Cricket as an Emerging Sport in North America

Cricket, a sport invented in England, has been very popular in the Eastern hemisphere. The sport is especially popular in places such as Australia, The United Kingdom, India, Ireland, New Zealand and parts of Africa.

However, the sport of cricket is not popular, by most means, in North America. As a cricket fan living in North America, I have always questioned the lack of the game's popularity. Canada's national cricket team is improving and bringing some interest to the sport in, at least, Canada.

The official logo of the Canadian national team.

This sudden rise in popularity of the sport in Canada has brought some excitement to fans, including myself. It was thrilling to watch Canada compete in this past Cricket World Cup (2011). The team managed to get one win in group play, which was considered impressive for a team of such a caliber.

Canada's national cricket team.

Though the Canadian team seems to be struggling of late, many supporters, like myself, still have hopes and expectations for the team, as the sport is still only gradually emerging. The majority of Canada's professional cricket players are from nations that excel in the game such as India, Pakistan, and various nations in the West Indies; the team has high potential. I find the captain, Ashish Bagai, to be a very skilled leader and athlete. Bagai does his team justice as the wicket keeper.

Ashish Bagai

Ashish Bagai batting during a match.

My hopes for Cricket are that the sport becomes more popular in the Western Hemisphere, or at least North America. There are currently no North and South American professional cricket leagues outside of National clubs. Cricket is as interesting a sport as soccer (football) and I would like to see it become equally appreciated and enjoyed world wide.

HEAD Mojo Racquet

I recently bought myself a new tennis racquet to step up my game. The racquet is called the HEAD Mojo. I will soon have my own review of the racquet posted here, but until then you can watch this video for more info.

Who has a chance at the 2012 Australian Open?

As you may know, the Australian Open, one of the four major worldwide tournaments in tennis, starts on this Sunday, January 15, 2012. The top seeds for the tournament are as follows:

From Serbia,

Novak Djokovic, the defending champion from last year's (2011) Australian Open.

From Spain,

Rafael Nadal, winner of the 2009 Australian Open.

From Switzerland,

Roger Federer, 4 time (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) Australian Open champion.

From The United Kingdom (Scotland),

Andy Murray, runner up in the last two years' (2010 & 2011) Australian Open. 

Outside of the above list of players, I believe Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France has a chance at knocking off one of the top four players from the finals. Tsonga is currently ranked number six in the world and is playing without a coach. 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

I also have high hopes for Canadian youngster Milos Raonic. He has a big serve and I believe that he has a great future in tennis, despite his injury in the French Open that led to his forfeit. 

Milos Raonic

Even further I will be on the lookout for an American player by the name of John Isner. John seems to  put up a good fight against top players. In the French Open he came close to taking out Nadal, arguably the greatest clay court player to date. John plays with a lot of heart and is motivated to improve his game. I believe that if he continues to apply himself, he can become one of the top ten players in the world of tennis. 

John Isner