In USA, if you ask someone in the street what is cricket, he/she will reply it is an insect. Actually, the insect cricket looks like this.
In the last 20 years, there are many Indians migrated to USA. In some schools majority of the students are of Indian origin. For example, the high school in the city of Fremont in California. The same is true in my own city, Dublin, California. In these schools, the administration introduced the game of cricket for the benefit of the Indian origin students. Slowly and steadily, non-Indian students are also taking interest in playing cricket.
Why I am writing this?
If only Americans play cricket, they will be dominating the game in the world. The first step has already been taken with the help of Indian Women’s Premier League. Delhi Capitals recruited an American player. She is Tara Norris from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In their first match, Delhi Capitals crushed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 60 runs. Tara Norris was the player of the match (4-0-29-5).
I would bet within the next 25 years, USA will be world champions in all 3 forms of cricket – Test, ODI, and T20.
Go USA Go.
Tara Norris will no doubt be a permanent feature in WPL and in the coming years teams may vie with each other to buy her at higher prices. Her cricketing skill was honed in Sussex England and little wonder with her natural skill and American tenacity and stamina, she has started making a name for herself.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one swallow does not make a summer. Attempts have been going on to popularise cricket in USA but is yet to catch its fancy. If only Norris inspires more girls in US and Americans enter world cricket, i am sure before long it would be a formidable team internationally.
Thanks for your comments KP. Agreed.
DeleteNorris was born in US but left for Spain and then UK when she was 8. Not a product of anything happening in America cricket wise. The sport is by and large a south Asian diaspora sport. Unless it is played at the grassroots level like others, it will remain a niche sport. Unfortunately, the current thinking of USA Cricket is not helping matters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Anonymous. Norris may have left for Spain and moved to UK. It does not matter. Robin Singh was born in Trinidad and Tobago and set foot in India only at the age of 22. Indians still call him their own and he played for India. It does not matter where Norris lives. She still has a passport from the mighty U S of A.
DeleteIPL considers Norris as an American and that is why she was allowed to be in the Delhi Team as the 5th foreign player – USA being one the associate countries.
In USA, people from Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and other countries are settled. It's time for someone to start like T20 or ODI in USA. Not 25 years, within 2 or 3 years, USA will be dominating the world in cricket.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments seema. Hope your words come true soon.
DeleteWe need to wait for 25 years to see it. Anyway we Indians our die hard fans of cricket.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Coach.
DeleteCricket is played by a very few countries in the world.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the US excel in a sport like soccer which is almost universally played. If my memory serves me right I think they qualified the world cup once, not sure..
I can understand the excitement in baseball, but don't know how rugby / American football is so popular there...
Thanks for your comments Rajesh. I agree USA should go for a more popular game like soccer than cricket (played only by a few countries.). Just FYI. USA qualified for world cup 11 times in the past. Baseball being more popular in USA was 50 years ago. Now it is Football (that is American football).
DeleteCricket is pretty boring sport.
ReplyDeleteUSA must avoid playing this sport and get into boring times.
This is my feeling.
Thanks for your comments Kirtivasan. You have a point. You may remember what George Bernard Shaw said about cricket. "Cricket is a game played by 11 fools and watched by 11,000 fools."
DeleteWait! Cricket is a sport? You're kidding me. Never heard of it, son!
ReplyDeleteIf I throw the ball past the goalie, how many points do I get in each round?
Regards,
An American
Thanks for your comments An American. Are you the same guy who said long time in Delhi. Indian cricket team has been announced to play the West Indies. Vijay Amritraj is the goalie.
DeleteFirst let them prove in football and become world champions...cricket will take years. Surely not in this generation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments ashok.
DeleteBaseball etc other games are popular there.
ReplyDeleteCricket is taking over the interest of the world.
Wasn't aware that Tara Norris belongs to the USA. Now she plays for an Indian team :)
It's a small world.
World is a family- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
Thanks for your comments Anita.
DeleteI liked this post. I am sure USA will soon be a force to reckon with. You know what happened to hockey. Countries like Australia and England who were never good, are so good now in the game.
ReplyDeleteTara Norris took the first five-wicket haul in the Women's Premier League. I don't think she played in the final yesterday which Delhi lost.