Having played for the US national team for the past three years, Shuja had grown frustrated with the lack of opportunity for cricket players in the country. “The US team only plays one or two games a year, and outside of that there is hardly any chance to practice.”
But he is hopeful. The first step towards a more marketable format was made a few years ago with the introduction of the Twenty20 game. The new set-up lasts just over three hours and sports fancy accessories such as cheerleaders and fireworks: “Fans are having a real party at the games now – just like they do during soccer or baseball matches”, he says. He is excited about the new “American way” of cricket and the sport's market value.
The battle to bring Twenty20 cricket to the United States recently intensified when the International Cricket Council handed the US a surprise place in the qualifiers for next year's world championships. The move was widely seen as a bargaining chip to counter plans for a rebel Twenty20 league in New York being put together by Jay Mir, the president of American Sports & Entertainment Group Inc.
Shuja started playing cricket in Pakistan at the tender age of one. “As soon as I could walk I was holding a bat”, claims the son of a professional cricket player. Studying took over for a while when he moved to Austin, Texas, to study computer science and marketing. He managed to secure a job with IBM in the US, and during spells with the company in Australia and England he took up his passion once again. He was eventually chosen to play for the US national team in 2006, but never quit his job with IBM. “Cricket is not a professional sport in this country, which means that you don't get paid for it,” he says.
Juggling cricket and a full-time job has not become easier after enrolling for an MBA at Kellogg School of Management in August 2008. There are no cricket facilities on campus and the nearest ones are in Chicago, an hour’s drive away. “Plus, it's even colder in Chicago than it is here.”
Staying in good form is a challenge, despite the School being supportive of his cricket commitments. The fast bowler is doing gym workouts and watching cricket DVDs to keep his game up, but worries about the World Twenty20 qualifying game that will be held in Dubai later this year.
Shuja thinks cricket needs more international, competitive tournaments in order to be globally successful.
At the moment, most games are bilateral and they offer little long-term incentives to win. A tournament like the World Twenty20, where countries have to qualify to get to the next round, makes the game more meaningful and exciting, and attracts a bigger audience. “If India plays Australia as part of a tournament, for example, viewers from Pakistan will be interested to see who qualifies to play Pakistan in the following round.”
The Twenty20 format, according to Shuja, is the “most innovative sports marketing idea of the decade”. Originally invented by the Cricket Board of England and Wales, the format was introduced first to the West Indies by controversial Texan financier Allen Stanford, and then to India by Lalit Modi in 2008. Thanks to the new concept the Indian Premier League was worth over $700 million dollars within its first year.
While cricket is a minority sport in the US, the market is nevertheless ready for fans and viewers. “There are about eight million people from traditional cricket stronghold countries living in the US, so there is a lot of business potential that has not been tapped yet,” he argues.
One Kellogg alum who did not want to be named has spotted this potential and recently pitched an idea to the International Cricket Council, based around international test tournaments. His idea, presented to Kellogg students during a recent campus visit, “is not revolutionary”, admits Shuja. “But considering that test cricket has been so resistant to change in the past, it would still be a big advancement for the sport.”
More US interest in cricket would carry and extra perk for Shuja. There is a Kellogg Cricket Club, whose members meet to play in a park on sunny days. But the quality of the game is not exactly challenging for pro Shuja: “I've organised equipment for the club from Australia. It’s softer than professional gear and is actually meant to be used by children. But I don't want any of my fellow students to get hurt.”
RECAPTHA :
b7
b2
06
65
