Indian and Pakistani cricketers band together for USA’s T20 World Cup dream

Co-hosts USA enter the T20 World Cup as outsiders but with a united multiracial dressing room that goes beyond cricket.

Captain: Monak Patel
Fixtures: Canada (June 2), Pakistan (June 6), India (June 12), Ireland (June 14)
Best finish at T20 World Cup: Debut tournament

For the best part of the last century, the world of cricket attempted to reignite a love for the game that was officially played for the first time in New York City in the 19th century.

Cricket began in the United States earlier than in any other part of the world, according to archived references.

Now, the sport is making its way back to the US by handing it the co-hosting rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Lining up under the country’s stars and stripes flag will be 15 men who call the US home, but come from diverse backgrounds. Eleven of the 15 belong to the bustling South Asian community of Indian and Pakistani heritage.

The two South Asian nations may be bitter rivals, but the acrimony goes out of the window when the players get together in the Team USA dressing room.

“The respect is evident,” USA’s coach Stuart Law tells Al Jazeera.

“They [players] are not representing India or Pakistan – or West Indies or South Africa – they are all fighting for the stars and stripes and they just want to put on a good show for the American people,” Law said.

“We are all from different backgrounds and cultures, but you wouldn’t know it,” he said.

USA will be led by India-born Monank Patel, while their standout pacer is Pakistan-born Ali Khan. The squad also boasts a former New Zealand superstar Corey Anderson who is known for his power-hitting and his record-breaking innings in 2014, when he set a new world record for the fastest one-day international (ODI)