by Abhai Sawkar The past couple of years have been quite the adventure for cricket in the US. It was heartening to hear that the senior men’s side achieved ODI status early last year and the women’s side competed in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. However, the Under-19s could not make it past the regional tournament to the recently completed Under-19 World Cup, losing to Canada. Struggles at youth level are discernible, but there is plenty of hope for quicker progress in grassroots development. The Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA) is a prime example when it comes to managing and nurturing age-level cricketers to rise through the ranks. Promotion of local talent is essential to further secure the future of cricket in the US. The MYCA’s plan of growing and bolstering the game among children has been second to none. 2020 will be a booming year, with the season getting underway in just a little over a month from now. There are tournament fixtures for April, the Memorial Day weekend in late May, the much-anticipated National Youth Cricket League (NYCL) events during June and July, and culminating with 30-over and T10 leagues from July to September. It’s a very action-packed summer, and to make things even better, several more teams and players are looking to get involved. As far as viewership is concerned, the MYCA YouTube channel will be streaming weekly games. Similar to how international games involving USA have been live-streamed free of cost, this will undoubtedly increase the outreach among cricket aficionados across the country. Designing and building a new turf cricket facility is in the pipelines as well. In addition, the MYCA has received an endowment of plastic cricket kits from the South Australia Cricket Association, for school use. When integrated into PE class, cricket can definitely take off among children in elementary and middle school. There is plenty of untapped potential among youngsters across the country, and it’s definitely time for other states to follow suit. It’s imperative to establish a strong domestic system to further develop the cricketing infrastructure throughout the nation. Yes, cricket isn’t quite mainstream, but with the proper strategies and plans, the popularity will gradually increase. It may not pay heavy dividends in the short term, but the long-term benefits are undeniable. Just last month, there was a USA Cricket talent search for girls held in Maryland; the event comprised many different exercise drills and plenty of practice in batting, bowling, and fielding. The biggest highlight of the event was the attendance of MYCA coaches and high-profile USA Cricket officials, including the selectors. Here’s an interesting factoid: there are more girls playing cricket in Maryland than in all of the other 49 states combined. This in itself speaks volumes of how effectively the game has spread and the level of drive among the future stars. While the crux of USA Cricket’s focus has been on the betterment of the senior national side, there lies plenty of work to do in order to improve the youth system. As other states take a leaf from the MYCA’s textbook, there will be better headway for cricket in the US. Take California, for example - several current and former senior and U19 USA cricketers have played league cricket in California prior to earning higher honors, yet we haven’t seen a whole lot of young cricketers from there emerge in recent times. Later this year, it’s expected that there will be more than 45 youth-level teams across Maryland and Virginia that will take part in age-group competitions. Last year, teams from both states went to take part in the NYCL as well as other high-level leagues. To date, the proudest moment for the MYCA was the national-call up for seamer Lisa Ramjit, who was just 14 years old when chosen to feature in the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers last year in Scotland. The tournament might not have gone that well, but more importantly, fast-tracking a clearly bolting talent paid off in more ways than one - Ramjit’s returns included 7 wickets at an average of 13.28, and an impeccable economy rate of 3.72. Given her big-match skills and success, Ramjit is not only an inspiration, but she’s also the first from the MYCA to represent the United States in international cricket. The MYCA’s impressive level of organization is further underlined by elaborate and definitive annual propositions. In January, there was an assembly to discuss the scheduling of various events in 2020. Coincidentally, the tenth anniversary of the MYCA is coming up soon. It’s been a road of ups and downs, but since the beginning of last decade, Maryland cricket has seen everything fall in place as well as breathtaking blossoming of youthful talent take center stage. Another accomplishment to savor is from just a few days ago in Montgomery County - a youth-only cricket pitch was successfully designed in time, and will be used for state tournaments this summer. Considering the meteoric rise of cricket in Maryland, more and more US states emulating the MYCA model can further incentivize and skyrocket the drive among children of all ages, especially during these relatively tougher times. Over the course of the last decade and a half, we’ve wtinessed the famous fairytale ascendancy of Afghanistan cricket from the lower divisions in associate cricket to attaining Test status and full membership in 2018. That journey involved motivating youngsters to take up the game early on, and now there are many youngsters that are raring to throw their hat in the ring for international cricket. While cricket in the USA is still gaining popularity, it’s the methodical and strategic approach that will come in handy very frequently. Providing ample support and exposure for local, homegrown cricketers is the best course of action to take, to ensure that the future is in strong hands. Creating a sizable domestic talent pool is the first step in the right direction. Well-managed state youth cricket associations throughout the US can and will be instrumental to more consistent success. With tact, determination, and set goals, the possibilities are limitless.
1 Comment
Alka
3/9/2020 03:24:49 pm
My son is 12 year old and he wants to join cricket
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