Cricket has been played in the United States since the Eighteenth Century. One of the main reasons for the decline of Cricket was that it remained a sport to be played by the elite circles only. With the advent of Baseball, the game of cricket rapidly lost popularity.
In the recent years the trend has begun to change. The game of Cricket has begun to develop as a weekend sport. Cricket is now being played in all fifty states with the major cricket centers being New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Chicago and Texas.
The United States National Cricket Team had become a member of the ICC in 1965. The United States of America Cricket Association had been suspended by the ICC for not meeting the terms of the ICC’s new constitution. On April 8th of 2008 the USACA with the help of the West Indies Cricket Board met the requirements and drafted it own new constitution. After the necessary reforms were made the ICC has welcomed back the USACA.
Currently there are about 36 established leagues and 650 clubs across the United States. Around 12,000 senior players regularly participate in weekend matches. A National Youth program was recently established for the junior cricketers. Cricket coaching is also being offered by the YMCA in a few states.
Cricket Regions In United States
The Cricket Regions in the US and their geographic areas are:
- New York - New York State [New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Suffolk and Nassau Counties].
- Atlantic - Delaware, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.
- South East - Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.
- Central East - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
- Central West - Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
- West Coast - Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Utah.
Cricket is mostly played in public parks, usually on matting wickets. A few astro-turf wickets are also available. Southern California has 4 natural turf wickets in Los Angles and Florida has 2.
The New York Department of Education recently introduced cricket into the public school system and the response was tremendous. Teams have signed up from Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.
The PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League) All-Star Cricket team played it first international match against the Old Mac exchange U-19 team from Trinidad. Though the PSAL team lost the series it is a good start for youth cricket in the United States.
