Cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports, with global viewership second only to soccer. Billions tune in, and India’s dominance on the international stage has only fueled its following. But in the United States, cricket has yet to find solid footing.
The game, however, may have potential to grow. Like many American sports, cricket is a start-and-stop game, which could make it easier to adapt to U.S. sports culture. It also shares striking similarities with baseball.
Three formats
Cricket is played in three formats. Test cricket, the oldest, can last up to five days. The One-Day format is designed and finished in a single day, typically lasting seven to eight hours. The newest and fastest format is Twenty20, or T20, which lasts about three hours—roughly the same length as a baseball game.
T20 has become the format most suited for professional leagues with city-based teams, making it the easiest comparison point for baseball fans.
Baseball with a twist
At its core, cricket is a bat-and-ball sport. Batters aim to score runs while bowlers—the cricket equivalent of pitchers—try to get them out. Instead of a strike zone, bowlers target three wooden stumps behind the batter.
Runs are scored either by running between the two ends of the pitch or by hitting the ball to the boundary. Each team bats once per game until 10 of its 11 players are out. Unlike baseball’s nine-inning back-and-forth, cricket gives each side one extended turn at bat.
Field and play
The field is a major difference. Baseball is played on a diamond, while cricket takes place on a large oval with a 22-yard pitch at its center. Bowlers deliver the ball overhand with a straight elbow, often bouncing it before it reaches the batter.
An over consists of six deliveries before a new bowler takes over. A no-ball or wide results in penalty runs for the batting side, and dismissals—known as outs—occur when the stumps are hit, a ball is caught on the fly, or a fielder hits the stumps before the batter reaches the crease.
Batters score four runs if the ball reaches the boundary after touching the ground and six if it clears the boundary in the air, the sport’s equivalent of a home run.
High scores, fast pace
Cricket games feature high-scoring totals compared to baseball. Teams often score in the 100s, with individual batters sometimes racking up dozens of runs before being dismissed. A T20 match might end with a score of 180–160, compared with a typical baseball result of 5–3.
Culture and U.S. growth
Outside the United States, cricket is woven into daily life. In India, streets empty during major matches. In the Caribbean, people play it on beaches, while in England, it is steeped in tradition.
In the U.S., baseball overtook cricket in the 19th century, but interest is rising again. With a growing South Asian and Caribbean population, Major League Cricket has launched, offering a professional platform for the sport.
Given its pace, television-friendly structure, and cultural connections, cricket may be on its way to carving out a place in the American sports landscape.
