When cricket stoked the American dream

Although cricket is still played today in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the US by a minuscule émigré populace, it is quite understandably an irrelevant patch on what was once in Philadelphia a “truly American cricket phenomenon”.

But, there’s hope, if hope for cricket exists in the American dream, or psyche, and for cricket optimists wherever they are. It is quite possible for cricket to regain its vintage glory in the US if former cricket great Imran Khan has his way.

Today Philadelphia hosts the International Cricket Festival, an annual event, during the first weekend in May to promote cricket, friendship and community service. Each year 12 teams, including five from the city, seven from across the US, and guest international sides, are invited to participate in the festival. The tournament is held over four days with matches being played at four of the country’s major venues.

Says Khan: “Cricket has already lost a lot of ground to other sports, especially in the Americas. Like everything else in life, it must go forward, or suffer the consequence.” He adds: “South Africa has broken the monotony with its new faces as well as a cricketing ideology that has strong traditions in the game. I don’t see why the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not make efforts to promote the limited-overs game in the greatest sports-loving country of all - the United States.”

Add to this yet another new advance, Twenty20 cricket, and you may have many excited takers for the format in the US, today.

Elaborating further, Khan notes, “In the Caribbean, American sports, such as basketball and baseball are gaining ground. But, there’s still time. After all, limited-overs cricket is far more exciting on TV than baseball!”

He has a point. No waste of time, no long-drawn-out schedules, right? This is what most Americans would want in a sport. There could be nothing better than the pressure-cooker atmosphere and delight of 50-overs-a-side-one-day, or Twenty20, cricket.

For cricket to survive in the future it has got to expand and reach new lands. America has everything to nurture the nature of modern cricket - sponsorship, money and the hype.

This is, of course, notwithstanding the fact the ICC has formally banned the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) because it failed to meet a time limit for implementing a new constitution and hold elections. But, there is optimism. As ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, explains, “The ICC recognises that the US has vast potential as a cricketing nation … The ICC hopes this measure (the ban) will serve to focus minds within cricketing circles in the US … (And) that sense will prevail, and that all those with the good of the game at heart will come together and take control of this unfortunate situation."

Now, the next big hope is an exciting prospect: the US gets the go-ahead to stage the famed quadrennial cricket World Cup in the not-so-distant future.