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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Did y'all know that the World Cup is happening right now including right here in New York? No, not that World Cup. The Cricket World Cup. For many New Yorkers among us with roots in countries around the world, this is their sport. If you didn't already know, and if this doesn't include you yourself, and this is a very big deal that it's here. The month of June is shaping up to be a huge month for cricket in the United States.

Announcer: Well, no surprise there. He was always going to finish it. He was always going to finish it with a slog sweep. He ends up with 10 sixes. He ends up as a hero of American cricket.

Brian Lehrer: All right, a little cricket play-by-play. If you've never heard that before, that was the conclusion of the opening match of the 2024 T20 World Cup. This is the first major cricket tournament on US soil ever happening right now. What we heard was a moment from the opening match that was June 1st between the US and Canada. Let's open the phones for cricket players, cricket enthusiasts, and tell everybody else what this means for a sport that may just be starting to get the recognition that it's due here in this country at all.

There are major matches scheduled for Eisenhower Park in Nassau County. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Explain cricket or just a little piece of cricket to other listeners if you are a cricket player, cricket fanatic, 212-433-9692 as the World Cup is taking place here, as well as in Dallas, the US plays Pakistan in Dallas today, and Guyana and Barbados, and as your calls are coming in, joining me now is a Cricket Hall of Famer, John Aaron, self-styled servant of cricket. He was manager of the USA women's national under-19 and Senior Women's cricket teams, and he's an adjunct lecturer of business at the Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York. John, so nice to have you today. Welcome to WNYC.

John Aaron: Thank you, Brian. It's a pleasure being with you once again.

Brian Lehrer: Did you grow up playing cricket?

John Aaron: Yes. Not at the national level, but I certainly played in high school and that sort of thing.

Brian Lehrer: Where was that?

John Aaron: This is in Guyana in South America.

Brian Lehrer: How did you come to be a USA Cricket Hall of Famer?

John Aaron: Well, not for hitting sixes and fours, definitely. For cricket administration, I've been in a number of capacities serving in cricket from the club level to the national organizational level and everything in between.

Brian Lehrer: I watch cricket a little bit in one of my local parks, Van Cortlandt Park. They play cricket. For people who might have walked past it a number of times, like I have, and stopped to watch for a few minutes, but don't really quite get it, the first impression that an unschooled American might have is, "Oh, it looks a little bit like baseball." There's a pitcher, he gets to run up to the spot, not just stand on the rubber but run up to the spot where he delivers the pitch. Then what happens? What are we looking at if we see what-- you tell us what we would call the pitcher and the batter in baseball, what are they called in cricket, and what's happening there?

John Aaron: We have a bowler and a batsman. It's similar in many ways to baseball, even though you tell cricket aficionados that, and they, "Oh, no, it's not like baseball, it is much more attractive." We've got a bowler who runs up and delivers the ball if ball must hit the ground so that the batter can hit it. Basically, it's a question of scoring runs. See the ball, hit the ball, run, or if you hit it out of the park, in baseball, to be considered a home run, in cricket till, you get six runs and you don't have to exert any energy running up and down between the wicket. If he hits on the ground and runs along the ground to the end of the boundary border, you get four runs. In between that, you can run between yourself and the other batsman from either end, you exchange ends, and runs are scored in that manner.

Brian Lehrer: Did you say that when the bowler throws the ball toward the batsman, it has to bounce on the ground first before it reaches the batsman?

John Aaron: Yes. You got the errand bowler sometimes where the ball gets away. Like in baseball, you have a ball, instead of a strike, where the ball gets to win it, it's considered a full toss, and if the batter can hit it, he will hit it and score a run. Primarily, what you want to do is the ball to hit the ground, hit the dirt, and that's when the variation comes in because when it hits the dirt, you introduce another factor, another dimension where the ball can go left or right, depending what the bowler does and how he grips the ball. The batter has a shorter reaction time to react to hitting the ball or getting out of the way because some players have been hurt that way.

Brian Lehrer: Zach on Long Island, you're on WNYC. Hello, Zach.

Zach: Hi, sir, how are you? Good morning.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you for calling. Cricket fan?

Zach: Big time. Never missed any India-Pakistan match in last 10 years, anywhere in the world, including India. Surprisingly, I'm from Pakistan, but we lost 9 match out of 10 matches. Hoping for 9th June, Pakistan might win. Finger crossed.

Brian Lehrer: India-Pakistan. That's like, to make another baseball analogy, that's like Yankees-Red Sox, right? One of the ultimate intense rivalries?

Zach: Yes. There are two big events in the world of cricket. One is India-Pakistan, and other one, Australia and England, Ashes. I think it is a big initiative by International Cricket Council to bring the cricket to US. Surprisingly, the first-ever test match was took place in 18th century between US and Canada, but the cricket never took off in this part of the world. It came after almost 100th year to the US.

Brian Lehrer: Zach, do I hear Long Island Railroad sounds behind you?

Zach: Yes, sir. I am heading to the city, so I just heard your show. I thought I should call you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you so much. We really appreciate it. Call us again.

Zach: Thank you, sir.

Brian Lehrer: John, do you want to say anything about India-Pakistan, or any other real intense matches to look for?

John Aaron: Yes, Zach is absolutely right. The rivalry between Pakistan and India is, to use pun, is unrivaled. He's also right that the first international sporting event between two nations was held in 1844 in Manhattan, between Canada and United States. Cricket, in some ways, have come full circle since that match. I wasn't there, I didn't have tickets for that match, nor was I able to watch the live streaming in 1844. Legend has it that it was a fantastic game and that George Washington actually played cricket. Cricket has now come full circle, being here and then coming back now for the 2024 edition of the World Cup.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. Too bad you couldn't get-

John Aaron: I didn't get.

Brian Lehrer: -tickets in 1844.

John Aaron: I didn't watch the livestream.

Brian Lehrer: Now, US-Pakistan, on Long Island, in Eisenhower Park next Wednesday. I know that one. What else is going to happen? Was I wrong?

John Aaron: No, actually, as we speak right now, the USA is playing Pakistan at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, right.

John Aaron: That game is on right now as we speak. The USA plays India on the 12th at Eisenhower Park in Long Island.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, India next Wednesday. I got that wrong. Sorry.

John Aaron: Actually, right now --

Brian Lehrer: Go ahead.

John Aaron: Right now, the score is the US won the toss and offered Pakistan to bat first and Pakistan has lost two wickets for 25 runs, so the US is not doing too bad for a start against a team as prominent as Pakistan. Sorry, Zach.

Brian Lehrer: Is the US any good?

Brian Lehrer: The US is good. US is an associate nation. It's not quite up there, to be honest, with the Pakistan, India, and Australia, and so on. They're playing at home. They've got the home code behind them in Dallas right now, and they've got some pretty good players. I expect them to do well. I don't expect them, to be honest, to win the World Cup, but I expect them to do well.

John Aaron: John in Glenrock, you're on WNYC. Hi, John.

John: Hey, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: Doing all right. You're a cricket fan, John?

John: Big cricket fan. In 1983, I was in England and they gave the sport report and they gave the cricket information, and my friend and I looked at each other and said, "What did they just say?" We took it upon ourselves that trip to learn cricket. Back then, we went to Bristol and watched it. Now, I'm really excited because I've been following cricket since 1983. Viv Richards and the Caribbean group, and it's a phenomenal sport and 2.6 billion people watch it. This is very exciting for the US, and I hope many baseball fans get it into their head, this is a great opportunity to see this sport upfront in person live. Even if you just watch it on Willow.

Brian Lehrer: John, thank you very much. Willow is one of the streaming services that's carrying it. I see FuboTV is promoting that they will carry some of the matches. That's a pay service, but they offer a free trial. They're advertising, "Hey, try FuboTV for free and you can watch the Cricket World Cup." What's your advice, John, for people who want to check it out on television, if they can't get out to Eisenhower Park, how can they best?

John Aaron: It's streamed on Willow TV if you have that as your cable package, but you can also go to ICC TV, and I believe they have the games there right now. Just an update for those who are listening and not have access to the game right now, Pakistan is 26 for 3 against the USA. Three batters out. They've got several more batters to go, or when they get to 20 over. The US is not doing too badly at this time.

Brian Lehrer: I read that Citi Field will be showing the India-Pakistan game for a streaming party, that's the June 9th game. Do you know that to be true? You can go to Citi Field as if you were going to a Mets game and watch it on the big screen there?

John Aaron: Right, that is correct. Because of the significant spillover, in fact, the game on June 9th at Eisenhower Park was oversubscribed by 200%. The second day, tickets were available. This spinoff where they have these fan locations, they go watch it at a big screen and you can get to the concession stand and it's just as if you're at a game except you're watching it live on a big screen. That is to accommodate the significant number of cricket fans in the New York Metropolitan area.

Brian Lehrer: I see that the Citi Field day is sold out, so people would have to rely on the secondary market. I'm also seeing this from NBC. They say the International Cricket Council and the Port Authority are planning a series of free public viewing parties in the North Oculus Plaza at the World Trade Center. Cricket fans, there's another place that you could see it.

Well, we're going to have to leave it there with John Aaron, servant of cricket, as he calls himself, manager of the USA women's national under-19 and Senior Women's cricket teams, and a Cricket Hall of Famer himself. Very exciting. I hope we've turned some people onto a sport that a lot of other people around here play and follow and, hopefully, with the World Cup taking place right now in our midst as well as elsewhere in the US and the Caribbean, the more people get into it. John, thanks so much for taking some time, even as you are watching Pakistan-US in the background and doing live score updates. Thank you very much.

John Aaron: Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Thanks, Brian. Take care. It's a pleasure. Bye-bye.

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Stay tuned for All of It.

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