At first glance, it seemed like madness. Thirty of the greatest cricketers of all time playing three Twenty20 matches in the United States? The home of baseball, NFL and much more?
Surely the likes of Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Muttiah Muralitharan and numerous, similarly legendary superstars will be wasting their time. Ask any of the 36,000 who traipsed out of a raucous Citi Field on Saturday afternoon if it was three hours down the drain. The answer would be a resounding no.
Cricket came to America. And it went down a storm. Well, it was certainly a monumental hit with the vast amounts of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and others who have moved to these shores only to keep the game close to their hearts.
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Further matches this week take place in Houston and Los Angeles. The organisers would have been tremendously encouraged by the events unfolding in New York.
The booming shrieks and roars whenever Tendulkar’s face graced the stadium TV screens were deafening. Even in retirement, the Little Master remains the largest of draws. Whether it will help the International Cricket Council achieve their alleged aim of helping the game grow in the United States however remains to be seen.
With the ICC desperate to extend the reach of the world’s second most popular sport, it’s perhaps a surprise they’ve waited this long to try their arm here.
As in the sub-continent, sports play an integral part of everyday American life. Yet with so much to watch, devour and play, whether there is room for another one is certainly up for debate. The message in the build-up was kept close to the script – and slightly mixed.
The idea that Sachin and his celebrity retired friends were in the US to help build a cricket structure which has been shattered by dishonesty from those who govern the United States of America Cricket Association remain fanciful. The ICC have suspended all funding for USACA following an investigation which revealed financial swindling of the highest order.
While there is a cricket culture here in New York, it’s predictably dominated by expats with swathes of Indians, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, Pakistani’s, West Indians and some Englishmen thrown in for good measure all playing regularly.
The United States recently failed to qualify for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.
Yet this well attended, well run event showcased cricket for the first time on US TV, gave those with no idea a taste of what all the fuss is about. The stands, however, were hardly packed full of interested, inquisitive Big Apple sports fans. Clinics with local children weren’t brimming with young Americans either.
Some extortionate ticket prices (the most expensive seats were $175) and the bad feeling over the USACA scandal had soured the experience for some. For the rest, however, especially the fervent Indian and Pakistan media cores and supporters, it was a day which they hope will soon come again.
A three year deal is in the pipeline, with locations like Singapore and Hong Kong hoping to join the party. America will want more too. The ICC are desperate to globalize the game. New fans equal new money. One day cricket might be booming but a look at some of the attendances at Test matches recently prove the authorities simply cannot rest on their laurels.
“The size of the country and the fact it is a busy market place is a challenge,” said Tim Anderson, the ICC head of global development. “But people are looking for change, they’re excited the ICC is keen for the game to progress in the USA.”
For the record, the match between Sachin’s Blasters and Warne’s Warriors was won by the Australian legend’s team, Ricky Ponting rolling back the years with a classy knock before Jonty Rhodes brilliantly reverse swept the winning six with 16 balls to spare.
“Hopefully we will get Americans watching and they can take similarities from baseball, “ said Ponting.
Time will tell. Yet no-one can doubt this first foray was worth all the effort.
