By Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes, ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms).
Could the USA succeed as a Test playing nation? Perhaps more importantly, would the American public be open to the addition of cricket in the US summer sporting schedule? It is a suggestion that might seem laughable? Test cricket in America? Not a chance.
If we want Americans watching cricket, they can have T20 cricket. They’d love it, it’s similar to baseball. But would T20 really be the most attractive format of the game to the American audience? If you’re an American sports fan, and you want to watch something similar to baseball, you’d watch baseball. Test cricket is great because it is not like anything else. A mutli-day Test of endurance, concentration and skill.
Those nations without Test status, have no idea what they need to do to become a Test playing nation. Here is what we do know. As of January 2026, the United States national cricket team is top of the standings for the Cricket World Cup League 2, an ODI competition part of the 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification. Through 24 matches, they have a 18-6 record. This is in a league with the best non-Test playing nations in men’s ODI cricket. This includes a Netherlands team that made the 2023 Cricket World Cup. They are currently number 14 in the world in men’s ODI rankings, narrowly behind 13th placed Scotland. This from a country where cricket is still an obscure sport. Having strong performances in ODIs, should be justifiable as a pathway to playing the Test format.
The question is less about whether the USA has a good side but more about whether the American public would get behind their team. If you are of the belief that there is no way an American audience would watch a multi-day sporting contest with a team representing the country, I raise you the Ryder Cup. This biannual golf tournament between the USA and Europe gets the passions going on both sides. Not everyone watching is a die-hard follower of the PGA tour. They were also not put off by the event going for three days with action spread across about 14 hours each day. In fact, the play across multiple days and the patriotism enhances that event. The three PGA golf majors in the USA are big events in the nation’s sports year. The Masters, US Open and US PGA have a great pull and the fact that they are four-day events are part of the draw.
The USA team is among the best in the world in associate cricket and the American public can absolutely support a multi-day format of sport. So, why does this seem so far away? Well, part of it is that USA cricket has been in an administrative disaster for a while now. But the bigger reason is within the fabric of the sport.
Cricket at an international level is a closed system. Only 12 nations have Test status, and there doesn’t seem to be any nation likely to get Test status on the horizon. That’s not how sports works everywhere else. Sports are routinely looking to expand participation levels all over the world. Cricket can keep going on about how it’s the second most popular sport behind soccer, but that’s what happens when it is the passion of a nation of a billion people. Cricket simply hasn’t meaningfully grown the way it should have. It is a miniscule sport in all but about a single digit number of countries.
Sports like basketball and baseball have a wider reach even if fewer people watch it, because they have made the administrative decisions towards international inclusivism. Even sports which cricket laps on participation levels have greater reach. The PDC World Darts Championship recently concluded and the field for that tournament expanded from 96 to 128. That tournament saw the first Swiss, Indian and Kenyan win a World Championship match. It was confirmed after Kenyan David Munyua’s memorable victory against the 18th seed that Africa would get a second World Championship spot for the next edition. Far from downgrading the event like many feared, going to 128 has lifted the biggest tournament in the sport. Darts has long surpassed cricket in attracting players and fans from around the globe.
The cricket attitude was best summarized by Todd Greenberg who argued in August 2025 “I think in the future scarcity in Test cricket is our friend, not our foe”. I am sure Greenberg would say he loves Test cricket. He marvels at the format and sees how much Australian fans love it. So why not spread the good news? The answer is the same as it was when Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber made the 2015 documentary Death of a Gentleman. The three biggest Test playing nations of India, England and Australia, would prefer to keep it to themselves for financial reasons. When those teams play each other that makes the most money, it’s not that difficult to see the reasoning behind Greenberg’s statement.
Would the USA be a massive underdog if they were given Test status? 100 percent. But the American sports fan loves the underdog. The country was founded by upsetting the English in warfare, it would be a sensational story if they did it at Test cricket. It should also be noted the US has a strong Asian community which would love to see cricket on their backdoor. They would create a great atmosphere inside American cricket grounds during a Test match.
Furthermore, the West Indies, who don’t have a real geographical rival in Test cricket, could benefit from playing such a nation that’s a bit closer to them. The idea of the opening pair of the American team facing the new ball bowling of English quicks at Lord’s is a long way away. It is highly unlikely from where we are now, that we will hear the star-spangled banner being played out at the MCG on Boxing Day. That is the world Greenberg wants to hold on to.
Test cricket would really benefit from a tier system with proper promotion and relegation. The ICC ran the Intercontinental Cup, a first-class tournament for non-Test playing nations from 2004-2017. It was designed as a mechanism for those nations to play four-day first-class cricket to prepare nations for Test status. Scotland won the first edition and then Ireland (4) and Afghanistan (2) won the other six editions. Ireland and Afghanistan got Test status on the back of their dominance in that event. Afghanistan won the last installment of this event and after a 10-wicket win against the UAE, Rashin Khan said “It’s a good preparation for Test cricket for us.”
Right now, a player perfectly suited for Test cricket can’t play because they are not from one of the chosen twelve nations. The promise of professional sport has always been that it does not matter where you are from, you’ll play if you are good enough. It is the only true meritocracy left. But right now, Test cricket is not that. If cricket wants to grow, it has to be clear about the pathway for a nation to get Test status.
The four best nations based on the T20 rankings outside of the lowest Cricket World Cup qualifying league, the Challenge League can work their way in through a play-off. In 2024, three of those teams, Kuwait, Bahrain and Tanzania did just that. The best teams in League 2 should get the chance to at-least play-off for a second tier Test competition. There should be promotion and relegation between these tiers. The dream of a team going from a new ICC nation to playing top-level Test cricket should be a pathway as unlikely as it would be. All you have to give people in sport is hope. The hope of our team or our favourite player will win is why we watch.
A side representing the USA playing Test cricket won’t happen soon. But that doesn’t mean that the USA playing Test cricket wouldn’t work.
Australian Cricket Society’s literary scholar Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes is mentored by writer John Harms. His pieces are also published at www.footyalmanac.com.au .