Americas Cricket Association

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The Americas Cricket Association is an international body which oversees cricket in countries in North and South America, and the Caribbean islands. It is a subordinate body to the International Cricket Council. The ACA has 16 member countries. It is responsible for the development, promotion and administration of the game in the region.

The ACA is also responsible for the ICC Americas Championship, which is the premier international competition in the region, and allows teams to compete for World Cup qualification. The cricket world cup will be held in the region for the first time, when the 2007 World Cup is hosted across the Caribbean islands.

[edit] History

Cricket has flourished in the Americas since colonial times, particularly in the Caribbean, where the unified islands team known collectively as the West Indies has had full ICC test status since 1926. Despite the contrary belief, cricket has flourished in North America since the 18th century.

The first ever International match was played in Hoboken, New Jersey between England and XXII of the United States on 3, 4 and 5 October 1859. An earlier international was played, as reported in The New York Weekly Post Boy, between XI of London and XI of New York, played in New York in 1751 and won by the New Yorkers, the scores being 8o and 86 against 43 and 47, however it is believed both teams were made up of New Yorkers.

Cricket had declined in popularity during the American Revolutionary War as all things "English" were unpopular. It enjoyed a brief resurgence across the US and Canada in the early 19th century, however, the bitter Civil War which broke out in 1861 between the Northern and Southern States had many unforeseen results, one of which was to establish baseball beyond all doubt as the national game of the United States. Despite this cricket has continued to enjoy popularity particularly in Philadelphia, Boston and New York. North America's loss was Australia's gain, as the attention of English touring teams turned to Australia instead of North America.

In more recent times in has received a resurgence of interest across the US due to satellite television coverage of large events, and a strong following and participation amongst ex-pat communities from many Commonwealth countries. The US has also started to invest large amounts of money in a bid to soon qualify for the world Cup.

In Canada, the game has enjoyed wider popularity. It was first played by British troops, and has continued to enjoy varied popularity since. In the year 1844, Canada and the United States of America met in their first international at the St. George’s Club in New York on the site where the New York University Medical Centre is now located. This was over thirty years before the famed England versus Australia Ashes series began and historians believe the contest is the oldest international sporting fixture in the world. By the time Canada became a nation in 1867, the game was so popular it was declared the national sport of the fledgling country by the first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Cricket in Canada stagnated towards the end of the 19th century due to the rising popularity of baseball, before a resurgence in the 1950s.

It has since gone from strength to strength, and like the US, is well supported by large ex-pat Commonwealth communities. This resurgence was galvanised in 1979 when Canada first participated in the World Cup, and although not enjoying the success they would have wished, the have repeated their appearance at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. They have also qualified to appear at next years tournament in the Caribbean. Canada has since been granted full ICC ODI status in 2006, and has risen to 14th on the ICC's Official ODI rankings, just outside the Test nations.

Cricket was first played in South America by captured British troops following Colonel William Carr Beresford’s doomed invasion in 1806. Although played in several countries, it has only really gained popularity in the last 20 or so years. The main exception to this is Guyana, which is part of the West Indies Cricket organisation, and the main place in South America where cricket has flourished.

The true heart of American cricket though, is without doubt the caribbean. Cricket has been played on Caribbean islands by sailors, soldiers, slaves and settlers since at least the 17th century. It has always been a popular past time on the islands that were part of the British Empire.

As most of the islands were small in terms of population, the began to form unified teams from the 1890s onwards to play against touring English teams. The West Indies Cricket Board was soon formed. The WICB joined the sport's international ruling body, the Imperial Cricket Council, in 1926, and played their first official Test match in 1928. Their successes were limited however, until black players begun to be selected in the team in the 1950s and 1960s. Under greats of the game such as Sir Frank Worrell, Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Clive Lloyd this period ushered in a Golden Age for West Indian cricket which saw them challenge Australia and England for pre-eminence in world cricket. This culminated with them rising to the position of unofficial world champions in the 1970s and 1980s, with a team consisting of legends such as Viv Richards, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner.

More recently, the West Indies has declined rapidly. Many blame the rise in popularity of American sports for this. The current side have failed to emulate the deeds of previous great sides, despite being loaded with talented players. The decline has been checked with victory in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, and it is hoped that hosting the 2007 cricket world cup will usher in a new period for West Indian cricket.

For more detailed information on West Indian cricket, see: History of the West Indian cricket team.