The Rivalry

The USA and Canada face off in the opening game of the 2024 ICC Mens T20 World Cup.

Headline: “The USA plays Team Canada in the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup opener at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas—and Scottie Scheffler will be free to attend!”

You might think this is headlining the Men’s Lacrosse World Championships.

Hell no, baby. This isn't just any tournament. The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is set to be a generational tournament co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.

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SubHeadline: India plays Pakistan on Long Island, New York, at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, NY. How confusing is this? To place it in context, ISIS has issued an alert to possible interruption; they have their wires crossed here.

Eisenhower Field, NY

June in North America is undoubtedly a time for loafers, shorts, swimsuits, grilling, baseball, NFL yearning, and golfing, and you could go. Yes, it is a place in the calendar for mild optimism; however, from my viewpoint, this is a challenging position to take. A positive to negate the pessimism; positiveness is a redeeming quality shared by many Americans; perhaps it's the church's influence, but still, it is refreshing amidst the uncertainty I see.

I didn't want to mention November, but I will. The talk of an un-electable election is unavoidable.

Last Sunday, I shared dinner with friends here in Connecticut. Amongst the crew was a distinguished, proud American who had been around long enough to know what's what. Post dinner, I sat with Ron while others busied with clearing tasks. I asked a simple, straightforward question, "Ron, which way do you think it will go?" He took little time to offer a 'crossed finger' sign. Later, he said he hoped "sense will prevail in this election, Biden will be re-elected, and that the country might move on from both Trump and Biden.”

Additional note: I started this post-Wednesday 29 May. It was business as usual around here: NBA finals, NHL, some NFL talk, Scottie Scheffler being cleared of all charges, and, of course, the Donald Trump trial in Manhattan. My internal deadline to post was yesterday; I got side-tracked, not by Trump or any of the above—well, that's not 100% true—I deviated to some extensive research on Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Boston Celtics. It consumed my Thursday—and I look forward to sharing that with you early next week.

Sorry, the additional note: Donald Trump was guilty of all 34 charges. Holy shit. I found myself glued to the TV. They say nothing in the Constitution prevents a Presidential candidate from running, and it is worth knowing that the people wrote it. However, it's unlikely they, the people, expected prospective Presidents to be on trial for paying hush money to adult porn stars. Of all the commentary, this snippet resonated most: "Today was the day Trump won the 2024 election." How did America get to this place?

So, the co-hosts, the USA, and their near-neighbours, Canada, will start the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 7:30 pm local time. (Dallas is in Central Daylight Time—(GMT-5), and AEST is (-14), so the start time in London will be 1.30 am and 9.30 am in Melbourne the following day).

The match marks the first-ever ICC tournament game in the United States, setting the stage for a month-long competition. Seeing as we're talking cricket and given recent meteorological happenings in the Lone Star state, the long-range forecast predicts clear skies and temperatures ranging between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius. The men from the North might melt.

Cricket media heavyweights Star Sports India and the UK's Sky Sports will be broadcasting. The local provider is Willow; I'm yet to work out how to watch without off-shore VPNs. Navigating cable/streaming TV in the US is more complex than you might expect.

For those interested in what the U.S. bookmakers (bookies, sports books) make of their chances:

DraftKings has the USA at (+50000) and Canada the rank outsiders at (+100000). By way of explanation, the USA are 500/1 fractional (U.K.) or 501.00 decimal (Australia). And Canada: 1000/1 and 1001.00. This is to win the tournament—both have no fucking hope! However, in their head-to-head, the USA (-250) is placed favourite over Canada (+190). That's the U.S. (1.67 and 2/3) and Canada (2.90 and 2/1).

Cricket is not usually a rivalry shared by the USA and its northern neighbour, Canada. Still, it might be worth a 'ghost wager'.

The USA team, led by Monank Patel, enters the tournament with a strong squad bolstered by the inclusion of former New Zealand international Corey Anderson and the return of key bowler Ali Khan. The co-hosts have shown impressive form recently, including a series win against Bangladesh, which has raised expectations for their performance in the World Cup. Key players Aaron Jones and Steven Taylor will play crucial roles in the batting lineup, while Ali Khan's experience on the T20 circuit will be vital for their bowling attack. The USA's recent victories against Canada in a five-match T20I series further boost their confidence heading into the tournament opener.

Captained by Saad Bin Zafar, Canada also makes its maiden appearance in the T20 World Cup. The team comprises experienced players, including the return of pacer Jeremy Gordon and all-rounder Junaid Siddiqui. Despite their recent struggles, Canada has the potential to surprise, especially with players like Ravinderpal Singh, who has shown explosive T20 batting capabilities. The match against the USA will be crucial for Canada to set a positive tone for their World Cup campaign.

Both teams hope to start strongly in Group A, which also features heavyweights like India and Pakistan.

I'm sure you've noticed that I am in the U.S., and I will be watching and reporting on as much of the tournament as possible. Perhaps there will be some cultural discussion to keep us grounded—not too much, I promise.