Ricky Ponting admits growth of cricket in USA has underwhelmed him

[p]Former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/OxG0JfXg/"]Australia[/a] captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ponting-ricky/6PtEJMI0/"]Ponting[/a], who ‌coaches [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/washington-freedom/CQlSiWdg/"]Washington[/a] Freedom in Major League Cricket, said more effort ‌was needed at the grassroots level to grow the sport ‌in the country.[/p][p]"[b]It's been a slow-burn so far... if I'm totally honest,[/b]" Ponting told Reuters on a video call. "[b]I don't think ‌it's grown as quickly as I'd have ⁠expected over the last ‌three years.[/b]"[/p][p]However, the 51-year-old said he believed the U.S. to be ​one of the best markets for the sport to grow.[/p][p]"[b]I think there's such a great opportunity... ​for people like me to be involved and help grow the game,[/b]" he added.[/p][p]Ponting led Washington to their maiden ⁠MLC title in 2024, ​his first season in charge, but they narrowly lost the final in the next two editions.[/p][p]"[b]Emotion-wise... hasn't all been plain sailing,[/b]" Ponting said.[/p][embed guid="1343a338-eeb5-4783-acc7-6cdb93e770b0" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxtnFpxvhOk" social-type="youtube" /][p]The Australian was particularly impressed by the U.S. ‌men's team, who went toe to toe with test-playing nations in the last two T20 World Cups and earned a famous victory on home soil over former champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pakistan/tS3K91g9/"]Pakistan[/a].[/p][p]"[b]The U.S. team's now a lot better, lot more competitive... I think once you start having a successful national team, that's when you can also start growing the game at different levels[/b]," he said.[/p][p]Ponting is involved in the sport's ‌growth in the U.S., joining Century Cricket Centres as an ​investor as they opened their first indoor training ‌facility in New York, with technology that can track a player's performance.[/p][p]"[b]If the game's going to really prosper in the U.S., we must break into the grassroots level and make the game attractive to young kids ⁠coming through primary school ⁠that might otherwise have ‌played baseball,[/b]" he added.[/p]