Around the turn of the century (i.e. 1890 - 1910) cricket was very popular in Philadelphia. Sure it was a class ridden structure, but this was even more true of cricket in England at the time. But it wasn't much known in England or Australia. So in 1893, a strong Australian team stopped in Philadelphia on the way back from a tour of England, and arranged a match with the Gentlemen of Philadelphia, no doubt expecting to demonstrate their skills in a light practice match. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia won by an innings and 68 runs. Sure the Australians won a return fixture, but the Gentlemen of Philadelphia were established as a seriously good team. They toured England in 1897, 1903 and 1908, holding their own or more against the strong county sides of England.

Their star was John Barton (Bart) King, probably the finest fast bowler in the world between 1893 and 1909. On the 1908 tour of England he topped the bowling averages for the season, with an average which would not be bettered for 50 years.

Sadly, after WWI, baseball and tennis began to dominate across the USA, and the great cricket clubs of Philadelphia mostly became tennis clubs.

So if South Asian Immigrants can help re-establish the game , then maybe in the not too distant future a strong, maybe more representative American team will once again tour England, play against county sides, and, who, knows, even the England team.