T20 World Cup: What legacy will tournament have for cricket in the USA?

Perhaps the one true legacy of this tournament is it has allowed cricket to shed some of the stuffy image it has stateside.

One of the reasons cricket failed to catch on in the US in the 19th and early 20th century was the desire of those in charge of the game to retain its sense of Englishness – a view not uncommon throughout the British Empire.

The club that hosted the feted first international cricket match between USA and Canada in 1844 – St George’s CC – had changed its name from New York CC in 1839 and barred American players from joining.

The current USA team are a very different mix.

Four of the squad were born on US soil but the rest are Americans because they want to be, a quality that appeals to many in this vast and diverse country.

It seems like Saurabh Netravalkar, the fast-bowling software engineer, has not turned down a single interview request. Vice-captain Aaron Jones, the US’ leading runscorer, has spoken intelligently about popularising the game.

Equally, off the field there are snippets of stories that capture the imagination.

American cricket journalist Peter Della Penna met Chuck, from Boynton Beach in Florida, who was dressed in stars and stripes overalls wandering in the rain at the ground in Lauderhill during the washout against Ireland that enabled the USA to progress to the Super 8s.

“Chuck had never seen cricket in his life, but said he had to be there,” said Della Penna.

“‘I saw they beat Pakistan. I saw they’re coming to Florida. I need a ticket! I gotta support the boys!'”

The US equivalent of the Barmy Army seems to have its first member.

Elsewhere, in a Dallas dive bar in the early hours, it was incredible to listen to a visually impaired American man talk with such fervour about the joy of listening to BBC county cricket commentators.

The passion of the South Asian diaspora in the United States to playing, attending and watching cricket matches is what is going to sustain it in this country in the immediate term.

However, some of the key stakeholders acknowledge that has to change at some point to capitalise on the word forever uttered whenever cricket in the US is discussed: potential.

“If it ends up being a sport that is only for the diaspora, cricket won’t flourish in the USA,” said Soma Somasegar, an investor in T20 franchise tournament Major League Cricket, which launched last year.

“You need people who can capture the attention of the media, and by extension reach a broader population to kindle their interest – and over time their inspiration.”