David Miller
When the ICC announced in November 2021 that this year’s T20 World Cup would be held in the West Indies and the United States (nations not known for their cricketing traditions), many fans like me were intrigued to see what would happen with this increasingly forgettable tournament. With the cricket schedule already saturated with an increasing number of domestic leagues and international tournaments, it’s understandable that fans wouldn’t be all that excited about the fourth Cricket World Cup in just four years. But there are a lot of elements to this edition that got me excited. First, the 20-nation format will see countries like Canada and Oman take on cricketing powerhouses India and Australia, who usually only play 10 countries in a tournament equivalent to an ODI. Then there are the venues. The matches will be held in seven different West Indies nations, as well as Dallas, Florida and New York.
However, as mentioned above, the United States lacked the cricketing prowess of the West Indies, and many were concerned that this would lead to a difference in the quality of the playing fields and stadiums. Some feared that the ICC’s location choice would backfire, as American grass fields would have to be imported from overseas and host cities did not have cricket-standard stadiums.
Some feared the ICC’s choice of venue could backfire because American grass pitches would have to be imported from overseas.
So have the skeptics been proven right? There is little evidence to suggest otherwise. Many locals in the United States barely know that the tournament is taking place, and the audience is largely limited beyond cricket-crazed South Asian expats. Organizers took a gamble by hosting the highly anticipated India vs. Pakistan match, the biggest match of the tournament after the final, at the newly built Nassau County Stadium in New York. Tickets are reselling for over $5,000, and while there is clearly interest from existing fans, it’s a shame that only a handful of locals know about a match that will have more than a billion people glued to the edge of their seats on the other side of the world. Moreover, there are fears that the game’s biggest names, like Virat Kohli, won’t be able to fully demonstrate their skills on a pitch that is attracting attention for a variety of reasons.
Tickets sold for over $5,000.
First, it must be grown in Australia, shipped to Florida for cultivation, and then dropped at the $32 million New York venue. Not to mention the environmental concerns of this method, such a complicated process also raises concerns over the quality of the pitch. Areas of grass suitable for baseball make for a slower outfield, and the wicket itself also exhibits a two-pace nature, with widely differing degrees of bounce. Pundits have worried about the safety of batsmen, and matches played on this surface so far have lacked excitement, with both teams batting first in New York dismissed for under 100. The ICC has openly admitted that the pitch “has not performed as consistently as we would have all hoped,” but maintains that an alternative venue is not needed in case the quality deteriorates further. Add to this the fact that some matches were rained out early on during the event’s group stage period, and the tournament got off to an uneasy start.
But the hosts can take solace in the results so far: USA’s win over Pakistan in a tense Super Over has left Group A wide open, and Scotland’s impressive display against England in a rain-affected victory in Barbados will give them hope that the tournament’s weaker teams can create some drama in what is likely to be a very drab tournament.
Will the ICC’s American Dream come to fruition? Or will America just be a niche pub quiz answer for sports fans in a few years’ time? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.
Image: Times of India, via Wikimedia Commons
