Cricket's slow entry into the US

In just a couple of months the ICC T20 World Cup tournament will be under way. While it is noticeable that there is quite a bit of activity taking place in the world of cricket, the excitement is building among competitors eager to play in the USA, one of the co-hosts for the 2024 showpiece. They have brought a fillip to the tournament because they’re not known to be involved in cricket to that extent.

In the 19th century there were local leagues in the US, and it was important to the level that they challenged Canada to a match to see who was the better team. However, the sport never took off in those two vast countries of North America. It never gained the popularity enjoyed in England and Australia.

Although the cricket-minded folks of England would probably have preferred the inclusion of those countries, if only because of its proximity, hence, the advantage of being able to challenge each other more often.

Be that as it may, while the cricket drifted on to the backboard, the Australians, most of all and other British Commonwealth countries, gradually joined together in a unit to enjoy a sport that gives a setting of peace and quiet and an opportunity for utilising the intellect to follow the game.

With the influx of immigrants over the years and not just from England and the rest of Europe, cricket got a tiny foothold, with those from Britain, large cricket-playing countries like India and Australia, plus the likes of the small islands of British colonialism that lay between North and South America, the game of cricket attracted those who, while searching for a better opportunity for their families, brought with them the enjoyment of cricket. West Indians were included in this lot.

However, as time moved on, cricket in England had spread through all its counties, into its schools and universities and because it was not a rough and tumble sport, it got the reputation of being the sport for gentlemen. And because of this development and the cost to partake in it at that stage, it became known as the game for the higher classes.

Although the USA, like most other countries, even in its home country, where cricket was first played, would have completed a game at the end of one inning. Sometimes it was known to continue into a second day if bad weather interfered with the result.

It was then the counties decided that the batting team needed two innings as one inning only didn’t give a true picture of which was the better team. They shifted around various ideas and that was the birth of the first-class game. Only after they got to this junction and travelled to Australia to spread the love of the sport that they recognised that as the lessons were completed, they could tackle a full Australian team. They named it a Test match and it was played to a finish.

The popularity of the game took off between those two countries and it continued to spread to other British colonies worldwide. The next were South Africa, then the group of islands mentioned before, called the WI, followed by New Zealand and India. Pakistan then became the next after they separated from India.

It was only after Test cricket was truly entrenched and first-class counties were losing money that in England it was decided that something had to be done to get those turnstiles moving and make the sport profitable once more. The fresh idea was limited-overs cricket.

It began as 60 overs a team. Internationally, it was brought in after it was proven to be a success among the counties and the crowds were calling for more.

Then, quite accidentally, on an England tour of Australia the Test match was ruined by rain and the authorities thought they could entertain the crowd by staging a limited-overs game which was not yet introduced to Australian crowds. That was in 1971.

The idea for the World Cup was born and agreed to be played in England in 1975. When India beat the WI in 1983 and requested the next WC be in India, it was reduced to 50 overs a team in 1987, because of the early darkness in the Indian cricket season.

In 2003 the 20-overs limit was introduced and because of this new brevity of the game, the popularity grew and the USA, plus Canada and many others, took advantage of this much shorter time for completion, and here we are today!