Cricket’s T20 World Cup Is More Inclusive As U.S. Team Makes History

Chants of “USA, USA” reverberated around Grand Prairie – a quintessential, tight-knit Texan community located just 15 miles from downtown Dallas.

The majority of residents were probably wondering where the commotion was emanating from on this balmy Saturday night as the stormy weather cleared just in time for the U.S. to make history and beat Canada in a pulsating T20 World Cup opener.

It was the much-anticipated debut for the U.S. in any World Cup format, with the seven-wicket victory lapped up by a near capacity of 6000 fans filled primarily with those with a South Asian background.

While Dallas has been in the midst of NHL and NBA fever, with the Stars and Mavericks making deep playoff runs, a far bigger sports event has started on their footsteps.

Many locals may be oblivious, but the showpiece event of the year in cricket – by some metrics the second biggest sport in the world – is being played across the U.S. and beamed to a television audience in the hundreds of millions around the world.

Cricket, a highly popular bat and ball British sport, is striving to finally make its mark across the Atlantic and into its targeted market.

Fans, media and officials from all over the world have descended to Grand Cricket Stadium, in the western suburbs of metropolitan Dallas, which has become the hub of American cricket.

Some of the most important figures in cricket are currently in the U.S. with T20 World Cup matches also played in New York and Lauderhill, Florida, before entirely being based in the Caribbean for the latter stages of the month-long tournament.

Cricket super powers India, Australia and England, whose much-derided ‘big three’ moniker extends to its financial and political heft, are the clear title favorites.

But on Saturday night, it was the U.S. who stole the show with a remarkable chase down of Canada. The game was largely billed as cricket’s oldest rivalry, but the North American countries have little experience on the big stage.

Canada were also making their debut in the tournament although had appeared in four 50-over World Cups.

But the U.S. entered as favorites given their impressive form ahead of the tournament with series victories over Canada and Bangladesh, an established cricket nation.

It’s a team mostly built with players from India and the Caribbean although they could have been strengthened if not for a hard-line selection policy, which ruled out aggrieved Australian quick Cameron Gannon.

It may have not been the miracle on ice – or pitch, using cricket vernacular – but Aaron Jones produced astonishing power-hitting as the U.S. chased down the huge target of 195.

The powerful batter, born in Queens and raised in ­Barbados, unleashed the type of fireworks that was a perfect advertisement for a sport that is these days a lot different than its slow stereotype in non-cricket countries such as the U.S.

As Jones sank to his knees with his helmet and bat raised aloft, amid bedlam from the terraces, it was not only U.S. cricket’s finest moment but a nod to a bigger 20-team World Cup that is finally more inclusive.

There were just a measly 10 teams at last year’s 50-over World Cup, while 16 did play in the 2022 T20 World Cup but half were subjected to a low-key first round which was essentially a glorified qualifier.

The smaller teams, who still unfortunately are derided as ‘minnows’ by cricket journalists who should know better, have performed well so far. There are remarkable back stories, which are usually overlooked amid the obsession of the ‘big three’.

Oman, the affluent Gulf nation, and Namibia are two rising cricket countries off the field – through influential administrators – and they played a classic with the southwest African nation emerging triumphant after a Super Over.

While Papua New Guinea challenged the West Indies, the primary host of the T20 World Cup, in a tight contest.

Cricket in PNG has largely been built through its sheer popularity in Hanuabada on the outskirts of capital Port Moresby. Houses are propped by stilts above the sea and there is no electricity, with safe running water difficult to find.

PNG’s strong start has made a mockery of the derision by those who did not believe a team from the East Asia-Pacific deserved a spot in the T20 World Cup.

These nations have justified the efforts from those administrators keen on globalizing cricket, which had for too long been shackled by the commercial whims heavily skewed towards money-spinner India.

“You can’t call it a World Cup with so few teams,” an International Cricket Council board director once told me pointing to soccer and basketball events boasting 32 teams each.

But that is slowly changing and for the better, underlined by those surreal scenes in Grand Prairie as this sleepy Dallas neighborhood rocked late into the night.