The upcoming T20 World Cup in the United States is poised to ignite a surge in cricket awareness within the country. However, it is the allure of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics that is expected to truly captivate local Americans and propel the sport beyond its current expat-dominated status, according to USA Cricket chairman Venu Pisike.
The United States, co-hosting the event with the West Indies, will make its World Cup debut against Canada on June 1. The team primarily comprises semi-professional cricketers of South Asian heritage, with former New Zealand star Corey Anderson also representing his adopted homeland. Former Indian first-class cricketer Milind Kumar and ex-India U-19 player Harmeet Singh are also part of the squad.
Pisike acknowledges the challenges in popularizing cricket in the US, where it has largely been confined to expat communities. “With the marketing and promotion activities during the World Cup, there is some momentum, and the event will definitely boost opportunities to expand the game,” he said.
However, it is the prospect of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics that Pisike believes will have a transformative impact. “The Olympics is the prime area where all sports bodies are focusing on. That will actually give more opportunities to expand the sport between the World Cup and the Olympics.”
The World Cup will be played across three venues in the US, with the spotlight on the makeshift stadium in New York, where India and Pakistan will face off on June 9. The stadium, with a capacity of 34,000, is expected to be ready within a week, according to Pisike. “The pitches were recently brought in and dropped into the stadium. We are expecting decent pitches in terms of striking a balance between the bat and ball,” he said.
Post-World Cup, Pisike is seeking the assistance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for training and exposure opportunities for his players. “We have sent our men’s team to Karnataka before they participated in the CWC qualifiers in 2022. There was some alliance with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and Andhra Cricket Association to send our under-19 boys before the World Cup in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Governance issues have plagued cricket in the US in the past, but Pisike assures that the current regime is fully compliant. “The governance will be streamlined with the opportunity to become an Olympic National Governing Body because the US Olympics requires certain guidelines to be followed and certain policies to be adopted,” he said.
