New Delhi: When the USA hosted the T20 World Cup, people were wondering that a country obsessed with baseball, Michael Jordan and NFL, do the Americans even have a cricket team. However, after thrashing Canada and defeating Pakistan, Team America has definitely managed to generate interest in their countrymen towards their fabulous performance.
As things stand currently, the USA has a realistic chance to qualify for the Super 8 with two games remaining. But the question is who are these unsung heroes of American cricket? Well, in the first game, if it was a Barbadian-origin dynamic hitter Aron Jones, in the second game it was an Indian left-arm seamer, Saurabh Netravalkar. Netravalkar’s story has been the talk of the town especially the efficient way in which he juggles both his tech job and his cricketing dreams.
What an incredible match! And what better way to spend the evening than watching cricket with friends – cheering on both the 🇺🇸 & 🇵🇰.
It’s great to see more & more Americans getting excited about cricket.
Congrats to @usacricket! And best of luck to @TheRealPCB in your next… pic.twitter.com/DFybfujE77
— U.S. Consulate General Lahore (@USCGLahore) June 7, 2024
Overall it is a team led by Indian origin, Barbadian Origin and Pakistani-origin players who are just here to play and enjoy. Above all, there is a leader in the form of Monank Patel who is leading the team from the front. America’s cricketing success has also triggered a domino effect in the entire media geography.
USA a potential market in the West?
After immense success, the question that comes next is whether cricket has a future in America. So far, things have not swung in favour of the game. However, things have changed significantly in the last couple of games. “Sports Center“, a leading news agency in the country was seen covering USA’s stunning win in Dallas.
A STUNNER AT THE ICC MEN’S T20 CRICKET WORLD CUP!
The USA has upset international powerhouse Pakistan 😮 pic.twitter.com/eh0jUA7ojW
— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2024
Likewise, ESPN and Bleacher Report, two of the biggest media conglomerates of the USA have also celebrated the “grand American” success. Furthermore, the USA Men’s National Soccer Team also congratulated the men’s cricket team’s effort in the ongoing World Cup. USA’s story of rags to riches has been an inspiration for all the cricket-playing nations out there that with perseverance and belief, one can achieve the unthinkable like the Americans have done.