Shayan Jahangir calls for more funding for Associate teams from ICC

USA batter Shayan Jahangir has called for more funding for Associate teams from the ICC going forward. Speaking to the media ahead of USA's upcoming fixture in the T20 World Cup against Netherlands in Chennai, Jahangir asked for the ICC to pay more attention in order to 'nurture' the Associate teams properly, which could in return produce better cricket at world tournaments.

"The exposure and the kind of funding that we get from ICC is lacking," Jahangir said. "I think we've been given the tag of Associate nation, but we are nothing short of a great team. As you have seen in this World Cup, all teams that are tagged Associate nations have put on a show, and they've given a very tough time to all these big teams. Nepal almost won a game against England. We almost beat India, having them 75 for 6 - again Surya(Kumar Yadav) playing the way he played. But if we had cleansed those moments, we would have beaten the powerhouse of a World Cup team.

"I would say, we have not been watered down properly. We haven't been nurtured properly. But again, it's all our players who are putting in the hard yards. Without the financial resources, without the infrastructure, I think if ICC pays more attention to us and all the Associate nations, you'll see more big games and you'll see all these teams coming and changing their tag from Associate nations to big teams as well."

The 31-year-old also cited the examples of top teams arranging bilateral series between themselves in the buildup to the tournament which would have served as ideal preparation. India played host to New Zealand last month whereas Australia toured Pakistan for a short series as well before arriving in Sri Lanka. "Preparation is very important," he stated. "And it has a lot to do with the funding as well. We don't have the money to have those comps, have those big grounds that we can play on, and I think if we have that funding from ICC, and it's a request from us, personally from me, to really look into it, and if you really nurture us, I'm telling you, there's so much talent in Associate cricket.

"There are so many cricketers who are so good, but not given the exposure. I think there's this one guy from Nepal, he scored a nine-ball half century [referring to Dipendra Singh Airee]. And if it was at the highest level, he would get recognition all over the world and he's still struggling to play league cricket all over the world. So I think exposure, funding, and also a little push is required and hopefully we'll get it."

Speaking further on cricket's popularity in the United States, Jahangir credited the Major League Cricket (MLC) for playing a role in creating more awareness about the game. "Since the inception of Major League Cricket, cricket has blossomed in the country," Jahangir pointed out. "There are a lot of youth that are picking up a cricket ball and a cricket bat, there are lots of interest [sic] being developed amongst the youth. And I think those are the kids who are going to take cricket forward in the country. Even the Native Americans who were born and raised in the country also have awareness that America has a cricket team. Four or five years ago, they didn't even know that cricket existed. But for us, I think kudos to us and our boys who are putting in the time without any exposure and representing the flag whenever we get on the field, we have pride (in) representing the country."

Reflecting on the two games so far, Jahangir is hopeful of learning from the lessons. While he didn't feature in the first game, the 31-year-old opened the innings against Pakistan - the country of his birth whom he has represented even in the U19 level. "The kind of talent that we have in the squad, we expect more from us, from our boys and from the team," he admitted. "But hopefully we can take lots of learnings in the past two games and produce results in the following games.

"If I look at it in hindsight, I mean everything happened for a reason. It was again a full circle moment for me. I never imagined to play against Pakistan in the World Cup. I always wanted to play for the country where I was born. But God has plans for everybody. I think whatever happened, whatever decisions I took in the past 10 years has [sic] worked out for me well and I'm just grateful to be playing for the USA cricket team and looking forward to more opportunities."