New York: Discussing the upcoming clash between India and Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup, Australia's Ricky Ponting expressed his expectation for a similar fervor here as witnessed in the 2022 clash between the arch-rivals at the MCG in T20 World Cup.
"I have seen it firsthand here in Australia, in Melbourne last time around, where there were 95,000 people in the stadium and another 50,000 people outside the stadium," he said.
"You can imagine what it's going to be like in New York. So, really exciting times for the world game," he said while discussing the upcoming clash in New York with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
Ponting also highlighted the immense potential for cricket's growth in the USA, citing the rich history of the sport in the country dating back to 1844 and recent developments like the Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise.
Ponting, who recently became coach of Washington Freedom in MLC, is optimistic about cricket's prospects in the USA.
"I think there's a great opportunity to continue to grow and promote the game in that part of the world. And that's a big part of the reason that I took the coaching job at Washington Freedom, to be a part of that sort of movement to grow the game in the US," he added.
Ponting emphasized the need to engage Americans in understanding and appreciating cricket while acknowledging the significant expatriate communities from cricket-loving nations in the region.
"There's obviously so many expat Indians, West Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Afghans in that part of the world that we know that they will continue to promote the game. But what we have to do is get the Americans into loving and understanding the game of cricket," he said.
The former Australian cricketer sees the franchise model as pivotal in driving cricket's expansion in the USA, envisioning rapid growth with the construction of dedicated stadiums and the addition of more teams.
"What I'm hearing, I think part of the franchise model with the teams that were in last year was everyone has to sort of build their own stadium in the different cities that were playing the games.
"And I think when that happens in a few years, there'll be the potential to grow the tournament out, maybe add a couple more teams," he said.
Ponting believed in the potential for cricket to become a major sport in the USA, urging concerted efforts to promote the game effectively and foster its popularity, akin to the Indian Premier League (IPL) model.
"And once you start playing in not just the six but in a lot of these big cities in the US, then I think there's an opportunity for great growth and quick growth.
"And we shouldn't sit back and just think in two years it's going to be a mini IPL, it probably won't be that. But I think that's what we should all be aiming for and doing our best to promote the game the best way that we can," he said.
