Cricket needs something unique to take off in America.
Drama, entertainment, excellent technique, and a dash of anarchy were all necessary.
Cricket had delivered, too, when the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup shocked the reigning champions, Pakistan, in a historic super-over climax in Texas.
In 2019, the United States participated in their first World Cup, played their first T20 international, and faced Pakistan for the first time.
After the UAE and Nepal, they are rated 18th in the globe.
When this tournament was last held in 2022, Pakistan made it to the finals and took first place in 2009.
Though this is the land of opportunity, this was not intended to happen. This was Texas, after all, where everything is magnified.
"Overcoming Pakistan is a significant accomplishment," said US captain Monank Patel. "Team USA is having a tremendous day. For the USA cricket community as well, not only for the USA.
of New York, the venue for the remaining matches of the tournament, the sluggish pitches have dominated conversations and resulted in dull, low-scoring games.
However, Texas has supplied the pyrotechnics, the model that demonstrates that cricket in the United States can succeed and be excellent.
And this is all happening in the backyard of the Dallas Cowboys, the most valued club in the NFL.
In the first match against Canada, Aaron Jones' ten sixes set the tone for the tournament in a spectacular way. Against Pakistan, however, they prevailed because to a team effort of cohesion, enthusiasm, and steely nerves.
Former Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate commented on BBC Test Match Special, "I've got shivers down my spine."
"I understand how challenging this is, having come from an associate countries myself.
"However, what a day to remember and a boost for American cricket. This is the perfect marketing tool if you've ever wanted to convey to Americans the essence of this fantastic game."
This might be the game that transforms cricket as we know it in the United States, where Major League Cricket is one of the newest and most glamorous T20 franchise leagues in the world and where the sport will return in 2028 for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
"Beating Pakistan in the World Cup is going to open numerous opportunities for us," said Monank.
"Hosting the World Cup in the USA as well as performing here as a team, it helps us to develop the cricket in the USA."
The United States of America is an associate member of the International Cricket Council, whereas Pakistan is one of its twelve full members.
This implies that while they do not participate in Test matches, they are recognized by the sport's governing organization, just like 93 other nations.
"A decent group effort"
The post-super over celebrations for the US team showed their emotions and the significance of the outcome.
They played Pakistan side by side for the whole forty overs, with Nitish Kumar's disastrous last delivery hitting Haris Rauf for four over his head.
And despite delivering a couple of early wides and giving up an early boundary, Saurabh Netravalkar held his own to finish the super over. Then, he was hoisted up on his teammates' shoulders and paraded around the outfield in front of cheering supporters.
"I am extremely proud of our performance," said Monank, who scored a vital half-century during his team's first run-chase.
It was definitely a collaborative effort. After winning the toss, we were aware that we needed to take advantage of the circumstances, and we are grateful to our bowlers for that."
Even though Pakistan's campaign is far from finished after only one match, Babar Azam's team's prospects seem dire after such a disastrous start.
They made it to the final in 2022, but England ultimately defeated them. They won't have much time to reflect on that, however, since their big match versus rivals India in New York comes this Sunday.
"You get upset every time you lose a match," Babar said. "Our performance in fielding, bowling, and batting is lacking.
"I'm angry. In the middle order of the bat, you have to match up as a professional against such a performance or such a team. This does not negate how well they performed. I believe we had a poor game."
The USA, on the other hand, now leads Group A and will be confident in their ability to advance to the Super 8s level.
"The American cricket game is reviving after a century-long hibernation."
Timothy Abraham of BBC Sport provided an analysis in the USA.
This outcome turns become one of the significant turning points in American cricket history.
On their UK tours in 1904 and 1908, The Gentlemen of Philadelphia, motivated by the pioneering swing bowler John Barton King, defeated counties such as Lancashire, Kent, and Surrey in first-class matches.
During a 1932 private visit to North America arranged by Arthur Malley, which included Don Bradman on his honeymoon, an Australian XI was involved in many draws, some of which took place on US territory. During the trip, Bradman was infamously turned away for a duck in New York.
In front of 8,000 spectators at Shea Stadium in the Bronx, an exhibition match between an American team, the majority of whom were originated from the Caribbean, and a World All Stars XI led by Tony Greig, which included Garry Sobers, Alan Knott, Gregg Chappell, and others, was shockingly defeated.
The outcome was "huge" for cricket in the United States, according to Joe Lynn, curator of the United States Cricket Museum at Haverford College, which is located close to Philadelphia.
"From the US standpoint, this tournament could not have begun more perfectly. It was one thing to defeat Canada in the first game, but it was quite another to triumph against a full member like Pakistan, according to Lynn.
Maybe it has always been a misnomer to argue that baseball killed cricket in the US, but I believe the game has been hibernating more than anything else. This World Cup and Major League Cricket are leading to a kind of reawakening.
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