On June 1, when the United States recorded a seven-wicket win over Canada in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the result was met with figuratively warm applause.
Five days later, their Super Over win over Pakistan caught the attention of cricket fans and pundits alike. It was a game-changing moment for Group A and the tournament.
The United States was still in the tournament and the favorite to qualify for the Super Eights when cricketing powerhouse India narrowly defeated them the following week in New York, and they later secured a spot in the Super Eights thanks to the cancellation of a match against Ireland.
Like most underdog stories, America’s progress was greeted with rapturous cheers around the world.
In some ways, it is fitting that the U.S. national team represents a multicultural nation defined by the story of immigrants chasing the mythical American Dream.
Some of the players were born in the United States.
Some players were born overseas, tasted domestic success in their home countries and dreamed of playing international cricket, but failed and almost gave up.
This group of cricketers have experience playing for India, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa and New Zealand.
The Australian coach joined the team two weeks before the tournament and led them to an unprecedented run, taking them past the first round of their first major international tournament, despite the most difficult of conditions.
But that’s not how the story began.
It started with a combination of timing, luck and shrewdness.
History is being made!!! 🇺🇸🔥🙌
first time, #TeamUSA Qualified for the Super 8 stage @ICC @T20 World Cup! 🤩✨
Congratulations, #TeamUSA! 🙌❤️ pic.twitter.com/tkquQhAVap
— USA Cricket (@usacricket) June 14, 2024
A motley group that took the world by storm
Soon after the United States Cricket Association (USAC) was granted One-Day International (ODI) status by the ICC in 2019, the waiting period for players to qualify for the associate member league was reduced from five years to three years.
USAC immediately began recruiting efforts to attract top talent from around the world.
Several players answered the call, while others were scouted from domestic competitions.
Former New Zealand star Corey Anderson, who has plenty of franchise T20 experience, is now eligible to play for the United States in 2023.
It was also the year Harmeet Singh joined the US national team. The Mumbai-raised all-rounder represented India in two ICC Under-19 World Cups and played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before being embroiled in a match-fixing scandal that was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. His career stalled, but Harmeet was not about to give up, so he moved to the US in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shayan Jahangir is a promising young batsman who grew up in Karachi and once represented Pakistan under-19. He played in the US domestic league during the Pakistan cricket off-season, before moving to Houston in 2018.
Former South African domestic cricket star Shadley van Schalkwyk was based in Seattle after failing to make it into the Proteas side despite taking almost 500 wickets and scoring over 4,000 runs in the domestic system.
Aaron Jones, America’s batting hero in previous tournaments, was born in Queens to Bahamian parents and represented Barbados until a few years ago.
Florida native Steven Taylor has been a key member of the U.S. team since 2019, but he also previously represented Jamaica.
Despite the diverse backgrounds of the players, manager Stuart Law, who was appointed in April and took over in May, is keen to stress that this is truly an American team.
“These kids came here from other parts of the world in search of a better life,” Law told Al Jazeera shortly after the US toured the Caribbean, where all of the Super Eight and knockout matches will be played.
“Whether it’s for their children’s education or their own education, not many people are here purely to play cricket.”
How to “Americanize” Cricket
Law said the players may have been lucky that their arrival in the United States coincided with the start of cricket in the US, but they were united in the cause of playing for the US team.
“We must try to ‘Americanize’ the whole of cricket in the United States,” he added.
“We need to play aggressive, engaging cricket so that the crowd feels at ease and think, ‘Those lads are ready to go.'”
The 55-year-old coach, who has led a number of international teams, said the US team’s motto of “fearless but intelligent cricket” suited most of the players.
“They’re always trying to improve. [they] Not only will they win but they will also succeed in bringing the spotlight on the game of cricket.
The players are not in awe of World Cup matches because of their personal experiences in other countries, as brilliantly demonstrated in their tense win over 2009 champions Pakistan.
Coach Low recounts one of several anecdotes about his players: “Before the World Cup, Shayan came to me and said, ‘Coach, we can beat Pakistan!’ That belief was passed on to each and every one of us and we showed it. That belief was there to perform under immense pressure in front of a packed house and screaming fans in Dallas.”
The former Australia cricketer said he was amazed by the team’s ability to remain “calm and collected” under pressure.
“They just turn up and play teams that, as some people think, don’t have the right to play in the same stadium as us, but we still find a way to get the job done.”
Lowe believes Anderson, a veteran of three World Cups for New Zealand, has played a key role in keeping his players calm on the pitch.
Law describes Monank Patel, who captained the side for the first two matches before suffering a shoulder injury, as a deep thinker, while Jones, who led the team against India, impressed Law with his calmness and candor. Both leaders are fiercely competitive.
Saurabh Netravalkar: From ‘rocket scientist’ to cult hero
The biggest cult hero so far has been Mumbai-born left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who defended 18 runs in the Super Over against Pakistan. Netravalkar’s heroics, combined with his day job as a principal engineer at tech company Oracle, sparked an online frenzy and made him an overnight hero.
Netravalkar played alongside Harmeet in the 2010 ICC Under-19 World Cup and was India’s highest wicket-taker in a tournament that also featured Australia trio Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa, as well as England’s Ben Stokes.
But by 2015, Netravalkar had given up hope of establishing himself at a senior level, packed his bags and decided to study computer science in New York.
Rowe calls Netravalkar a “rocket scientist” compared to the rest of his team.
“He’s very planned and disciplined, he plans things out in the net and then he asks questions.
“He doesn’t bowl as fast as other players but he has great technique to make it difficult for batsmen. His performance in that Super Over was [against Pakistan] It was fantastic.”
The U.S. coach revealed that the 32-year-old came up to him after the match and said, “Coach, thank you so much for believing in me.”
“I said, ‘I knew you could do it. You show it at the net all the time, you show it up the middle. It was a no-brainer.'”
The U.S. players are all between 29 and 36 years old, still young in international cricket – players who have been waiting for their lucky break or gotten a second chance – and Law believes we will see more American cult heroes emerge on the Super Eight stage.
“The same with Ali Khan. He’s got speed, firepower and passion,” Law reveals.
“Look at Harmeet Singh. He’s a warrior on the field. Skillful with the bat and ball.”
The experienced coach says the brotherhood under the American flag will be putting up a tough fight in the remaining tournaments.
“We’re not going to go down without a fight.”
