The T20 World Cup 2024 has totally fallen short of expectations typically associated with a premier cricket tournament.
The joint hosting by the West Indies and the USA seems to be the primary reason behind the lackluster excitement and sparse attendance in stadiums during the initial week.
Poor pitches and inconvenient match timings
The drop-in pitches in New York and Dallas have exacerbated the situation for the ICC, with slow surfaces causing uneven bounce and resulting in low-scoring games.
Additionally, inconvenient match timings have deterred fans from the sub-continent, who must stay up late or wake up very early to watch their favorite teams play.
Criticism from fans and experts
Fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of entertainment on the field, attributing it to the imbalance between bat and ball.
Former India cricketer Jatin Paranjape, in an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, echoed these sentiments and questioned the organisers for the tepid build-up to the World Cup.
"I'm getting the feeling that something has gone wrong somewhere. (Wanindu) Hasaranga has said this is not a good wicket for T20 cricket. Just imagine on this track you are struggling against Theekshana and all these guys...
"Just imagine against Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Khan and Haris Rauf on this wicket will make people jump about. Something has gone wrong for sure," the former BCCI selector and current member of the board's Cricket Advisory Committee opined.
Few takers for cricket in USA
Furthermore, the event was anticipated to be a breakthrough moment for cricket's integration into American culture.
However, despite being held in the USA for the first time in three decades, cricket's following in the country remains relatively nascent, with only a small segment showing interest.
"Maybe it will catch up after the India vs Pakistan match. But somehow in the West Indies, even the level of service in the hotels is missing, I think the general population is also so laid-back. They aren't really the ideal people for the service industry. But this World Cup needs to kick-off fast, even the viewership numbers also are not big at all.
Lingering challenges for cricket in America
Despite stakeholders' aspirations for cricket to gain popularity in the US, where sports like basketball, baseball, football, and swimming reign supreme, the tournament's lacklustre response suggests that the ICC's efforts to penetrate the lucrative US market have fallen short, at least for now.
