Cricket Comes To Florida
There's a bat-and-ball game being played in Florida this weekend, but before you say "Marlins vs. White Sox", this one uses terms like "fine leg" and "paddle swept". International cricket comes to the United States for the first time, as former world champions Sri Lanka play New Zealand in a Twenty20 series in Lauderhill, Florida.
While the cricket subculture in America is quite strong (fifteen million followers, according to the Miami Herald), it's taken the International Cricket Council a very long time to make the significant first step in promoting and developing the game in the country. In the past, exhibition matches between retired players were the highlight, and there have been failed attempts at introducing a cricket league in the country. This weekend's series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be the first successful introduction of mainstream, official cricket to the United States. Time will tell how long-term the results will be.
Cricket has a long history with the United States. The first international cricket match was played between the United States and the British Empire's Canadian Province (now known as "Canada") in 1844, and Philadelphian "Bart" King was rated as one of the best bowlers in the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the burgeoning national identities and attitudes of both the United States and Canada meant the rise of baseball, American football, hockey and basketball at the expense of cricket, which harkened memories of colonial English rule and times gone by.
But lest Floridians pale at the thought of their weekend being ruined by a game that lasts for five days with scheduled breaks for lunch and tea, New Zealand and Sri Lanka will play the Twenty20 format. Twenty20 was devised as a fast-paced and intense form of the traditional cricket game, with the playing time lasting a mere three hours and guaranteeing a winner. Its brevity and emphasis on action was intended as a way to introduce the game to previously untapped markets (like, say, the United States). While Twenty20 cricket has proved incredibly popular in countries with an established cricket presence, this weekend will be the first litmus test of Twenty20's ability to spread the game in new areas.
Refreshingly, the series is being treated as a big deal by the American press, instead of as a curious eccentricity being played by people with funny names (although there's a bit of that, too). The New York Times compared cricket's current state in the U.S. to where soccer was thirty years ago, quoting Don Lockerbie, the CEO of the U.S.A Cricket Association. Lockerbie is not a man to brush off, having been part of the administration of five Olympics, three football World Cups and one cricket World Cup. While he is not the first administrator who has spoken about bringing cricket to America, he is the first man to have actually done it.
The Florida Marlins were more than happy to compare notes with the New Zealand Black Caps (and wonder why cricket fielders don't wear gloves), and captain Daniel Vettori had the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the Marlins-Diamondbacks game on Tuesday. New Zealand will be without star players Shane Bond (who retired from cricket following a disappointing World Cup campaign), and Jesse Ryder, who returned home with an injury. Sri Lanka are at full strength, but underperformed in the recently-concluded World Cup, and will look to regain their form as they make cricket history.
For cricket in America, there is still a long way to go before anyone has reason to be impressed. The Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill is the only International Cricket Council-approved cricket stadium in the country, and one of the scheduled games was canceled because the lighting fixtures were not up to par. Still, interest and ticket sales are high, and while it may yet be many years until cricket stands shoulder-to-shoulder with soccer in American culture, this weekend's series marks a historic first step forward.
