The ICC T20 Cricket World Cup has made a mockery of the World rankings when the less fancied amateur player teams have qualified for the knockout stages. Not only has it earned them a place in the next round, but also automatic qualification for the next T20 World Cup in 2028.
When there are only 20 spots up for grabs with 9 of those spots normally taken by the tier one test playing countries it is a remarkable result to get a free pass to the next World Cup. In the past we have seen Afghanistan rise from nowhere so this does give hope other countries could do the same.
Seeing he likes of New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka being knocked out early means it gives the opportunity to other smaller cricketing nations. I think New Zealand was the biggest shock thus far and there will be a change of attitude giving the minnow teams more respect. The smaller less known teams have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Huge Opportunity For US Growth - Do Not Mess This Up
A country like the USA having qualified for the next stage plus the next World Cup will not go unnoticed and expect to see serious growth in the sport. The foundations have been laid with some remarkable results showing that a team of amateurs can upset established teams who are made up of full time professionals earning big money.
The only thing that is hampering the US cricket scene is the in house fighting within their governing body. The US Cricket board is not even involved in their biggest ornament and is being run by a separate entity called T20 Inc. The in house fighting has seen the US suspended 3 times in the last few years. Always when there is money involved the wrong people fight for control instead of putting the sport first.
Thankfully the funding that is allocated to the USA Cricket board is controlled by the ICC and not handed over like they do with other countries. The distrust is obviously evident and they need to get this rectified as soon as possible because cricket has a chance of going mainstream in the US.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has had their sights set on growing and tapping into the US market for a long time. The stats say there are around 50 million fans in the US considering they have a growing Asian community. The players are certainly there and now this just needs to have the facilities to be in place so those players can be found.
Microsoft and Adobe have been helping the US get a cricket league off the ground having a $850 million kitty to make it happen. There are 6 teams in the national league currently with an average spend of $100 million expected over the next 5 years per team. This alone would see the US team improve over time and become more competitive.