New Delhi, less-prepared drop-in tracks, poor ground conditions, over-dependence on Indian TV audiences, not taking into account weather and high ticket prices were some of the problems that kept the US from being the most viable commercial destination globally. Organizing a T20 World Cup like event in the first attempt.
However, the only solution is for the United States national team to defeat Pakistan and give India a tough fight before entering the Super Eights for the first time on the world stage.
There are few things that money can't buy and the performances of Saurabh Netravalkar and Monank Patel were truly priceless, something that gave the pin-striped suits of the ICC sitting in Dubai a chance to breathe a sigh of relief despite a lot of Will give. Things did not go well during the two-and-a-half weeks. For any team sport to do well and gain popularity in a particular geographical area, it is important that it has some degree of nationalism associated with it and H1B visa holders and Green Indians who have received the card have given them this opportunity.Cricket in the Americas has long been a pet project of the ICC and the inclusion of T20 in the 2028 Olympic program for the Los Angeles edition is a huge leap in that direction.
However, the global body would be the first to admit that teething problems involving logistics and organizational part have painted a sorry picture. Let us take the example of the Nassau County Cricket Ground in Long Island, which is located in the CBD (Central Business District) of New York City. It is just over an hour's drive from.
This was a temporary facility and by the time this article reaches readers, the 37,000-seat portable stand will have been destroyed and no one knows what kind of cricket matches will be played on that ground from now on. Drop-in pitches will definitely be removed.However, the exciting India vs USA match in New York state (not the city) needed only the publicity and not testing the track was a childish mistake. The pitch was criticized due to uneven bounce during India's opening match against Ireland The ball was flying off its length after hitting the cracks.
The groundsmen moved the track so much to cover the cracks that the pitch became slow and teams found it difficult to chase any target between 115-120.
The low score made the match exciting but also took away the joy from the whole process of coming to watch a T20 match where they wanted to see more sixes hit. A total of 56 maximums were hit in 8 games and an average of seven per game, which is an uncharted territory. Not the best advertisement for promoting sports in the US where viewership is dependent on the Indian diaspora.42 sixes were hit in one IPL match alone this season, which is the other end of the spectrum.
As far as Native Americans, who grew up on liberal doses of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are concerned, you'll need more action than scores like 95, 113, 119 to get spectators at the turnstiles.
"Obviously, if you have to showcase and sell it to the world, I don't think it's a very sellable product, but for cricket, it's tough competition. It gives other teams and higher teams a- Brings one very close to the other.” " said South African batsman Heinrich Klaasen after a match."I think to be honest, all the batsmen are keen to get out of this place. The bowlers would love to stay here," he said.
Coming back to the timing, if one wants a regular series, the matches need to be held in the evening, unless it is simply meeting the broadcasters' demand for 8 pm IST time, which means that in the future On weekdays, you won't have big crowds.
Broadcasters never show but there were enough seats vacant during the match against Ireland which was a mid-week match. The lowest price of tickets for the India vs Pakistan match was US$300 and the highest price for the corporate box was US$10,000. .Sample this: The lowest ticket price for a New York Yankees baseball game is US$46, while in the case of basketball, tickets for the LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls cost less than US$54 and US$34, respectively. Courtside marquee tickets for a Lakers or Bulls game cost around US$3000.
The question arises whether ICC will be able to attract Native Americans besides the Asian community? At present, the answer is a resounding 'no'. Fort Lauderhill, Florida has been the cricket world's favorite venue for international games and Indian teams have been playing T20Is for some time now.
Being a coastal region, Florida is always affected by inclement weather and floods, but still the ICC could not arrange to cover the entire ground, leading to floods thrice in three days."This question should be asked to the ICC people. I will not be able to answer it. I don't know the reason why it was not covered and why there were not enough covers to cover the entire ground. If they had Covered it, that would definitely have helped," India batting coach Vikram Rathore said after his team's match against Canada was washed out due to rain. So unless the ICC is keen to add loose boundaries, the US Cricket in the US will be a game played by South Asians, watched by South Asians and it certainly cannot be called a true globalization of the game by any stretch of the imagination.
However, the only solution is for the United States national team to defeat Pakistan and give India a tough fight before entering the Super Eights for the first time on the world stage.
There are few things that money can't buy and the performances of Saurabh Netravalkar and Monank Patel were truly priceless, something that gave the pin-striped suits of the ICC sitting in Dubai a chance to breathe a sigh of relief despite a lot of Will give. Things did not go well during the two-and-a-half weeks. For any team sport to do well and gain popularity in a particular geographical area, it is important that it has some degree of nationalism associated with it and H1B visa holders and Green Indians who have received the card have given them this opportunity.Cricket in the Americas has long been a pet project of the ICC and the inclusion of T20 in the 2028 Olympic program for the Los Angeles edition is a huge leap in that direction.
However, the global body would be the first to admit that teething problems involving logistics and organizational part have painted a sorry picture. Let us take the example of the Nassau County Cricket Ground in Long Island, which is located in the CBD (Central Business District) of New York City. It is just over an hour's drive from.
This was a temporary facility and by the time this article reaches readers, the 37,000-seat portable stand will have been destroyed and no one knows what kind of cricket matches will be played on that ground from now on. Drop-in pitches will definitely be removed.However, the exciting India vs USA match in New York state (not the city) needed only the publicity and not testing the track was a childish mistake. The pitch was criticized due to uneven bounce during India's opening match against Ireland The ball was flying off its length after hitting the cracks.
The groundsmen moved the track so much to cover the cracks that the pitch became slow and teams found it difficult to chase any target between 115-120.
The low score made the match exciting but also took away the joy from the whole process of coming to watch a T20 match where they wanted to see more sixes hit. A total of 56 maximums were hit in 8 games and an average of seven per game, which is an uncharted territory. Not the best advertisement for promoting sports in the US where viewership is dependent on the Indian diaspora.42 sixes were hit in one IPL match alone this season, which is the other end of the spectrum.
As far as Native Americans, who grew up on liberal doses of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are concerned, you'll need more action than scores like 95, 113, 119 to get spectators at the turnstiles.
"Obviously, if you have to showcase and sell it to the world, I don't think it's a very sellable product, but for cricket, it's tough competition. It gives other teams and higher teams a- Brings one very close to the other.” " said South African batsman Heinrich Klaasen after a match."I think to be honest, all the batsmen are keen to get out of this place. The bowlers would love to stay here," he said.
Coming back to the timing, if one wants a regular series, the matches need to be held in the evening, unless it is simply meeting the broadcasters' demand for 8 pm IST time, which means that in the future On weekdays, you won't have big crowds.
Broadcasters never show but there were enough seats vacant during the match against Ireland which was a mid-week match. The lowest price of tickets for the India vs Pakistan match was US$300 and the highest price for the corporate box was US$10,000. .Sample this: The lowest ticket price for a New York Yankees baseball game is US$46, while in the case of basketball, tickets for the LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls cost less than US$54 and US$34, respectively. Courtside marquee tickets for a Lakers or Bulls game cost around US$3000.
The question arises whether ICC will be able to attract Native Americans besides the Asian community? At present, the answer is a resounding 'no'. Fort Lauderhill, Florida has been the cricket world's favorite venue for international games and Indian teams have been playing T20Is for some time now.
Being a coastal region, Florida is always affected by inclement weather and floods, but still the ICC could not arrange to cover the entire ground, leading to floods thrice in three days."This question should be asked to the ICC people. I will not be able to answer it. I don't know the reason why it was not covered and why there were not enough covers to cover the entire ground. If they had Covered it, that would definitely have helped," India batting coach Vikram Rathore said after his team's match against Canada was washed out due to rain. So unless the ICC is keen to add loose boundaries, the US Cricket in the US will be a game played by South Asians, watched by South Asians and it certainly cannot be called a true globalization of the game by any stretch of the imagination.
