Cricket is having a moment in the US. Can it bowl over American audiences?
When the United States beat Pakistan in a World Cup cricket match in Texas last week, the upset stunned cricket watchers worldwide. Only a select audience has been aware of the growth of cricket in the U.S. in recent decades, and the excitement ignited a broader burst of interest that many cricketers hope will last.
Around the world, cricket has long been a tool both for diplomacy and an outlet for expressing fraught relations between countries like India and Pakistan. But the surprise win against Pakistan spotlighted the fast-rising popularity of the sport within the U.S., which traces back to cross-cultural stories of immigrants from countries that embrace cricket.
Adult and youth leagues exist all over the country, with hundreds of
