© Getty Images

A cricketing renaissance -

America's reacquaintance with the bat-and-ball game known as cricket began in 2021 with the establishment of Minor League Cricket (MiLC). 

© Getty Images

Minor League Cricket -

Consisting of 26 teams from four regions across the country, MiCL is an American Twenty20 cricket developmental league for Major League Cricket. 

© Getty Images

Major League Cricket -

Major League Cricket (MLC) is an American professional Twenty20 cricket league. It began to play in July 2023, and is sanctioned by USA Cricket. 

© Getty Images

USA Cricket -

USA Cricket (USAC) is the governing body of cricket in the United States. Founded in 2017, USAC operates all of the country's representative cricket sides, including the men's and women's national teams and youth teams. It also oversees Major League Cricket.  

© Shutterstock

First season -

Major League Cricket is America's newest sport. Batting with the blessing of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the first season took place over three weeks at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, concluding on July 30, 2023. 

© Getty Images

A whole new ball game -

The tournament caught the imagination of a wide cross-section of the American public, notably South Asian immigrant communities who revere the game.

© Getty Images

A sidelined sport -

Despite the establishment of the United States men's national cricket team as far back as 1965, up until 2023, cricket had always been played somewhat on the periphery of mainstream American sports. 

© Getty Images

A fan base of immigrants -

The sport, however, has a hard-core fan base, made up mostly of immigrants. In fact, the recent revival in American cricket stems from immigration and the enthusiasm for the sport shown by the Indian, Caribbean, and Pakistani communities.  

© Getty Images

The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup -

The co-hosting by the West Indies and the United States of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup has sent cricket fans into spin. The prestigious tournament marks a groundbreaking moment in the history of cricket in the US. Pictured is USA Cricket vice-captain Aaron Jones in Miami. The city's Central Broward Park stadium is one of the competition's venues.  

© Getty Images

The women's game -

The women's game, meanwhile, is also enjoying a resurgence in popularity.  Here, USA team members pose for a selfie ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 match between USA and Scotland at Tolerance Oval on April 29, 2024, in Abu Dhabi. 

© Getty Images

Graceful in defeat -

The 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup will be hosted in Bangladesh from October 3–20, 2024. Unfortunately, while the USA reached the Global Qualifier stages of the competition, it failed to reach the T20 World Cup finals.

© Getty Images

An "American" sport -

The dilemma facing the advancement of cricket in the United States is that it's up against one of the country's most iconic bat-and-ball games—baseball. Believe it or not though, cricket was once one of the most popular sports in the nation. In fact, the game was played in the country as far back as 1709.  

© Getty Images

Cricket arrives in North America -

Cricket was introduced to North America by colonial British sailors in the early 1700s. 

© Getty Images

Early years -

The first public report of a cricket match in North America appeared in the New York Gazette in 1751. Pictured here is the earliest known drawing or engraving of cricket being played in the USA. It shows a game being played on Dartmouth College campus in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1793.  

© Getty Images

War stops play -

The American Revolution stumped cricket and all things British. But by the 1800s, cricket gradually increased in popularity. 

© Getty Images

More popular than baseball -

By the mid-1800s, cricket was being played in 22 US states by up to a thousand clubs, according to USA Cricket. And in many towns and cities, cricket was more favored than baseball. 

© Getty Images

Cricketers who play baseball -

In this 1861 photograph, the members of the St. George Cricket Club in New York City pose with two members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Harry Wright, standing far left, and his little brother George Wright, standing fifth from left. 

© Getty Images

Cricket vs Baseball -

In this photo, also taken in 1861, the baseball and the cricket teams are practicing simultaneously on the campus field of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. 

© Getty Images

Conflict of interest -

It took another conflict to take cricket out of bounds. This time it was the American Civil War, during which baseball rebounded into the public consciousness. In this 1863 illustration, Union prisoners are seen passing the time with a game of baseball.  

© Getty Images

Ball games -

But cricket, for so long known as the "gentleman's game," didn't entirely disappear during the war. Pictured is a cricket ball found in a Civil War trunk in 1864 and likely used in baseball in encampments. 

© Getty Images

Philly cricket -

By the late 1800s baseball was all the craze in America. Cricket teams still existed, notably The Philadelphians. But guess what! The Phillys was a team of baseballers who also played cricket. Incidentally, in 1913 the Philadelphians played the last game of first-class cricket on the US mainland for 90 years. 

© Public Domain

Babe hits cricket into touch -

This is largely because American interest in cricket diminished after the First World War, thanks in part to a guy called Babe Ruth, one of the most legendary names in baseball history.

© Getty Images

George Patterson (1868–1943) -

Standout American cricketers include George Patterson, who mostly played for the aforementioned Philadelphians. Patterson, who also had a successful career with both Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania, still holds the North American batting record, at 271.  

© Getty Images

John Lester (1871–1969) -

Another Philadelphian cricketer, John Lester is described in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as "one of the great figures in American cricket."

© Public Domain

John Barton King (1873–1965) -

John Barton King, meanwhile, set numerous records in the continent of North America during his career and led the first-class bowling averages in England in 1908. Also part of the Philadelphia team, King is widely considered to be the best bowler produced by the United States.  

© Public Domain

Auty Cup rivalry resumes -

In 1963, the Auty Cup rivalry between the United States and Canada resumed after a 51-year hiatus. The K.A. Auty Cup Trophy is an international cricket series played between Canada and the United States. It is reputed to be the longest-running international sporting fixture of any type. 

© Getty Images

ICC Trophy -

American cricket gathered momentum in the 1970s and in 1979, the USA participated in the ICC Trophy for the first time.  

© Getty Images

Return of The Philadelphians -

In 2004, The Philadelphians played an Intercontinental Cup game against Canada in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was the first time the team had cracked willow since 1913. The Philadelphians still play today. Pictured is Derick Narine batting during a game against the New Jersey Stallions in 2022. 

© Getty Images

Hoping for a lucky strike -

It remains to be seen if cricket can crack baseball. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup where many are hoping the USA will achieve a lucky strike. 

Sources: (USA Cricket) (PBS News) (GBH) (Napperville Community Television) (The Guardian) (Philly Cricket) 

See also: What are the origins of your favorite sport? 

© Getty Images