The two-match bilateral Twenty20 cricket series between India and the West Indies that concluded on Sunday in Florida has to be deemed a success for the organisers despite the bizarre no-result in the second game. The high-profile spectacle was lapped up by the cricket fans in the United States as the sport returned to the country, which is turning out to be the last frontier for the game’s bosses. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the big cricket boards realise that to make cricket a truly global sport, it is key to tap into the vast and lucrative US market. The sport itself is not alien to America and has a considerable history with the expats from the cricket-playing nations running many clubs in that country. They host plenty of league matches in the summer and many noted Indian cricketers of the past have turned out for the domestic clubs in America.
But with the advent of T20 cricket, the cricket bosses have an handy format to sell, which is ideal for American consumption. Thus, over the last one year, All-Stars teams led by legends Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne played a three-match series in New York, Houston and Los Angeles. More than two dozen former stars from West Indies, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa played or were involved in those matches. Also, a couple of T20s were organised there a few years back and last month, six Caribbean Premier League matches were staged in Florida. These matches attracted huge crowds and were telecast to audiences worldwide.
However, the real problem with cricket in America is that it is a divided house. In the melting pot that the country is, different factions helmed by expats of different nationalities are engaged in a constant power struggle to control the reins of the game there. Cricket on the West Coast is controlled by Indian expats, with a fair sprinkling of English and Aussies cricket lovers’ involvement. The East Coast is dominated by Pakistanis, while the West Indians have a free run in the south, particularly around the Florida region. The USA Cricket Association, an associate member of the ICC, is itself in a mess and has been banned by the parent body a few times.
But despite all the problems, the T20 format has given a big fillip to cricket in America. The American College Cricket National Championships has taken root since its 2009 inception and more than 30 colleges from America and Canada take part in the T20 matches, which are webcast and, more recently, telecast by ESPN. The onus is now on ICC to come up with a roadmap to develop the sport in America.
