Cricket in US: From Wickets, to Elevens, to girlie tag to World Cup

Cricket was the first, and for a long time the only, outdoor sport played by the Americans. Today, it will be hosting the T20 World Cup, but the history from the 18th century to the 21st has been a story of death over victory and revival. Meenakshi Rao takes you through the ages to tell you how Cricket did not go down without a swinger – and returns with new fervour.

Hyderabad: When Chicago played Milwaukee way back in 1849 in America, with no less a man than Abraham Lincoln in the spectators’ gallery, it was not a Basketball match. Neither was it Baseball and not Football. It was Cricket, the first outdoor sport that America has ever played.

Cricket, a game no one knows or cares for in present-day America, sailed in from the British shores way back in the early 18th century and became an American pastime among the British plantation owners and the elite Americans. They would smoke a pipe, do the rounds of their plantations, and then squeeze in a game or two between a hardy breakfast and a beef stew supper.

The game, however, got formalised as Cricket in 1754 when Benjamin Franklin brought in the Cricket Rule Book from Great Britain and proper teams (they were called Elevens back then) were established. The game itself was referred to by George Washington’s player troops as “Wickets.”

The first recorded Cricket match took place in the country in 1751 in New York though it was the great Philly, or Philadelphia, which was the nerve centre of this bat and ball wonder back then.

During the 19th century, cricket flourished in the US, particularly in its northeast, where it rivalled Baseball in popularity. The game spread rapidly, with clubs and leagues forming in major cities like Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore.

Cricket matches between American and Canadian teams were common, and the sport even attracted international attention, with touring teams from England and Australia playing exhibition matches in the US. One of the matches was won by an American team which downed Australia which had already emerged as quite a force in the cricketing domain.

As many as 10000 Americans were playing Cricket around that time with close to 100 Clubs flourishing. One of the most significant developments in American cricket came in 1859 when the St.George’s Cricket Club was founded in New York City. St. George’s became one of the most prominent cricket clubs in the country and played a crucial role in popularising the sport in the US.

Not that America did not have its legends in Cricket. Philadelphian J. Barton King was one of the fastest bowlers of his generation and a legend that rose from the soil in the early years of Cricket. According to one estimate, in 1908 while touring England, he set a pace attack record that stayed for over 40 years.

Cricket’s popularity in the US began to decline in the late 19th century, with a safer, swifter and simpler game called Baseball emerging as the country’s new favourite pastime. The American Civil War which started on April 12, 1861 and ended on May 13, 1865, crushed cricketing most aspirations with most clubs being disbanded or losing members due to the conflict.

But it was not a death without a fight. Post the war, in 1878, records suggest that a Philly 11 match against the mighty Australians was cheered by 15,000 people in Philadelphia. The Philadelphians managed a draw. In 1893, Philadelphia finally beat the Aussies. Despite the inherent challenges, Cricket never disappeared entirely from the American sporting landscape.

Immigrants from Cricket-playing nations like England, India, Pakistan, and the West Indies brought their love for the game with them, forming the backbone of cricket clubs and leagues in cities with large immigrant populations.

However, today, when you think America, you think Apple, Nike, Super Bowl, Flushing Meadows and the corporate dollar. Nothing of this, however, fits into the game of Cricket but this gentleman’s game, disdainfully called girlie sport for its tea breaks, white clothes and long hours, has had a makeover with a fast a furious veneer in its T20 format.

Till very recently, American cricket was a novelty, a fringe sport dressed in Caribbean flavour and fervour. A lot of reggae, a lot of jerk chicken stations and the Caribbean colours of life would adorn a non-serious, mostly fun and frolic cricket in fields borrowed from America’s major sports.

In recent years, Cricket has experienced a slow but steady resurgence in the US, thanks in part to the efforts of organisations like the United States of American Cricket Association (USACA) and the American Cricket Federation (ACF) which launched as a cricket coaches programme in 2014.

These organisations have worked to promote the game at the grassroots level, organizing youth programs, coaching clinics, and tournaments to introduce cricket to a new generation of Americans.

The launch of the Minor League Cricket (MiLC) and Major League Cricket (MLC) has further boosted the sport’s profile in the country. These professional leagues have attracted international players and helped raise the standard of cricket in the US.

While cricket has a long run-up to chart if it wants to reach the same level of popularity as Baseball or Football in the US, the sport’s rich history and passionate community ensure that it will continue to be a part of the American sporting landscape for years to come.

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