In 2010, the US was playing in Division Five of the World Cricket League (WCL). Fast forward to 2024, and they became the biggest surprise of the T20 World Cup 2024. As co-hosts, they made history by shocking Pakistan in the group phase and advancing to the Super Eight, where they would compete against South Africa, England, and fellow hosts the West Indies for a semi-final spot. Here’s a brief history of the ups and downs of US cricket over the last two decades:
2004
The USA’s first appearance in top-level cricket was the 2004 Champions Trophy, having qualified by winning the ICC Six Nations Challenge, which featured teams such as Scotland, Namibia, Netherlands, UAE and Canada. A key player in their Six Nations success was former West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert, who was the tournament’s top run-scorer.
2007
The Central Broward Stadium was built in Lauderhill, Florida. In March of that year, the ICC suspended the USA Cricket Association until early 2008 due to disputes within the board over rules.
2010
The United States entered the T20 World Cup qualifiers with a win over Scotland in the opening match, but lost to Afghanistan and Ireland before being eliminated.
The year also marked the first time the United States hosted a T20I, with a two-match T20 World Cup qualifier series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand ending in a 1-1 draw.
2012 -2015
The United States did not participate in the T20 World Cups in 2012, 2014 or 2016, failing to advance beyond the qualifying stages for each tournament.
2015
The ICC has again suspended USACA after voicing “serious concerns about the organisation’s governance, finances, reputation and cricket operations”. The ICC has also suspended its funding.
Later that year, the Cricket All-Stars came to America to pit Sachin Tendulkar’s Masters against Shane Warne’s Warriors in a three-match series, with matches taking place in baseball stadiums in New York, Houston and Los Angeles.
This was also the first time an American player was selected for the Caribbean Premier League, as Steven Taylor was named to the Barbados Tridents team.
2017
The ICC again expelled USACA and the team was temporarily overseen by ICC Americas. Later that year, USACA was replaced by USA Cricket, the new governing body for domestic cricket.
2018
After defeating Singapore in the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division 3 final, the United States was promoted to Division 2 for the first time.
2019
The ICC lifted the ban on the United States in January and granted them associate membership. In April, the United States played in the third-place playoff against Papua New Guinea in Division 2 of the ICC World Cricket League for the first time in 15 years. In that tournament, a century by former West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall earned the United States its first ODI qualification. The United States finished third in the WCL Division 2 points table. Soon after, the United States’ first T20I against the UAE was cancelled. In August of the same year, the United States’ first T20I victory was against the Cayman Islands.
Another major project was launched in 2019 when talks began for a new franchise tournament (Major League Cricket). Sameer Mehta, co-founder of American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), acquired the rights to own and operate the league in the United States. The tournament was initially scheduled to start in 2021 but was postponed to 2023 due to COVID-19.
2020
ACE acquired a 15-year lease on AirHogs Stadium, a 6,000-seat facility for minor league baseball and soccer in Grand Prairie, Texas, just outside Dallas. The United States Cricket Association stepped up its search for foreign players suitable for ODI status, acquiring a number of players, including New Zealand’s Corey Anderson and South Africa’s Rusty Theron and Dayne Piet.
2021
The USA achieved a historic T20I win against Ireland, their first ever victory over a full member nation.
2023
Major League Cricket (MLC) has finally launched, with Mumbai NY, a franchise owned by Mukesh Ambani, who also owns the IPL’s Mumbai Indians, winning the inaugural tournament by defeating Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Seattle Orcas in the final. Nadella, Ross Perot Jr. (billionaire businessman and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks), and the owners of four IPL teams (MI, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Delhi Capitals) were among the investors who pumped $120 million into the MLC.
2024
In the lead up to the T20 World Cup, the United States beat Bangladesh 2-1 in a three-match series in Dallas, their first series win against a full member nation.
They then beat arch rivals Canada in the opening match of the T20 World Cup and stunned Pakistan in the Super Over to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
