“Cricket? Um, is it a team sport?” asked a somewhat confused Uber driver as he drove a passenger to Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas on Saturday.
If the driver had been one of the curious American-born spectators who ventured inside to witness the country’s first-ever T20 World Cup match, a crushing seven-wicket victory over Canada, he would have known the answer.
It’s a team game, to be sure, but in its shortest form it’s also a game won or lost largely on individual talent.
It was Aaron Jones who recorded America’s first victory in front of a rapturous 7,000 capacity crowd at the dedicated home of Major League Cricket.
Jones finished with a scoreless 94 off 40 balls, with 14 boundaries, 10 of which were sixes, and the stadium’s PA blasted Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” after the big hit, transforming what was meant to be a very low-key American debut in elite cricket into a spectacular celebration.
“Especially in America, it’s not a cricketing country. I wanted to win the first match of the tournament for the fans and we did that,” a smiling Jones said after the match.
The U.S. must now prepare for a bigger test of its prowess in the sport’s top class on Thursday when it takes on Pakistan at the same venue.
– Converting Americans? –
But the tournament has a bigger meaning for its co-organizers: While they downplay the attempt to turn American sports fans to the old-fashioned way of enjoying the game, part of the whole idea of holding the biennial tournament in the United States is to establish a firmer footing for the sport here.
Two things were notable about the crowd in Grand Prairie: As expected, the majority of the crowd was from Texas’ Native American community, but as they demonstrated throughout the game, they were fervent supporters of the team representing their adopted state of Texas.
Jones, who was born in New York but raised in Barbados, was greeted with thunderous cheers for each of his six runs, and his final, game-winning six-run hit sparked wild celebrations in the stands.
The second factor was that among the Indian fans there was a sprinkling of local Americans who were more or less fascinated by the sport.
Sean Fortner, who drove three hours from Houston with family and friends, said it was his first time watching the game but that he has watched many games on television since studying Indian society and culture in college.
“I watched it for a long time, trying to understand everything,” he told AFP. “Finally one of my Indian friends explained all the rules to me and I was totally hooked.”
Fortner even created a seven-minute instructional video to share with those he was traveling with before heading to the game.
Another first-time Texas fan, Dallas native Ryan Uebl, was also attending his first game.
“I really got into it during the ODI World Cup in India. I worked with a bunch of people from India and they were all really into it so I watched a bit of it. Tickets weren’t too expensive and now I’m here,” he said.
Ubru is a baseball fan and knows there are limitations to cricket’s development in the United States, but sees a future beyond this tournament.
“Obviously, I don’t think basketball will ever surpass baseball, but it could carve out its own little niche,” he said.
Fortner agrees, though he knows the sport is still a long way from mainstream.
“When you see how hard it was for soccer to get a foothold here when half the people here already love it, it’s a tough mountain to overcome. But soccer can catch on. We know the fandom and we have the loyalty,” he said.
“You’re not going to get a lot of fans, but you’re going to get a loyal following,” he said.
Jones was understandably not in the mood for careful consideration, with the excitement of his fine innings still lingering and with matches against Pakistan and top-ranked India looming.
His accent may have been Bahamian, but his manner and speech were thoroughly American.
“We want to play fearless cricket. We want to play hard cricket. We want to play smart cricket and we will go into the match against Pakistan with the same mindset. We want to play fearless cricket no matter who the opponent is,” he said.
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