Charging forward with a leather ball in hand, ready to make cricket history, was a software engineer out of work.
Seconds later, Saurabh Netravalkar’s arms were raised toward the sky under the sultry Texas sun.
The tall left-arm pace bowler led the 18th-ranked underdog team to an extra-time victory (known as a super over in the sport’s shortened version) against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on Thursday, giving Team USA a historic win.
When the Indian immigrant came to the US in 2015 to pursue a master’s degree in computer engineering at the prestigious Cornell University, he didn’t even bring his cricket shoes.
- author, Brandon Livesay
- role, BBC News, New York
Team USA is made up of people like Netravalkar, whose LinkedIn account currently lists him as “key technical staff at Oracle, professional cricketer.”
Teammate Nostash Kendzige completed 800 hours of community service to be eligible to play for the United States.
Now they are local heroes, with Team USA sitting atop their World Cup group ahead of tournament favorites India and sixth-placed Pakistan.
For U.S. cricket team coach Kirk Higgins, this is the first step towards a breakthrough at the World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with the West Indies, with his goal being to advance out of the group stage and into the Super Eights.
Speaking to the BBC just minutes after the historic match, Higgins said the blistering win hadn’t really sunk in yet and that “the energy is massive”.
“I’ve always said we can beat the top countries and I’ve been watching the players play over the last month or so and for me it’s not a surprise at all,” he said.
Most Americans were unaware that the Cricket World Cup was even being held in their country and were unaware of the magnitude of their team’s victory.
US player Aaron Jones told the BBC that the “really big” win would be an “eye-opener” for Americans who don’t follow the sport.
And that is also the hope of the International Cricket Council (ICC) as it seeks to gain a foothold in the world’s largest sports market, where fans are more accustomed to the Super Bowl than the Super Over.
Ricky Kissoon, a school teacher who helps run the New York Big Apple Cricket League, said the US win over Pakistan was a “big thing” that would inspire the next generation to take up the sport.
“I’ve seen a lot of young players come through the school system and then once school cricket is over they don’t have the opportunity to play,” he told the BBC.
The league has grown from eight teams last season to nine.
“Especially now with the World Cup going on, a lot of kids are excited,” he said.
Kissoon said cricket was slowly growing in New York, especially in the “melting pot” of expat communities who miss being able to play the sport they love.
“It’s on the rise. It may not be a lot of mainstream Americans, but it’s trickling in. It’s a win,” he said.
Image source, New York Cricket Academy
But the battle for Americans’ hearts (and wallets) is nothing compared to the impact that the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States had on the country’s soccer scene.
Fans on social media have complained that Cricket World Cup matches in the US aren’t being shown on mainstream broadcasters, and big games like India vs Pakistan in New York this weekend are shown in the morning (in India it’s primetime TV in the evening).
These two arch rivals rarely meet due to diplomatic tensions, but when they do it’s a highly anticipated match.
The 2011 World Cup semi-final was watched by more than 400 million people. By comparison, the most recent Super Bowl had a global television audience of around 250 million.
Ali Zahr, owner of Zahr Sports, one of the few cricket equipment stores in New York, said Sunday’s match between India and Pakistan at the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium outside New York City is the match people are waiting to see.
“You can’t explain the India versus Pakistan rivalry. It’s a class of its own. It’s on another level,” he told the BBC.
“If Pakistan wins and India loses, people will smash their TVs. If India wins and Pakistan loses, people in both countries will be very upset for a few days and will start smashing TVs.”
On the ticket resale market, the cheapest tickets for Sunday’s match are going for about $830 each. On the ICC website, the cheapest tickets available are listed at $2,500.
Saar believes having these iconic World Cup matches in America will “plant a seed” for future generations.
“A lot of Americans come (to his pop-up merchandise store) and ask us about sports. They know the World Cup is on and they ask us, ‘What is cricket?'” he said.
“I was born in Pakistan so I know about the sport. My kids were born here and other kids are born here. They’re starting to ask questions about the sport… they’re interested.”
