Global cricket set for its biggest stage yet with ambition to break America

SWhile the Men’s T20 World Cup, which comes to life in Dallas on Saturday evening, spanning six Caribbean countries and the United States of America, where some people think there is gold in the hills, could be the most ambitious global cricket event yet .

It certainly feels the most inclusive of any format, men or women. A record 20 teams will start in four groups of five – no preliminary qualifier here – and the debutants from the US, Canada and Uganda are among the nine associated countries. Then there’s the logistics, whether it’s the zigzagging travel – organizers working with seven separate governments – or the mind-boggling 34,000-seat modular stadium on Long Island, New York, hastily assembled like an Ikea flatpack on steroids. .

Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, to give it its full name, will host the biggest match of them all – a central pillar of the International Cricket Council’s new $3 billion (£2.3 billion) broadcast deal – when India will take on Pakistan in Group A next Sunday. It is one of three grounds used in the US, where 16 of the 55 matches will take place. They all come in the first round before the Caribbean takes control. But while it may not be a full-fledged bugle attack on American soil, cricket is finally scratching the itch of a manifest destiny.

And who knows, this ninth edition of the tournament, formerly known as the World T20, might be the one to finally cement its primacy. Given the unstoppable spread of Twenty20 cricket in recent years, and questions about the future of its over-50s sibling at the more exclusive 10-team World Cup in India six months ago, it seems only a matter of time before the T20 World Cup becomes a fact. the Cricket World Cup.

The answer to this may be a long way off, it has to be said, with two more over-50s World Cups sold to broadcasters until 2031 and that format still the stage where the stars of both red and white ball cricket meet and show off their skills. And it could also depend on the success of the next four weeks, when a mix of the sport’s traditional big beasts and its optimistic underdogs battle it out on both sides of the Caribbean Sea. On paper at least, it seems ripe for some danger.

Of course, this comes with the territory, as T20 is the sport’s most fickle and volatile format; a game where on any given day only one or two heroes can bend the script to their own will. But while this is regularly on display in the T20 competitions now flooding the calendar – the Indian Premier League’s ticker tape has only recently been put to rest following last week’s final – the national pride, the rivalry and the tantalizing prospect of gigantic murders a world war. Cup hits the parts the franchise world can’t.

Can Rohit Sharma’s India shake off the fatigue of that two-month IPL and show that the 50-over final defeat in Ahmedabad last November was just a flesh wound? Perhaps England, boosted by the return of Jofra Archer, can mount an actual title defense this time after so meekly relinquishing the One Day International crown. It almost goes without saying that no team wants to face Australia when the tight end comes, their big-game mentality so enviable and their squad chock full of champions.

However, the field is much broader than the so-called Big Three, which can all also be scrutinized. A personal tip is the West Indies, blessed with home advantage, power hitters and fueled by a boisterous soca atmosphere in the stands, while teams such as Pakistan, runners-up in 2022, and New Zealand, are regulars in the knockout stages. , can never be discounted. South Africa also seems to have all the tools at its disposal. But each group has a third, possibly even fourth team that could steal another of the top two spots, leading to the fast-paced Super Eight stage (aka two more groups of four that decide the semi-finals).

It seems unlikely that the question of whether cricket can crack America, as the cliché goes, will be answered (not least on a subscription channel, Willow TV), although this T20 World Cup is not a one-off moonshot, but rather a shoulder to the wheel . of a broader impulse. In addition to T20 cricket making its debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, there is already the emerging Major Cricket League. It boasts owners with deep pockets (four of its six teams are IPL satellites) and, as evidenced by Andy Bull’s eye-catching report in the Guardian earlier this week, has ambitions for rapid expansion in the coming years.

For all the understandable focus on this new frontier, the T20 World Cup is primarily a Caribbean affair and a pretty big deal for the region too. Cricket West Indies expects a windfall of $25 million (£20 million) from hosting, as well as $300 million (£235 million) in economic activity in host countries Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Guyana. With the tournament extending the usual tourist season by an extra month, all six governments have invested in stadium upgrades such as LED floodlights, new large screens and extra capacity.

Teams can also travel directly from the runway to their hotels upon arrival, just as TV crews can take their equipment to the stadiums for customs checks there. For traveling fans, entry into one Caribbean country automatically means a visa for everyone. “Logistically it is a huge challenge, but not something we are not used to,” says Johnny Grave, the Englishman who is CEO of CWI. “We are blessed that the political leaders in the Caribbean are all so supportive of cricket.”

Unlike the sanitized and soulless Men’s World Cup of 2007, and more akin to the 2010 T20 World Cup, a carnival atmosphere is being sought. Supporters can bring coolers, instruments and flags to the grounds, with tickets starting at $6.

If there is one negative, it is that 25 of the 55 matches – including the final at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29 – will start at 10.30am to cater to the Indian TV audience. “We have aimed for as many evening matches as possible,” Grave adds. “But clearly compromises had to be made for the sake of the game, not least because the Indian TV market captures 90% of broadcast revenue.” As such, the first sips of rum punch may have a slight toothpaste taste.