T20 World Cup 2024: Ricky Ponting awaits India-Pakistan clash in New York

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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is eagerly awaiting India’s T20 World Cup group clash against Pakistan in New York as he believes the tournament will help cricket thrive in the United States in the coming years.

All eyes will be on the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island as India face arch-rival Pakistan on June 9 in a match that will undoubtedly evoke memories of the epic encounter that took place at the MCG during the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

India’s Virat Kohli stole the show at the MCG with a match-winning 82*, and another sold-out crowd is expected when the two traditional rivals meet at this year’s event, co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States. Ponting spoke with host Sanjana Ganesan about the upcoming match in New York on the most recent episode of The ICC Review, and the Australian legend expects to see similar scenes in June as he did in Melbourne nearly two years earlier.

“I’ve seen it firsthand here in Australia, in Melbourne last time around, where there were 95,000 people in the stadium and another 50,000 people outside the stadium,” Ponting said. “You can imagine what it’s going to be like in New York. So, really exciting times for the world game.”

While the USA has a rich cricketing history, dating back to its participation in the first-ever international cricket match in 1844, Ponting believes that the sport has only begun to gain significant popularity in recent years. This surge in interest can be attributed to various factors, including the hosting of fixtures between full-member sides and the emergence of franchise cricket competitions such as Major League Cricket, which consistently draws international stars. Recently appointed as the coach of Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket, Ponting is eager to be at the forefront of cricket’s development in the USA.

“I think there’s a great opportunity to continue to grow and promote the game in that part of the world. And that’s a big part of the reason that I took the coaching job at Washington Freedom, to be a part of that sort of movement to grow the game in the US,” Ponting added.

“There’s obviously so many expat Indians, West Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Afghans in that part of the world that we know that they will continue to promote the game. But what we have to do is get the Americans into loving and understanding the game of cricket.”

Ponting saw a strong possibility of quick growth in cricket in the USA. He backed the franchise model to take hold and help the game move forward in the region.

“I’d like to think it can become really big and as I said, actually become really big quite quickly,” Ponting opined.

“What I’m hearing, I think part of the franchise model with the teams that were in last year was everyone has to sort of build their own stadium in the different cities that were playing the games.

“And I think when that happens in a few years, there’ll be the potential to grow the tournament out, maybe add a couple more teams.

“And once you start playing in not just the six but in a lot of these big cities in the US, then I think there’s an opportunity for great growth and quick growth.

“And we shouldn’t sit back and just think in two years it’s going to be a mini IPL, it probably won’t be that. But I think that’s what we should all be aiming for and doing our best to promote the game the best way that we can.”

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