USA National Cricket Team: History, Players and what's their future?

th The United States of America is one of the biggest sporting countries in the world and is a country that has produced some of the greatest sporting icons. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and so many more. Even in the Olympics, the greatest sporting event, the USA through history has won 1174 Gold Medals combined in both, the Summer and Winter Olympics, and the most in history. Even after being so influential in the sports world, the second largest sport in the world, Cricket, is not very popular in the United States. The USA National Cricket Team is not even among the top 20 best T20I teams according to the ICC Rankings.

Credit: News18

So, in this chapter by ZAP, let’s explore more about the United States National Cricket Team, their history, the upcoming 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, and why they haven’t been able to make an impact on cricket on the global stage. 

History of the USA Cricket Team:

Credit: USA Cricket

In recent times, though the USA men's cricket team is not at the forefront of the sport, you will be shocked to know that the first ever international cricket match in cricket history was played between the USA cricket team players and the Canada Cricket Team in 1844. It is also said that the first ever President of the USA, George Washington was also a huge admirer of cricket. As time passed, another similar sport, Baseball, started gaining mass popularity in the country. 

Also Read: History of Cricket

Cricket, which was once popular in the USA, started losing its ground to baseball in the 1850s and 1860s. This happened partly because baseball changed its rules to attract more fans. This included using round baseball bats, which were easily manufactured, instead of flat-face ones like in cricket. Also, cricket in the late 19th century, in the USA, stayed mostly for the wealthy as an amateur sport. In this period, other countries like England and Australia were going professional. American cricket clubs did not catch up with this trend, staying exclusive and elitist. Baseball became the favourite sport in the USA by 1900, and cricket's international organization, the Imperial Cricket Conference (now ICC – International Cricket Council), only made it worse by limiting their membership only to British Empire countries. This restricted the growth of cricket outside the commonwealth countries and completely in the United States. 

After the complete formation of ICC, as we know it today, in 1965, the USA was granted the status of an associate nation and has ever since played every edition of the ICC Trophy (also known as the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers). Today, the only major tournaments that the USA Cricket Team competes in are the ICC tournaments for Associate Nations like the ICC Trophy, and the World Cricket League (an ODI Tournament for teams without the Test Status). This will change with the USA Cricket Team set to participate in the 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup which could turn out to be a massive event for the growth of cricket once again in the country. 

Also Read: How many countries in the world play cricket | Cricket Playing Nations

Why United States Cricket Team is so low on the ICC Rankings and what is their future?

As of March 2024, the United States cricket team ranks 23rd in the ICC T20I Team Rankings and 18th in the ICC ODI Team Rankings. This low ranking in the International Cricket Council (ICC) standings can be attributed to a combination of historical factors like lack of infrastructure, and limited international exposure. In the past 50 years, cricket has not been as widely popular in the United States compared to sports like baseball, basketball, and American football. This lack of popularity has resulted in limited resources and investment in developing cricket infrastructure and talent pathways. The United States has struggled to establish a stable domestic cricket structure. While efforts have been made to develop leagues such as the Minor League Cricket (MLC), the infrastructure and competition level still lag behind those of established cricketing nations, and will take decades for them to be able to compete against cricket superpowers like India or Australia. This lack of a robust domestic structure hampers the development of homegrown talent and leaves the national team at a disadvantage when competing internationally. However, despite these challenges, there is potential for the future of cricket in the United States. Efforts are being made to grow the sport at the grassroots level, including initiatives to introduce cricket in schools and communities. Additionally, the formation of leagues like the MLC aims to provide a platform for domestic players to showcase their talent and compete at a higher level.

Moreover, the United States cricket team has shown glimpses of promise in recent years. With the right investment in infrastructure, coaching, and player development programs, the team can climb up the ICC rankings in the future. The key will be sustained efforts to grow the sport at all levels and to provide opportunities for players to compete against top-quality opposition on a regular basis.

USA National T20 Cricket Team for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup:

Credit: Jagran Josh

USA are set to play in the 2024 T20 World Cup as the hosts and a lot of eyes will remain on the USA cricket squad and their performances in the tournament. They will also play a match against the Indian Cricket Team in the tournament, which is huge and will garner a lot of attention from both, the Americans and the Indians living in America. 

Let’s look at the USA Cricket Team’s Squad and Player List:

Batsmen:

• Gajanand Singh (36)
• Aaron Jones (29)
• Sushant Modani (35)
• Saiteja Mukkamalla (19)

Spin Bowlers:

• Nosthush Kenjige (38)
• Yasir Mohammad (21)
• Usman Rafiq (35)

Pace Bowlers:

• Saurabh Netravalkar (32)
• Cameron Stevenson (31)
• Ali Khan (31)
• Rusty Theron (38)
• Jasdeep Singh (31)
• Siva Kumar (34)
• Kyle Phillip (27)
• Abhishek Paradkar (23)

All Rounders:

• Nisarg Patel (30)
• Steven Taylor (30)
• Vatsal Vaghela (21)

Wicket Keepers:

• Monank Patel (30) (Captain)
• Jaskaran Malhotra (29)
• Shayan Jahangir (29)

Major League Cricket (MLC) T20 and its impact:

United States of America is one of the best sporting nations in the world and has some of the biggest, the most cash-rich and influential sporting leagues in the world. The National Basketball League (NBA), the Major League Soccer (MLS) for Football, and The National Football League (NFL) are some of the biggest sporting leagues in the world in terms of revenue they generate. Only cricket remains as one sport that did not have a regulated league with a strong effort placed on youth development and education. But with the popularity and the widespread growth of T20 Cricket, there has been some buzz about cricket in recent years. Also, with a large amount of people from the subcontinent living in the States, there is a cult following for the sport that actually exists. Also, Virat Kohli is one of the biggest sportsmen in the world, the third most followed sportsman on Instagram, and has created a following in the US too. Club this all together, and you get a new-age T20 Cricket League, the Major League Cricket (MLC).

Credit: ZEE Business

Major League Cricket (MLC) was a fresh start for cricket in the United States, introducing a professional Twenty20 (T20) league. It enjoyed backing from some of the biggest names in the sport, including owners from the Indian Premier League (IPL), marking a significant development for the sport in America.

The first edition of the MLC T20 was a hit with a total of 70,000 fans attending matches in the inaugural season. The tournament also generated approximately $8 million in revenues, surpassing initial expectations. This success has attracted numerous sponsors, indicating the potential for growth in the upcoming editions. Also, through the MLC T20, there is a chance that the mass American population also finds interest in the sport potentially expanding cricket's fanbase and establishing it as a popular sporting option alongside established American favourites.

Conclusion:

The American Cricket Team has a long way to go in becoming a cricket super power in the future. Every tiny step matters for the development of cricket and needs to overlooked by a strong organisation similar to like that of the BCCI in India. Also, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics set to feature cricket as one of the events, it'll be interesting to look how the USA National Cricket Team fairs in 4 years time from now. 

Now that you have read about the USA Men International Cricket Team, here are some more articles we recommend you read:

ICC Cricket World Cup Winners List | World Cup winning captains list | Women's Cricket