T20 — An American dream

Imagine Kobe Bryant, watching a game of cricket, breaking out in applause at a beautiful cover drive or a sharp in-swinging delivery that rattles the furniture!

Sounds impossible? It's more likely than you think. Cricket could be the next big thing in the land of MLS and NBA.

US, currently taking part in the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in Abu Dhabi, are a ready market for the shorter version of the game, feel insiders and those involved with the game in America.

The American team, a motley yet ambitious crew of Indian, Pakistani and West Indian expatriates, is keen on making it to the big league by qualifying for the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

Led by Steve Massiah, they are busy playing the World T20 Qualifiers in Abu Dhabi and have already delivered a mini shock by defeating fancied Scotland by six wickets in their opening match. Though they lost their second encounter against a much-stronger Ireland on Wednesday yet coach Clayton Lambert and his men have provided enough evidence that given more opportunities and exposure, there is no reason why US won't be able to make a breakthrough.

But that is only a part of the story. For a country which cannot seemingly look beyond its traditional sports, cricket faces a stubborn resistance, as would any other new sport in any other country.

And it couldn’t have helped that cricket has at least three official formats with three different sets of rules unlike say...tennis or football. USACA is very clear that it is the T20 format which has the potential for growth in the country. “It has close resemblance with a three-hour baseball game and realistically, that's the only format that's ever going to work in the US,” Don Lockerbie, CEO of USACA, told DNA over the phone on Wednesday.

“It’s fast-paced, action-packed and viewer friendly...It can be readily exploited in an untapped market. Moreover, it’s easy to watch due to its shorter duration and can be packaged during the prime time,” Lockerbie felt.

Despite its growing stature, cricket is largely followed by the expat population, more specifically in the New York region. The game has over 20 million audiences in the US already.

Lockerbie knows that to achieve his vision — to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand — USACA has to make cricket an inclusive sport, not just for the expats.

As a first step, the Board has put forward its Destination USA programme, by which it wants to attract matches in 2010-2012 with full members. The focus is mainly on exhibition T20 games.
Domestically, Lockerbie has revamped the structure. More than 30 colleges have now instituted cricket as part of its curriculum.
USACA has also entered into a tie-up with New Zealand Cricket. Exchange of coaches and players are part of the contract and former Black Caps' spinner Dipak Patel is now the consulting coach for their Under-19 team.