> It was killed by a shortage of pitches, kit and coaching, and by the rise of baseball, the great American pastime.

There is no need for a pitch or kit. Cricket is played in the richest of grounds and poorest of places all over India. Manytimes the bat, the ball and wickets are ‘created’ out of scrap! All you need is a passion and desire to play the sport.

On the participation side the obvious alternative for the US is to grow indoor cricket. Run social competitions in sports centers during the baseball offseason and promote it to baseball players as offseason training as there is a skills crossover.

Indoor cricket requires less players, has shorter games and doesn't need huge fields (fits on a basketball court) or specialised pitch preparation.