As the World Cup continues, there have been some shocks. However, probably the most noteworthy is the upset of co-host America defeating Pakistan by a Super Over . It was initially a tie and was forced into a super over. The U.S. batted first and scored 18/0 and Pakistan replied with 13/1. Since then, the sport has started to become a craze.
Cricket in the the U.S. isn't as popular as in other cricketing nations. This result has brought massive media hype for the country. U.S. captain, Monank Patel, said, "Beating Pakistan in the World Cup is going to open many doors for us." The match took place in Texas, where the game took place in a converted minor league baseball park.
Former New Zealand, now U.S. player, Corey Anderson, said, "It’s probably shocked the cricketing world,” said the 33-year-old who has an American wife and kids. “I know definitely here in the US it’s been a lot of media coverage, which is fantastic. I think USA Cricket is just not that well known within America, and I think we put ourselves a little bit more on the map.”
This result has gone a small way in making the sport a landmark in the country. The U.S. victory over Pakistan is exactly what global cricket chiefs hoped for when bringing some of this year’s T20 World Cup to the United States. Today (9 June), New York will be host to a heated rivalry match between India and Pakistan.
In the biggest game ever on US soil, more than 30,000 fans will pack into towering bleachers in a temporary stadium that materialised out of nowhere in a Long Island, New York, park to watch India play Pakistan. Tickets are selling for $700 on the secondary market. The global TV audience could at least double the 124 million who tuned into the Super Bowl this year.
American journalist, Peter Della Penna, was shocked by the infrastructure. He said, "They had a recreational cricket field, but it was basically just a community park. To see what was there when I got there was quite extraordinary. Talking to the residents and the community, they are taken aback.”
America’s most famous cricket victory on Thursday tells a story about the changing demographic mix in America. Cricket’s new Field of Dreams in Nassau County is a testament to a dynamic and highly educated South Asian community that is becoming increasingly prosperous and connected in U.S. business and society and politically more important.
Simon Chadwick, a professor specialising in the geopolitical economy of sport at SKEMA, a global business school, said, "The diaspora is sizable, and they clearly have connections to (India) … the most populous nation in the world. You’ve got a large diaspora, a large country. You’ve got a sport that has proved to be commercially incredibly successful. You got have investors, not just from the United States or from the Gulf region, hungry for potential commercial opportunities and willing to take a punt.”
It's all this that the path for revolution is taking place. The T20 World Cup games in the United States is also a reflection on one of the most dynamic new realities in the multi-billion-dollar market of global sports. This is the shift in power away from traditional sports administrators and marketplaces like the United Kingdom and Europe to rising countries in the Middle East and South Asia.
The game wasn't even broadcast on American television but was, instead, only shown on the cricket-specialist Willow TV subscription channel and streaming service. However, online and in social media, American sports fans quickly became aware of their team's achievement.
NPR public radio tried to put the win into context for those not familiar with the sport. "Team USA just beat Pakistan in Super Over, the baseball equivalent is extra innings.
Just to put this into an American sports context, Pakistan losing to the US is like the Boston Red Sox losing to the Durham Bulls," they added, referring to the minor league baseball team from North Carolina.
Outside of the USA, though, there's no need for analogies. The UK's Times called it "one of the biggest upsets in cricket history" while Australia's Daily Telegraph said the Americans had "stunned world cricket".
The sport has a curious history in North America - the first ever international match featured the U.S. against Canada in 1844 but the lingering influence of the colonial-era game faded as baseball gained prominence.
Cricket was spread around the globe by colonialists at a time when the sun never used to set on the British Empire. It’s still most popular in nations the British used to rule, like: India; Pakistan; Sri Lanka; South Africa; New Zealand and Australia. Its premier international contest is the Ashes, a five match Test series between England and Australia that dates back to 1877 and takes place twice every four years, once in each nation.
The balance of power in cricket has now shifted to India because of it's massive television market and the emerging middle class in a nation with a billion people. The Indian Premier League, an annual T20 tournament that draws the world’s top players with huge salaries, is transforming the game in a way that alienates many traditionalists and has spawned a series of spin-off franchise leagues — including the fledging Major League Cricket in the U.S. that debuted last year with games in Texas and North Carolina.
Indian cricketers, especially the batting legend Virat Kohli, are megastars back home and the strong viewership of the IPL among US fans built a rationale to bring World Cup games to America.
It's all this excitement in the world of cricket that makes it sad that most people have zero interest in the sport. I can only hope that this 'revolution' will attract a larger audience to want to watch and/or follow the sport. I must admit that I was thrilled with the result. It's always nice to see an underdog defeat a giant and a heavy hitter.