Cricket: US ProCricket gives 'em the old razzle-dazzle

By STEPHEN COOK

It just isn't cricket. The stately game, albeit an Americanised version, is about to receive a concerted push in the United States.

The covers were lifted this week on the country's first professional cricket league, a one-day series involving teams from eight cities, says organiser American ProCricket.

Promising "fast and furious action", ProCricket, a copy of Cricket Max, will field teams each featuring up to four former international stars such as Australian Greg Matthews.

Forty former internationals and 120 domestic players have been signed.

It has taken the US more than 1 1/2 centuries to join the nations that play professional cricket.

The US has qualified for the 2004 International Cricket Council Champions Trophy, to be held in September in England - a tournament dubbed the mini World Cup.

ProCricket chairman Kal Patel said Americans were "thirsting" for the game.

Some 30,000 people played in amateur leagues and another 70,000 played at the weekend, he said.

But former New Zealand cricket captain Ken Rutherford doubts whether Americans are quite ready to take much interest in the difference between a flipper and a googly.

He said cricket had a US following only among some ethnic communities. Even the one-day format was considered too long for American audiences.

Americans liked speed and thrills, which was hardly cricket. And they already had baseball, which was comparable in some ways to cricket.

"You have to admire their endeavour but I don't know if there is much interest below the surface," Rutherford said.

"If they were really keen to pursue it you would have thought they would have gone for current stars, not players who can no longer make their international teams."

He said the US national team were pretty ordinary and had not been able to beat the likes of Ireland or Canada.

"I wish them all the best," said Rutherford, "but I can't really see it succeeding."

ProCricket