After both the United States and India beat cricket powerhouse Pakistan on Thursday and Sunday, respectively, the match between the two was expected to bring the heat.
But early Wednesday morning, some 31,200 fans made their way to their seats at the temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium wearing both teams’ colors; wearing, for example, a blue and orange jersey for India while simultaneously wrapped in the United States’ stars and stripes.
“I grew up in India, and the U.S. gave me everything, so I’m supporting both countries,” Rutz Pat said. He’s a long-time cricket fan and player, who now lives in Pennsylvania and came out to Long Island to see the match. “Cricket is like stress relief for us. So we love the sport… to play, to watch.”
Another fan, Anand Haury, came representing India. As another lifelong fan of the sport, he said it’s a dream to see part of the tournament hosted in the United States, and it's about time the United States joined the cricket fold more tightly.
“[The] U.S.A is such a diverse country,” he said. “And there's a lot of people who migrated from different parts of the world. And with the people, the sport also should travel.” Haury said he thinks the matches will make the sport more popular in the United States as well, especially given the economic boost that tournaments can provide.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman estimated that the revenue associated with the tournament will come out to equal about $150 million. “Our hotels are full. Our restaurants are doing very well. The local store owners are reporting that there's been a sharp increase in activity,” Blakeman said in a recent interview with WSHU. “So I think from an economic standpoint, this has been a really, really good thing for Nassau County.”
Not all fans are entirely confident that cricket will catch on in the United States, though they remain hopeful.
“I think really a lot of it's gonna come down to broadcasting,“ said Daniel Benson, who came to the match from Ohio and has been watching cricket for the past few years. “If we can get a game on ESPN, that'd be world-changing. I'll keep my fingers crossed.”
After three hours of intense plays and roaring cheers, India won the match against the U.S., making for the first loss for the latter while the former remains undefeated. This win secured India's spot in the cup's next round, while the United States has to wait for the final preliminary matches to finish to see if the team is eligible.
