Ricky Ponting is eagerly anticipating the match between India and Pakistan in New York at this year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup and expects to witness cricket flourish in the United States in the coming years as a result of the tournament.
The new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island on June 9 will host India and Pakistan in a match that is certain to evoke memories of the epic encounter that occurred at the MCG during the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.
“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 told The ICC Review.
"You can imagine what it's going to be like in New York. So, really exciting times for the world game."
Ponting thinks the sport has only begun to grow in popularity in recent years, propelled by hosting fixtures between full-member sides and the emergence of franchise cricket competitions such as Major League Cricket, which continues to draw numerous international stars.
“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.