From King to Massiah � 100 years of the ICC and cricket in the USA

Cricket in the USA has recently been thrust back into the spotlight thanks to a bizarre decision to include the USA, ranked 22nd by the ICC amongst non-test playing nations, in the eight team qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Twenty20, set to be held in the UAE later this year.

With the ICC now keen to capitalise on what they think is the interest in cricket in the USA, it is perhaps worth remembering that they have not always treated American cricket well. In a three part series, we will look at a history of the ICC's dealings with cricket in the USA.

Part 1 � The early years

The ICC was formed � as the Imperial Cricket Conference � by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa in 1909. Whilst they were the only three nations playing Test cricket at the time, it was arguable as to whether South Africa were actually the third best side in the world at that point.

Despite the ICC's claim that their 100th anniversary represents 100 years of international cricket, the sport had been played at an international level for 65 years before they were formed. The first international, as any good fan of associate cricket knows, was the USA v Canada match in 1844. Cricket was a popular sport in the US at the time, though by 1909, it was admittedly in decline thanks to the popularity of baseball.

Cricket's US heartland was undoubtedly Philadelphia, though by 1909 New York was beginning to challenge their dominance. Small pockets of the game also existed in Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago and all the way over in California.

Philadelphia had been playing matches now recognised as first-class since the late 19th century. They had already beaten Australia twice as of 1909 � both times by an innings � and had beaten many visiting sides from England and Ireland, as well as having three tours to the British Isles of varying success.

They last toured there in 1908 when Bart King (right) � still regarded today as the finest cricketer ever produced by one of the current non-test nations � took 87 wickets at an average of 11.01 in just ten first-class matches. His average was a record in first-class cricket for a single English season, and wasn't beaten until Les Jackson of Derbyshire averaged 10.99 in 1958.

So as of 1909, cricket in the USA was arguably as strong, if not stronger than South African cricket. After all, South Africa hadn't beaten the Australians as of 1909. But there was a problem for the Americans.

Remember that the ICC was, on formation, called the Imperial Cricket Conference. This meant that, in true gentlemen's club style and like the MCC who administered the ICC until the 1990s, to be a member, your face had to fit. In cricket's case, membership wasn't defined by race or religion, but by membership in another "imperial" organisation � the British Empire.

So despite their obvious strengths, the USA could not join the ICC. Argentina were similarly advanced in their cricket but also had to miss out. The harm done to cricket in North and South America by this short-sighted decision is only just beginning to be healed.

Philadelphia continued to win matches, with two wins over Jamaica in early 1909, two wins over Ireland the same year and a third and final win over Australia in 1912. But cricket had begun it's decline, and US first-class cricket ended in 1913.

One could argue for ever about whether ICC recognition would have stopped this decline or not, but it certainly can't have helped matters. Some ICC support could have encouraged cricket in the country to have become professional. One has to remember that of the modern �big four� North American sports, only baseball was a widely popular professional sport in the USA at this time. Ice Hockey had only just begun to creep across the Canadian border, and Basketball and American Football were predominately amateur.

With hindsight we can look at what could have been done. Major League Baseball didn't expand west of Missouri until the 1950s. Had cricket been promoted in that area, it could have had a chance. Of course the administrators of the game in Philadelphia must share some of the blame, thanks to a gentlemen's club attitude that almost rivalled that of the MCC.

In part two of our series, we will look at the years in which the USA found themselves in the international wilderness before the ICC finally opened up beyond the countries coloured pink on the map, and the early, mostly uneventful, period of their ICC membership.