NEW DELHI: The USA Cricket team's historic run to the Super 8 stage of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 has galvanized Americans to support their national side.
The US-based T20 league Major League Cricket commended the national squad for reaching the Super 8 round, according to ANI.
T20 WORLD CUP:
Ali Khan, Nitish Kumar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Steven Taylor, Nosthush Kenjige, Monank Patel, and Shayan Jahangir (MI New York), Corey Anderson (San Francisco Unicorns), Harmeet Singh (Seattle Orcas), Milind Kumar (Texas Super Kings), Andries Gous, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Yasir Mohammad (Washington Freedom) are among the Major League Cricket players who are members of Team USA.
Canada was soundly defeated by Team USA in the first game of the season. After a thrilling super-over match against Pakistan, they emerged victors, positioning the team to finish second in Group A of the main event. In the end, they were fortunate that the weather forced the cancellation of their match against Ireland.
CEO of Cognizant Major League Cricket Vijay Srinivasan said that moving the team to the next round of the home World Cup is an amazing accomplishment. The USA will play South Africa, the West Indies, and England in Group 2 of the Super 8 round.
"Congratulations to Team USA, who, in their first-ever World Cup appearance, gave us three thrilling matches of cricket against the world's best teams and earned their position in the Super 8. This is a historic moment for the sport, especially for our players from Major League Cricket who are representing the USA. We hope that this inspires boys and girls around the country to pick up a bat and ball this summer, and encourages sports fans to attend an MLC game or tune into the broadcast," Srinivasan said as quoted by the MLC release.
"The USA's advancement to the Super 8 means they'll automatically qualify for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, providing Major League Cricket with a strong platform for continued growth," he added.
Some of the top domestic and international players in the world are on the MLC's six teams-the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom-and they are eager to represent their nations in the World Cup.
"MLC has already revolutionized the cricket landscape in the USA. The inaugural 2023 season was a huge success, with sold-out matches garnering millions of viewers worldwide. This set the momentum for the upcoming T20 World Cup and the MLC's second season, which kicks off July 5," the release added.
