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Australian legend Ricky Ponting has made a shocking suggestion that could completely change the way the game is presented in the United States. With cricket trying to find space in the American sports market, Ricky Ponting believes the game may need a bold rebranding to attract local fans.
He feels that the word ‘cricket’ itself could be a problem for American audiences. Ponting believes that the sport should be promoted simply as 'T20,' especially when the main target is young American sports fans who are more familiar with baseball, basketball, and American football. Amid this, PSL 2027: PCB faces scheduling dilemma as broadcasters and franchises want different windows.
Ricky Ponting fears the word ‘Cricket’ could confuse American fans
Ricky Ponting admitted that he is a traditional cricket lover and played much more Test cricket than T20 cricket during his career. However, the former Australian captain feels the traditional identity of cricket may not work well in a country where the game is still relatively new.
His concern is that when Americans hear the word "cricket," many of them may immediately imagine a long five-day Test match. That could make the sport look slow and difficult to understand. Ponting believes T20 offers a completely different experience because it is short, fast, and packed with big hits.
Ricky Ponting wants Cricket rebranded as T20 in USA
Ricky Ponting feels T20 could be presented as a separate modern sports product instead of making new fans first think about Test cricket. The aim would be to make the format easier and more exciting for people who have never watched cricket before.
Speaking to The Athletic, Ponting said, "If I was bringing it here wholly and solely to sell and promote the game, I wouldn’t call it cricket. It’d just be rebranded as T20 only. Leave the cricket thing aside.” Amid this, BBL 2026-27: Brisbane Heat sign Tom Curran; Marcus Stoinis transfer gets blocked.
Ponting sees Baseball as the perfect way to explain T20
Ponting also believes that baseball could play an important role in helping Americans understand T20. Instead of explaining every technical difference between the two sports, he feels the focus should be on the entertainment and scoring.
The huge number of sixes in a T20 match could be used to show American fans how explosive the format can be compared with baseball's home runs.
Ponting said, “I would compare it to baseball as much as I could and give kids that chance to understand you’re hitting 15 sixes per game in a game of T20 cricket, but you are hitting less than one home run a game in the game of baseball.”
Major League Cricket boost USA’s cricket push
He suggested this idea at a time when the United States has become one of the biggest priorities for the International Cricket Council (ICC). America has a massive sports audience and a powerful commercial market. Baseball, American football, and basketball continue to dominate the American sports scene, while soccer has also grown strongly in recent years.
But cricket has remained a much smaller sport and has mainly been followed by communities with links to South Asia, Europe, and Africa. However, cricket has started making bigger moves in the country. The United States successfully hosted matches during the 2024 T20 World Cup, and now Major League Cricket has also been introduced as a professional domestic competition in America.
