In an effort to popularise the game in America, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is doing all in its power. Although some of the matches in New York have been low-scoring games, the cricketing governing body has raised the number of teams in the current competition with the aim of making it a global event before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The competition has proven to be commercially successful.
In the meantime, many former players have lent a hand to support cricket’s expansion in the United States. One member of the T20 World Cup crew, for example, was seen teaching Dale Steyn how to bowl like a fast bowler. One of the widely shared videos showed personnel telling Steyn not to bend his hand since that is against cricket rules. Additionally, he told the former international player from South Africa that the batter must wait until the ball has bounced once before hitting it.
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In the video, Dale Steyn remained anonymous.
Fans of the 40-year-old bowler emphasised in the comment section that he is among the best bowlers of all time. He has 699 international wickets overall and has played for South Africa in 93 Test matches, 125 ODIs, and 47 T20Is. Despite owning numerous records, he was never able to win an ICC competition.
This is their chance to realise their dream in South Africa. It will be extremely difficult for any other team to stop them if they can maintain the momentum they built up in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Sri Lanka, which they defeated by six wickets. While the batsmen were struggling at one point but ultimately prevailed easily, the bowlers in the previous game showed ruthlessness as they limited Sri Lanka to just 77 runs.
Group D leaders will take on the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Nepal on June 8, 10, and 15, respectively.