Philadelphian cricket team
The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. Even with the United States having played the first ever international cricket match against Canada in 1844, the sport began a slow decline in the U.S. This decline was furthered by the rise in popularity of baseball. In Philadelphia, however, the sport remained very popular and from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I, the city produced a first class team that rivaled many others in the world. The team was composed of players from the four chief cricket clubs in Philadelphia–Germantown, Merion, Belmont, and Philadelphia. Players from smaller clubs, such as Tioga and Moorestown Cricket Club, and local colleges, such as Haverford and Penn, also played for the Philadelphians. Over its 35 years, the team played in 88 first-class cricket matches. Of those, 29 were won, 45 were lost, 13 were drawn and one game was abandoned before completion.
1884 squad of the Philadelphian cricket team as depicted in the Illustrated London News
George Patterson President of University of Pennsylvania Cricket team in 1887 and member of Penn Class of 1888, still holds the North American batting record with 271
John Lester maintained a batting average of 33.14 in his first-class career
John Barton King is widely considered to be the best bowler produced by the United States
United States national cricket team
The United States men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United States in international cricket. The team was formerly organized by the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1965. In June 2017, the USACA was expelled by the ICC due to governance and financing issues, with the U.S. team being temporarily overseen by ICC Americas until a new sanctioning body was established. In January 2019, associate membership was officially granted to USA Cricket.
The Philadelphian cricket team, shown here on an 1884 tour of England, were the premier American cricket team for several decades after the Civil War
The U.S. national team, during their tour of the Middle East in December 2017.