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San Francisco Unicorns drive cricket's popularity in Bay Area
The Bay Area's new cricket team has started hot after a 5-0 win over the Seattle Orcas on Wednesday night. It comes as the San Francisco Unicorns play their first season in the Major League Cricket league.
Inside a Pleasanton training facility, cricket means fast balls, flat bats, and a sport chirping its way into America's lineup.
"I fell in love with the sport when I saw my dad playing with his friends. So I gave it a shot," said 23-year-old Vatsal Vaghela of the San Ramon Grizzlies, a minor-league club with major momentum.
He's what's known as a bowler—think baseball pitcher, except here the ball bounces off the ground first.
"Like everyone who plays minor league, has that dream of playing at the highest level and minor leagues probably one of the best ways to just put yourself out there," Vaghela said.
He's not the only one with big-league dreams.
Shreyak Porecha, 14, plays on the Grizzlies' junior squad, part of a growing pipeline of fresh talent.
"The energy it's the passion. It's the competitive environment," Porecha said.
Major League Cricket is only in its third season, but it's quickly gaining ground. With billions of people worldwide tuning in, the U.S. isn't just catching up, it's catching on.
This summer, the league takes its biggest swing yet: the Oakland Coliseum, once home to the A's, is hosting its first-ever top-tier cricket match.
Although it may look like a cross between baseball and golf, you quickly find out it's a whole other ball game.
David Haubert, Board Director for USA Cricket, believes the sport, second only to soccer worldwide, could give the 63,000-seat stadium a second life.
"Every year is going to get a little bigger or a little better. We do expect to fill up the stadium," Haubert said.
With the San Francisco Unicorns — the Bay Area's first pro cricket team — in the mix, the sport is getting a shot in the arm and a serious boost where it counts, said Grizzlies co-owner Samir Shah.
Baseball may be America's pastime. But if fans have their way, cricket might just be its future, Samir Shah said.
"They're playing to perfection," he said.
