA Cricket has an arduous journey ahead, especially after being pulled up by the ICC for “non compliance” with the requirements of the Associate status. Administrators have to produce visionary moves to elevate cricket as a serious sport in the USA. Else, it will just be a bit of fun for international cricketers looking for that U.S. vacay.

The post A Moment Of Reflection for USA Cricket appeared first on India Currents .