July 27, 2004, Democratic National Convention—A relatively unknown American politician steps out on the field and delivers a rousing keynote address to capture the attention of the world.
Political commentators Robert Lehrman and Michael A. Cohen later mention that back in 2004, this leader
“was totally unknown. People were saying, ‘I don’t know who this guy is, wonder why they picked him…No one knew who this guy was. This was his chance to introduce himself to people.”
The name was Obama, Barack Obama. The keynote address would go down in folklore as “The Speech That Made Obama President.”
Now fast forward almost twenty years after Obama’s dramatic entry.
America Arrives on the World Stage…in Cricket?
June 6, 2024, Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup—A relatively unknown American cricket team steps out on to the field and delivers a rousing Super Over victory over one of the favorites, Pakistan, to capture the attention of the world.
Before the World Cup, Team USA was totally unknown. People were saying, ‘I don’t know why they held the World Cup in USA…(why did they build a random temporary stadium in New York with bad pitches and dangerous outfields)…No one knew the potential of this team. This was America’s chance to introduce themselves to fans.
In the opening game of the World Cup, Aaron Jones’ tornadic innings already made fans look at this team twice.
But this moment, a convincing victory against Pakistan, may well go down in folklore as the day cricket in America changed.
(Side Note: Only Pakistan can light up a tournament in such Pakistan fashion and open the tournament alive with this loss. Won’t be surprised if they come back and end up winning the whole thing as only Pakistan know how to do).
E Pluribus Unum – Out of Many, One
Obama centers his speech around a traditional motto of the United States, ‘E pluribus unum,’ a Latin phrase phrase that means ‘Out of Many, One.’
The American cricket squad has been criticized, even mocked, for being made up of expatriates.
Liam Plunkett plunged into the Philadelphia cricket scene a few years ago after being discarded post England’s 2019 World Cup victory.
Soon after, the likes of Corey Anderson, Unmukt Chand, Dane Piedt, and at least 81 others immigrated to the United States seeking a better opportunity. Currently the story of Saurabh Netravalkar is making the rounds on social media—Engineer, Computer Scientist, Cricketer, Musician.
ESPNCricinfo’s article on Monank Patel, Noshtush Kenjige, and Nitish Kumar shines a light on some other American dreams.
Also Read: 24 Cricketers with Musical Talent Who Will Rock You Ft. Don Bradman, Sreesanth, and AB De Villiers
America the Beautiful
The squad is well balanced. They have plenty of bowling options spearheaded by the fearless Ali Khan, players with international experience, IPL experience, Major League Cricket stars, and homegrown talent from the minor leagues. The top order is so strong that Unmukt Chand, India’s victorious 2012 U-19 captain, did not find a place.
Team USA’s current T20 World Cup squad include South Africans, Kiwis, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Indians.
But at the end of the day, that is the beauty of America. A melting pot, a salad bowl, whatever fits your boat.
Regardless of where you come from, the United States of America is a land that provides opportunity to all. An opportunity to excel.
A place where you can build your own American story.
Cricket Wins Despite ICC’s Shambolic Marketing
After one week, there were doubts on whether this World Cup will be successful or not.
Grueling travel schedules for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, an untested pitch & outfield that has the potential to cause major injuries, several sub-100 T20 scores, empty stadiums, overpriced tickets, TV schedules that defy logic, a World Cup scheduled during the NBA Finals, broadcast access only from WillowTV (channel most Americans have not even heard of), and shambolic marketing by the ICC.
I missed the entirety of the USA-Pakistan despite residing in the same timezone as Dallas because the match was scheduled during work hours at 10:30 AM. Apart from a couple of news reports, the acquisition of Usain Bolt as a brand ambassador, and local awareness in the New York-New Jersey and Dallas-areas, there has not been much marketing of note. None of my friends are aware that the US is even hosting a Cricket World Cup.
Yet the cricket has succeeded.
We have already seen two Super Overs, a lovely Ugandan story, and Oman shackling Australia. Never again shall we go back to less than a 20-team World Cup. Please.
A few of my non-cricketing friends here reached out after the US victory today, sharing articles and tweets with me! Good cricket, word of mouth, and a bit of social media is doing its magic!
Local Coverage Gives Cricket a Boost on Social Media
One of the shining lights has been the coverage provided by Peter Della Penna, Nate (cricfanusa), Aaman Patel, and many other such local talents.
The addition of baseball-cricket fan turned sports media analyst, Jomboy, to ICC’s commentary panel, Melinda Farrell commentating in the Warehouse Games, the Grade Cricketer bringing their true Australian selves to the American shores, and Bharat Sundaresan walking around in Times Square have added another dimension to the cricket content.
Peter has been traveling around the States for the World Cup, interviewing fans, providing live traffic information, etc. In some cases, he exposes the ticket pricing issues:
At other times, he conveys stories of new fans entering the game.
Finally, we get to see how the crowd’s reactions ranging from Nepal’s thunderous audience to the empty stands during an India game in New York.
Hope in the face of Uncertainty
We can cherish today as the day USA Cricket Team achieved its first American cricket dream. Hopefully, first of many.
Honestly speaking, two years ago, I was skeptical of the initiatives in the American cricket circuit. However, a successful 2023 MLC and a strong showing in this World Cup from Team USA has given me a glimmer of hope.
Selling cricket to Americans is difficult. Not because of comparisons with baseball (that is a story for another day), but because of the numerous other sport options the American public has. Cricket is not yet mature enough to compete in the American market, but David-Goliath stories like today definitely help in making a case.
Obama concludes his speech by saying that
“My story is part of the larger American story…and in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”
Similarly, the journey of Team USA’s cricket team is just like any other American story.
“The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores….The Hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him too…Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope.”
We don’t know if cricket will succeed or fail in the US, but if there is any place where we can hope that such an audacious experiment has a slight chance of succeeding, it is the United States of America.
****
America, Pakistan, Obama. But in a cricket context. Now you didn’t expect that, did you?
That’s what we like to do here. Cricket, but slightly outside the box.
Anyways, thanks for reading and thank you for your time.
You May Also Like
If you liked reading this article on American cricket, you may like the following:
© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 06/07/2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).
Related
