Karachi: The US Consul General in Karachi, Conrad Tribble, hopes that Cricket will become more popular in the United States as the country hosts the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, the country’s first ever cricket event.
In an exclusive interview with private News, Tribble also expressed his excitement ahead of the historic event. It also highlights the huge passion among Americans for this cricketing extravaganza.
“This is the first time we have hosted an international cricket event like this. This is a great opportunity to showcase cricket in the US and showcase the US and sports to a large audience overseas, including Pakistan. We are really excited and think it will help grow cricket in the US. ” I think so.”
Tribble emphasizes the unifying power of sport, identifying its ability to unite nations.
“Sports can always play a role in bringing people together. It is one of the easiest and best tools to connect people to people. Everyone is passionate about sports, whether you are Indian, Pakistani, or West Indian, or American, you watch cricket for your country , you’re excited about it,” he said.
He said the match between Pakistan and India in New York on June 9 is what everyone will be watching, but he is also looking forward to a high-voltage encounter between the continental neighbours.
“Pakistan and India are playing in New York on the 9th, and three days ago the United States and Pakistan played. So, this is what I see as the most important match for US diplomats in Pakistan. It will be a great event and I believe that it will be interesting for all of us to see.
I think it will be one of the things you see in the world. It will be a great opportunity for New York. I think the eyes of the world will be on that game, and I think the reason good, because what to watch for the excitement of sports, drama.
He pointed out that cricket was once a popular sport in the United States before baseball, but hopes that with the Cricket World Cup, cricket will spread from underserved communities.
“The United States has a long history with cricket. People don’t know that cricket was the most popular sport in the United States for the first 100 years of our existence. George Washington played cricket, he played wickets, but it was cricket. Cricket was the most popular sport until baseball took over during the Civil War and after. So cricket has a long history,” he said.
“Obviously, the US was not the center of cricket at that time. We actually developed cricket as a sport, as a youth activity, as a commercial business for leagues in the United States. The World Cup promises to really start this and accelerate it.
This is a sport that has largely grown in some of our immigrant communities and has spread to a wider audience from their communities. The United States itself. We welcome immigrants, we are a kind of melting pot and melting pot of society. One One of the interesting things to watch, and one that I think will accelerate this race, is to see a sport that is associated with the spread of a particular community.
It’s not a major sport in the US, but speaking of soccer’s growth over the next 40 or 50 years, the US Consul General said he could and would see cricket following a similar trajectory. This is one of the sports that appeals to a wide spectrum of society.
“If we are not in this tournament, we will soon be back with the Cricket Powers team,” he said.
When asked about his interest in sports, Tribble said that his interest in cricket grew, especially when he was in Pakistan. “I was a cricketer, especially in Pakistan.”
“I have been to several PSL matches. We watch the final, we watch the semi final. We are here at the Karachi Consulate. So when we play in Quetta, we root because we cover Balochistan, we play in Karachi Kings because we cover Sindh. So rooting for the team and just rooting for a good game, we watch some really great cricket here,” he said.
He also hoped that the Pakistan team would perform well in the ICC T20 World Cup, saying that Pakistan would be an effective team in the tournament.
