The T20 World Cup is on Another Level in the U.S.
Edition #98
Few Notes:
As you can see above, we’re only 8 editions away from hitting Edition #100! I'm planning to do something really special on that day. As a result for me getting that ready, you might see less frequent posts for the next 2 weeks or so.
Also, I'm extremely sorry for the lack of NFL content right now. I'm trying to just cover the NBA Finals and the MLB season right now. As we get to the preseason, I promise I will start writing a bit more about the NFL.
About the NHL… I just don't think I can make a long post on that. I'm not a big hockey guy. It's not that I’m not trying… I just can't write about it… Unless, I get a specialized NHL writer, you're probably not going to see any major hockey stuff on this newsletter. If you're a huge fan of hockey and would like to help write content, please contact me at sportssquareauthor@gmail.com.
INTRO:
One half of the world is minding their own business. The other half is pretty jolly. That other half includes the United States of America.
Cricket has never been america’s sport (that’s why we have baseball), but suddenly, interest and the american cricket team has picked up. The USA team has made it to the next round! On the other hand, Uganda is being trashed by their opponents including scoring only 39 runs in 12 overs before getting all out.
Let’s venture through this whole thing.
The T20 World Cup:
It has been very special for many teams. Mostly for the U.S because they made it to the next round of the tournament.
There are 4 groups in this round robin stage. The top 2 in each group advance to the next round. Australia has already clinched a berth to the Super 8. They have the easiest division with Scotland, Namibia, England1 and Oman being the other teams.
But, I have a very big question.
Why does the U.S. need baseball? I’m going to refer to the U.S. as we.
Look, we already have baseball. It’s our bat and ball sport. I know many of the people here don’t even care about cricket as they say it’s a stupid sport. I mean, bouncing the ball (I don’t say this…)?
Yes, there are many cricket leagues around the U.S. It’s there, but it’s a minority. It’s not supposed to be big. Heck, the captain of the USA team, Saurabh Netravalkar works at Oracle! He’s a part-time cricketer and a software engineer. You don’t see a part-time sports player ever in the United States of America.
There are 4 big sports in the U.S. Baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. USA Cricket says that they’re going to make it a Big 5 by 2030. Do you think it’s possible?
For decades, cricket didn’t care. In 1926, the ICC (then known as the Imperial Cricket Conference), the British-led global governing body for cricket, voted to confine its membership to countries within the empire and, later, the Commonwealth. As a result, Americans who competed in high-level matches were now officially excluded from them. American cricket retreated to tony private clubs and cemented the sport’s elitist image.
Americans didn’t care, either. In the mid-20th century, television turned football and baseball into national passions. Youth and college sports grew in parallel with them, providing talented young athletes with a well-defined pipeline from amateur status to moneymaker. Just as important, that pipeline developed lifelong, devoted fans. As a result, the “Big Four” sports — baseball, basketball, football, and hockey — are firmly anchored in American culture and the economy.
Just so you know, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen created a league called Major League Cricket which debuted last year. What they’re trying to do is make it like the MLS.
The MLS was created in 1993 all because the US wanted to host the 1994 World Cup. It advertised the game and gained many players. That’s the same thing happening with Major League Cricket. It began in 2023 and the 2024 T20 World Cup is a year after. We don’t know if that could really happen because soccer was a bit bigger than cricket.
Regardless, if you’re in the area and looking to go to a cricket game, but on a budget. Take a trip to the West Indies. DO NOT GO TO A GAME IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. YOU ARE SUBJECT TO LOSS.
The Boom
Two countries that are giant cricket rivals and geopolitical rivals faced off against each other. Those two countries were India and Pakistan.
Yes, it happened in the U.S., and it for sure brought in more than an Oakland Athletics game as 34,000 people squeezed into a 34,000 seat stadium (Nassau County Stadium) that’s set to be dismantled (the pitch was nasty).
“It was electric,” said Chandu Talla, an India fan and entrepreneur from Tampa, Fla., who came to the match with his son Aryan, a high school junior. “We paid $2,500 per ticket and no regrets,” he added. “It was a dream come true to see India here.”
There weren’t just fans in the stadium. There were legends and the Yankees special advisor.
“It’s amazing,” Omar Minaya said. “The atmosphere is great. It’s like the World Baseball Classic, or the Dominican Baseball League.”
If you can’t see the amount of blue in that picture, check it out here.
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed this one and I’ll see ya later.
England hasn’t been very good this season and has never been good facing Australia as they only have 158 wins whereas Australia has 253 wins.
I'm an indian fan and i know we are not winning the cup