USA Cricket T20 World Cup: Crafting a Blueprint for Associate Nations Success

The 2024 T20 World Cup has thrown up plenty of surprises already. However, no bigger than the USA Cricket Team qualifying for the Super 8s. This was not on many cricket pundits’ bucket list before the start of the tournament.

First a convincing victory over Canada, and then sending shockwaves in the whole of Pakistan – the USA cricket team made their presence felt. The Super Over win against Pakistan has put them on the cricket world map. Now, fans not only know that US cricket exists but players like Saurabh Netravalkar, Aaron Jones, and Nosthush Kenjige have become overnight stars.

The US Cricket team’s journey has been impressive so far, and inspiring for some. However, the question now beckons, how seriously should one take the USA’s success in cricket?

Fluke or Fantastic – Team USA journey in T20 WC?

Two wins, one loss, and one abandoned match – this was enough for the USA cricket team to make it to Super 8s. There is a frenzy on social media, with everyone talking about the dream American run. Some are even calling them world-beaters, others giant killers. But wait, isn’t this too early for a team making its T20 World Cup debut?

USA head coach Stuart Law, an accomplished batter for Australia during his time, promised fans a few upsets. Their team delivered it in only their second game against Pakistan. This US victory turned the tournament on its head.

Against India, the co-hosts competed with a lot of heart but fell short by 7 wickets. A washout against Ireland sealed a Super 8 spot for the US. Their progression was welcomed with open arms, by the cricket fraternity. Even the cricketers would agree that their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign has been a mix of courage, luck, and timing.

The USA cricket team’s progression to Super 8s also means that they have now qualified automatically for the 2026 T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka.

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Now, comes the testing times. Cricket, in particular the ICC tournaments has witnessed upsets in the past. However, there are very few associate nations that have managed to show consistent upward progression.

To name a few, Kenya made it to the 2003 Men’s ODI World Cup semifinals, and Ireland came up with a few upsets in the 2007 edition. The Netherlands stunned England in the 2009 T20 World Cup but is now nowhere. Similar is the case with associate nations like Namibia, Oman, Hong Kong, and Scotland. All these teams have registered upsets, but have never gone on to become a strong force to reckon with.

To an extent, Afghanistan is the sole associate nation, whose progression in white-ball cricket has been a commendable one.

USA Cricket – What can they do differently?

The biggest positive for the US cricketers is that they are in a land of opportunities. They have resources at their disposal, way better than their associate nation counterparts. Success often brings financial rewards. Enhanced funding can improve facilities, coaching, and developmental programs.

However, cricket’s progression in the States has been slow and painful, to say the least. The US Cricket Team was first formally organized under the USA Cricket Association in 1965.

It took the US Cricket team 39 long years to play their first international match coming against New Zealand in 2004 in London. After just one more match in 2006, the ICC expelled the USACA in 2017 due to financing and governing issues.

A couple of years later (2019), the United States Cricket Team under the USA Cricket (USAC) was admitted to the ICC, as an associate member. After five years, the USA defeated Bangladesh to register their maiden bilateral T20I series win against a full-time ICC member.

There have been plenty of failed experiments with some good teams in the past. The one area, where the USA scores is the quality of players at their disposal. In 2019, USA Cricket started scouting for talent across the globe.

USA Cricket Team – The Core Players

• All-rounder Corey Anderson for example has already played three T20 World Cups for New Zealand. After his playing days with the Kiwis were over, he shifted base to the US. In 2023, he became eligible to play for the USA.
• Spinner Harmeet Singh moved to the US during the pandemic. He had already represented India at the U19 World Cup and also played in the IPL. A fixing scandal ended his dream of playing for India, and he decided to start a new chapter with the States.
• Shayan Jahangir represented Pakistan at the U19 level. What started as plying his trade in cricket leagues in the US, resulted him in moving to Houston in 2018.
• South African-born Shadley van Schalkwyk did his best to play for the Proteas. He’s a veteran in the domestic circuit with over 4000 runs and 500 wickets to his name. He switched citizenships and also made his T20 debut for the USA in early 2024.
• Star batter Aaron Jones has his roots in Queens, New York, but has also represented Barbados. To keep his cricket passion alive, and play international cricket at the highest level, Jones moved to the US and has never looked back.
• Steven Taylor, one more cricketer with Caribbean roots, is representing the USA as its opening batter.
• USA’s cult hero Saurabh Netravalkar hails from Mumbai, India. He is a principal engineer with Oracle and plays cricket for the USA. He represented India at the 2010 U19 World Cup and was the Blues leading wicket-taker.

Head coach Law is confident that having players from different origins, and countries has helped the USA team play as one.

“We have got to try and ‘Americanfy’ the whole cricket thing here in the States. We need to play aggressive, attractive-looking cricket to make sure that people sit back and go: You know what, these kids are up for a fight,” Law told to Aljazeera.

According to the head coach Stuart Law, the team has the potential to do some damage in the Super 8s as well. In one way or the other, the success of the USA Cricket Team holds significant implications for the future of Associate nations moving forward.

How far can the USA go in the T20 World Cup?

The answer to that question is anything can happen. Like the USA cricket team has shown in the Group stage already.

Now, that they are here in the quarterfinals, the pressure of expectations would increase from here on. The US takes on South Africa at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. The West Indies and England are waiting next. It would be interesting to see Team USA’s tactics, now that the spotlight is on them.

Will they crumble or rise like a phoenix and prove that their Group Stage success was no fluke?

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