How cricket has exploded in popularity in the US

Bowie, Maryland — In a field in Bowie, Maryland, a group of children play a game unfamiliar to most Americans: cricket.

“When I first started playing, my mom said, ‘Girl, what are you doing?’” said 13-year-old Jordyn Hinkle-Walker.

Hinkle-Walker had never heard of the game until three years ago, when coach Sham Chotoo brought cricket to her classroom.

“I called the principal and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to come to the school and do a cricket demonstration,’” Chotoo told CBS News.

And the students’ response was immediate.

“It was crazy,” Chotoo said. “You can see them getting so excited, and you can see their whole face lighting up.”

Chotoo grew up playing the game in Trinidad and Tobago and has made it his mission to share the sport in the US since moving here 30 years ago.

“Back then, it was mainly the immigrant population that played cricket,” says Chotoo. “It was a nice way to come together.”

When he had children, Chotoo wanted to share this part of his culture with them.

“And I said, why don’t I start a cricket program here,” Chotoo said.

That program became the first primary school cricket competition in the US. Now, more than a decade later, his program has 86 teams and more than 1,000 children playing cricket.

Nationally, the sport is exploding from coast to coast. According to USA Cricket, the sport’s governing body, more than 400 leagues have opened in America, with more than 200,000 players still playing.

“It really is a turning point for cricket in this country,” said cricket reporter Smit Patel.

Patel predicts more aggressive growth of the sport in the US Last year, Major League Cricket debuted in the US and cricket will be featured at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“It’s the second most played sport in the world,” Patel said. “The potential is enormous.”

This month, for the first time, the US will co-host and compete in the International Cricket Council Men’s. T20 World Cup.

“I believe the World Cup will act as a catalyst, just as the World Cup acted as a catalyst in 1994,” Patel said.

And on Thursday, the US made big headlines as the country took off a stunning defeat of Pakistan. And on Sunday, India and Pakistan will face off in the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, a 34,000-seat, $30 million temporary stadium built for the T20 World Cup.

So now that the world is watching and there is a path to go pro here in America, young cricketers can dream bigger than ever before.

“Now I can say, you know what, you can become a professional cricketer, you can make a living playing in the Major League Cricket program here in the U.S.,” Chotoo said.