"Breaking News: US Cricket Awaits Its Authentic Donald Duck Moment!"

US Cricket Awaits Its Defining Moment

USA Captain Monank Patel at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas Before Their Game Against Canada

There's a charming story from when the great Don Bradman got out for a duck in New York.

After dismissing the legendary Australian batter - who had a Test average of 99.94 - without scoring, the ecstatic bowler sprinted to the boundary in celebration.

This breach of cricketing decorum, during a time of strict formality, slightly annoyed Bradman as he walked off the field.

But when the bowler then filled his cap with US dollar bills collected from the crowd, Bradman was shocked.

Almost a century later, as the US gets ready to co-host the T20 World Cup, such bold profiteering from cricket might be seen differently.

The US has been an International Cricket Council (ICC) project for over 25 years. Progress has been slow.

With a major global ICC tournament coming to its shores (16 of the 55 games) and cricket returning to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, there's a sense that cricket in the US has reached a crucial point.

However, there are still significant challenges to overcome for the sport to thrive.

A Beacon of Hope Amid the Chaos

Firstly, USA Cricket, the sport’s governing body in the country, faces governance issues. There have been more resignations than in a chess tournament in recent years. Unusually for a host of an ICC event, it has had almost no role in organizing and marketing it.

The ICC created T20 International Inc in the US to oversee the tournament instead.

For those interested in US cricket, it's a familiar story. The body that USA Cricket replaced, the USA Cricket Association, was expelled by the ICC in 2017.

However, Major League Cricket (MLC) has been a beacon of hope, providing the infrastructure and visibility the game needs in the US.

The T20 franchise tournament has strong backers, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

The tournament also has the finances to attract star players.

Washington Freedom alone has Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Rachin Ravindra, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson for the 2024 season, which starts six days after the T20 World Cup ends.

Awarded List A status this week, MLC plans to expand from 19 games in 2023 to 34 by 2025.

Build It and People Will Come

Dedicated cricket grounds are already built in Dallas and Florida, with the opening game between the USA and Canada this weekend.

The other stadium used for this tournament, in New York, has made headlines. A 34,000-capacity temporary structure in Eisenhower Park with drop-in pitches was set up in months, costing £24m ($30m).

The New York stadium site, set to host India v Pakistan, will be returned to a public park after the tournament, managed by Nassau County authorities.

"It's a two-hour drive from downtown Manhattan, not well-served by public transport, and leaves no lasting legacy," an MLC franchise owner told BBC Sport.

"Except for India’s games, the attendance for early matches might be a challenge."

The ICC insists it will leave behind a "world-class international playing facility with drainage and irrigation."

Informal plans to use the ground after the World Cup for some MLC matches to maintain interest in the game were unfeasible.

The MLC is also moving forward with plans for grounds in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and New York.

They are confident that if they build these facilities, people will come.