USA Cricket Explained: T20 World Cup 2024 Co-Hosts, Pakistan Upset, and Cricket's American Future
Cricket in the USA — USA Cricket's history, the 2024 T20 World Cup co-hosting (with West Indies), USA's famous upset of Pakistan in the group stage (Super Over win, June 6, 2024), the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium built for the tournament, the immigrant cricket community driving US growth, and cricket's pathway to major US sport status.
Cricket in the United States has a longer history than most fans realise: the USA vs Canada match of September 1844 is considered the first international cricket match in history — predating the first Test match (Australia vs England, 1877) by 33 years. Yet cricket declined in America during the 19th century (losing ground to baseball, which evolved from English rounders) and was largely absent from mainstream American sport for 150 years. The 2024 T20 World Cup's American co-hosting (with West Indies) and USA's upset victory over Pakistan represent the potential restart of cricket's American journey — now driven by immigration demographics rather than colonial sport-adoption.
The 2024 T20 WC Co-Hosting: Nassau and Dallas
The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup (June 2024): co-hosted by USA and West Indies. USA venues: the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York, purpose-built for the tournament — a temporary 34,000-seat ground constructed on a football pitch in a 6-week installation timeline); and the Grand Prairie Stadium (Dallas). The Nassau County ground hosted the marquee match: India vs Pakistan (June 9, 2024) — one of the most-watched cricket matches in USA television history, broadcast across multiple US networks for the first time at a major tournament. Building a 34,000-seat ground in 6 weeks was a logistical achievement cited in ICC's post-tournament reports. The temporary structure was designed to be removed after the tournament ended.
USA Beats Pakistan: The 2024 Tournament's Biggest Upset
USA vs Pakistan (T20 World Cup group stage, Nassau County, June 6, 2024): Pakistan set 160/7 in 20 overs. USA chased 160 and tied the match — reaching the Super Over. Super Over: USA batted first and scored 18 from Mohammad Amir's over (Nitish Kumar hit two sixes, including one over long-on). Pakistan needed 19 — Saurabh Netravalkar (USA's left-arm spinner) bowled the over; Fakhar Zaman hit a six; Pakistan scored 13 — 6 runs short. USA won the Super Over by 6 runs — one of the largest upsets in T20 World Cup history. Pakistan's elimination from the tournament's group stage was confirmed by this result. The match demonstrated that USA's cricket team — composed predominantly of immigrant cricketers born in Pakistan, India, and the Caribbean — was competitive against established Test nations in the T20 format, even if unable to compete in Tests.
Major League Cricket (MLC) and Cricket's US Future
Major League Cricket (MLC): launched July 2023 with 6 teams — MI New York (Mumbai Indians franchise), San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings franchise), Washington Freedom, and Los Angeles Knight Riders (KKR franchise). Key elements: (1) IPL franchise involvement: MI, CSK, and KKR franchises bought into MLC teams — bringing Indian cricket commercial infrastructure (brand recognition, broadcast relationships, player connections) into American cricket; (2) Player participation: international T20 specialists (Carlos Brathwaite, David Miller, Lockie Ferguson, Corey Anderson) played in MLC Season 1; (3) Broadcast: Willow TV (USA's South Asian-targeted sports broadcaster) and ESPN+ carried MLC Season 1; (4) Attendance: mixed in Season 1 — TX Super Kings had strong attendance in Dallas (South Asian population concentration); Seattle and San Francisco had more modest crowds. Season 2 (2024) ran during and after the T20 WC hosting. The MLC's 5-10 year target: to establish cricket as a mainstream US franchise sport, analogous to MLS soccer's growth trajectory from 1996 to the 2020s.
Frequently asked questions
Did USA beat Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup?
Yes — USA beat Pakistan in the Super Over at the 2024 T20 World Cup (Nassau County, June 6, 2024). Pakistan set 160/7; USA tied the match at 159/7 (reaching 159 from the last ball). In the Super Over: USA scored 18 (Nitish Kumar 2 sixes off Mohammad Amir); Pakistan needed 19 and scored 13 (Saurabh Netravalkar bowled the Super Over for USA). USA won by 6 runs in the Super Over — one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history. Pakistan were eliminated from the group stage.
When did cricket come to America?
Cricket in America has a long history: the USA vs Canada match (September 1844) is considered the first international cricket match in history — predating Test cricket by 33 years. Cricket was more popular than baseball in the USA in the 1840s before baseball emerged as the dominant bat-and-ball sport. Cricket declined throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely disappearing from mainstream American sport by 1900. The current revival is driven by South Asian immigration (from India and Pakistan) rather than a cultural continuation from the 19th-century game.
What is Major League Cricket?
Major League Cricket (MLC) is the USA's professional T20 cricket franchise league, launched in July 2023 with 6 teams. It has significant involvement from IPL franchises: MI New York (Mumbai Indians), Texas Super Kings (CSK), and Los Angeles Knight Riders (KKR) are franchise-linked teams. The league is broadcast on Willow TV and ESPN+. MLC Season 1 ran July 2023; Season 2 ran June-July 2024 (overlapping with USA's 2024 T20 WC co-hosting). The league's long-term goal is to establish cricket as a mainstream US franchise sport supported by the approximately 4+ million South Asian diaspora population in the USA.