USA are facing a must-win clash with the Netherlands in Chennai, yet Shayan Jahangir’s mind is already on a bigger contest – one for respect, money and opportunities for every Associate nation.
Key facts first. The United States have not played a full T20I series against a Full-Member side since early 2025. Despite that, they rattled India in Mumbai last week, reducing the eventual favourites to 77 for 6 before Suryakumar Yadav intervened. Nepal nearly toppled England, while a handful of Associate bowlers, including USA’s Shadley van Schalkwyk, sit near the top of the wicket charts. The talent is visible; the platform, Jahangir argues, is not.
“See, especially coming into this tournament, all major teams have played big T20 series,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “Pakistan played against Australia, New Zealand played against India, and we were playing against Sri Lanka A.”
That disparity, he believes, is rooted in basic economics. “It has a lot to do with the funding as well. We don’t have the money to have those comps [competitions], don’t have those big grounds that we can play on, and I think if we have that funding from the ICC… 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.”
Associate sides currently receive a fraction of the ICC revenue shared among Full Members. Travel subsidies exist, but scheduled fixtures are sparse, and domestic structures can be flimsy. Jahangir points to individual players lost in the margins: “There are so many cricketers who are so good, but not given the exposure,” he said, citing Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee. Airee’s nine-ball half-century is the quickest in T20I history, yet he has played only ten games against the game’s elite.
For the USA, preparation for this World Cup was anything but smooth. Board in-fighting caused a nine-month gap without T20Is, and training camps bounced between Florida club grounds and borrowed facilities in Texas. Even so, van Schalkwyk’s eight wickets at 6.25 apiece highlight what can be squeezed from limited resources.
“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,” Jahangir said. “Nepal almost won a game against England. We almost beat India, having them 75 [77] for 6 – again Surya playing the way he played. But if we had clinched those moments, we would have beaten the powerhouse of a World Cup team.”
His frustration is as much about missed chances off the field as on it. “I would say we have not been watered 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 and without the infrastructure. I think if the 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.”
A quick analytical note: Associates collectively supply roughly 30% of the global playing population but earn less than 15% of ICC central funds. With the next rights cycle expected to swell cricket’s coffers, even a minor redistribution could underwrite more bilateral tours or expanded qualifying events. The ICC’s development committee meets in March; Jahangir’s plea lands at an opportune – and politically delicate – moment.
Whether the governing body listens is another matter. For now, USA must beat the Dutch to stay alive. If they do, the story continues on the pitch; if not, Jahangir hopes his words echo in the boardroom corridors instead.
