Last Updated on 9 months by Charbel Coorey
Cricket in the United States of America (USA) is growing in popularity. The USA team’s excellent performances in the T20 World Cup have added to the increased awareness of the sport in the country, but the groundwork has already been laid.
According to USA Cricket, America is home to more than 400 leagues with over 200,000 players competing. These leagues range from grassroot school programs to academies.
“Cricket is currently being played by over 200,000 players in the United States,” reads the statement.
“These players participate in competitions in the more than 400 local leagues, tournaments, academies, college and school programs across the United States. There are various formats of the game including: hardball, tapeball, softball, disabled and indoor to name a few.”
Cricket growing in popularity in the USA at grassroot level
The key for further growth is encouraging young people to take up the sport. In an interview with CBS News, Sham Chotoo, a cricket coach in the USA, aims to share the joys of the game after moving to America from Trinidad and Tobago three decades ago.
Chotoo started a cricket progam to encourage children to play. The program became the first elementary school cricket league in the USA.
Now, the program has over 1,000 children playing cricket across 86 teams.
“Back then [30 years ago], it was mainly the immigrant population playing cricket,” Chotoo said. “It was a fun way to get together.”
“And I said, well, why don’t I start a cricket program here?”
13-year-old Jordyn Hinkle-Walker is one of cricket’s advocates, according to Chotoo. “When I first started playing, my mother was like, ‘girl what are you doing?'” said Hinkle-Walker.
She, as as well as other students, love the sport.
“It was crazy,” Chotoo said. “You see they would get so excited, and you see their whole faces would light up.”
USA on the brink of qualifying to the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup
The Florida rainfall is likely to see the USA qualify to the Super Eights. It is a remarkable situation given powerhouses India and Pakistan are in their group.
The victory over Pakistan got Americans talking about cricket. And given its growing popularity, one feels it will only become more popular in the coming years.
