Once a popular pastime in the United States, cricket is making a comeback of sorts at the Twenty20 World Cup next month
- Cricket is hardly high up in the national consciousness of the US, so the country’s co-hosting of the World Cup will be intriguing
- But the sport does have a long history in the land of baseball, which is also playing a role in reviving it in the Olympics
Say “silly mid-off” or “deep backward square leg” or “a single to long leg” to the average American and it’ll trigger a quizzical look.
Cricket – the so-called “gentlemen’s game” with complex rules, funnily worded fielding positions and matches that go on for five days – is hardly high up in the national consciousness of the United States, adding to the fascination of the Twenty20 World Cup the country is co-hosting with the Caribbean next month.
Though that may soon change, if the Americans’ shock five-wicket win over Bangladesh in a Twenty20 International in Houston is any indication.
It was the US’ second-ever win over a top-tier, ICC Full Member nation in T20s, coming two-and-a-half years after their first against Ireland in 2021.
Ranked 19th in T20 cricket, the Monank Patel-captained US have little chance of advancing beyond the group stage at the 20-nation World Cup co-hosted with the West Indies.
Yet it wasn’t always this way.
