The event in which the U.S. cricket team was playing this summer was the T20 World Cup, a biannual tournament. The U.S. team had never previously managed to qualify, and even on this occasion, its participation had not been earned on the cricket field. The 2024 World Cup was to be primarily hosted in the West Indies, but 16 early matches would be played in the United States. Cricket is overseen by a global governing body, the International Cricket Council, and this choice was in keeping with one of the ICC’s declared goals, to grow cricket in the American market.