19th century to 2016, the US' (tiny) cricket connection in photos!

While sports like soccer (football), baseball and basketball have long been associated with the United States, an extreme lack of popularity means that cricket is yet to get any sort of hold in that.

 

However, America's cricketing roots go back to 1844 when the first-ever international cricket match was played. And no, the game was not played between the giants, Australia and England. New York City entered the history books when Canada and the United States played at the St George's Cricket Club, Bloomingdale Park. 

 

(Even then, the first Test was still 33 years away.)

 

Only four international matches have been played in the United States, all of them being Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).  The match between Canada and the USA is not included in that list because that was not even a First-Class game.

 

Two more T20Is will be added to the list as cricket returns to the United States with the Indian cricket team taking on West Indies in a two-T20I series, starting Saturday. Both the matches have been scheduled to be played at Lauderhill's Central Broward Regional Park.

 

They can expect some crowds to cheer them on, and not just the curious Americans. The love for cricket resides within a majority of Indians, regardless of where they live across the globe. Indian-origin cricket fans in Florida will certainly enjoy their time with MS Dhoni and his boys.

 

Ahead of the much-awaited match in Florida, here are seven other cricket matches hosted by the United States:

 

Canada vs the United States, 1844:

 

 

The Canadian side became the first team to travel to another country to play a cricket match. The two teams were named the 'United States of America' and 'British Empire's Canadian Province'. Although the match was given international status, it was not even considered a First-Class game.

 

It was played between September 24-26. Initially scheduled for two days, later a third day was added. The match was watched by between 10,000 and 20,000 spectators and won by the visitors by 23 runs.

 

Australia's tour of England and North America, 1878:

 

 

It was the year 1878 - when the Australian side made their maiden First-Class tour to England. On their return journey they played a few matches in the USA and Canada. Although the matches did not have international status, the tour demonstrated the bright future of the sport.

 

The touring party - led by Dave Gregory - first played against the Philadelphian cricket team in New York from October 3-5. That match was unofficially rated as First-Class and was followed by games in Hoboken, Toronto, Montreal, St Louis and San Francisco.

 

India A vs Australia A, 1999:

 

 

A second tier India A and Australia A battled for the Moov America Challenge trophy in 1999. All of the five List A matches were played at the Los Angeles Woodley Cricket Field Stadium.

 

The Indian team, led by VVS Laxman, featured the likes of Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Mohammad Kaif. The Australians meanwhile played under the leadership of their wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and capped the likes of Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Ryan Campbell and Damien Martyn.

 

Australia beat their opponents by a huge margin in four matches, losing just one.

 

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 2010:

 

 

The United States had a long gap before they hosted their first T20I, by which time cricket was almost finished in the country.

 

New Zealand and Sri Lanka locked horns in a two-T20I series at Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, which is also the United States' only ICC-certified cricket stadium. The BlackCaps, who were led by Daniel Vettori, won the first match before the Asian side hit back taking the second and final game of the tour by seven wickets.

 

New Zealand vs West Indies 2012:

 

 

Two years later Kiwis were back again, this time under the leadership of Ross Taylor. New Zealand and West Indies played two T20Is in Florida. However, the skipper suffered an injury in the first game that had forced him to miss the second T20I.

 

Both the matches were high scoring. West Indies scored 177 and 209, while the New Zealanders failed to chase down the target on both occasions.

 

Cricket All Stars, 2015:

 

 

The first edition of the All-Stars T20 series was played in the United States. It was the mastermind of cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. The series saw numerous renowned retired cricket players back again in action.

 

It had two teams - Sachin's Blasters and Warne's Warriors - led by the two iconic players. The tournament was a huge success and the second edition is expected to be played in 2016.

 

Caribbean Premier League, 2016:

 

 

The fourth edition of the West Indies' T20 league had six of its matches played at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. These matches were the first revenue generating matches played at that venue since the New Zealand and West Indies' tour in 2012.

 

After the successful stints of Cricket All Stars and CPL 2016 in the United States, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has proposed a mini-IPL to be held there.

 

Three franchises - Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants - have expressed their interest. So, let's wait and see if BCCI can bring the essence of cricket to the United States!