USA batter Shayan Jahangir has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to provide greater funding and exposure to Associate nations, saying untapped talent continues to go unnoticed due to limited opportunities.
Speaking ahead of USA’s must-win clash against the Netherlands in Chennai, Jahangir pointed to the disparity in preparation between Full Members and Associate teams.
“Major teams are playing big T20 series against each other, and we were playing against Sri Lanka A,” he said. “We don’t have the funding for those competitions or the infrastructure. If you really nurture us, there’s so much talent in Associate cricket.”
He cited Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, who holds the record for the fastest T20I fifty, as an example of a player lacking global exposure despite exceptional ability.
“There are so many cricketers who are so good but not given the exposure,” Jahangir said. “If performances like that happened at the highest level, they’d get recognition all over the world.”
Despite limited international fixtures since April 2025, USA pushed tournament favourites India close earlier in the competition, reducing them to 77 for 6 before a counterattack turned the match. Fast bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk currently sits among the tournament’s leading wicket-takers, underlining the team’s competitiveness.
Jahangir believes franchise leagues such as Major League Cricket have accelerated cricket’s growth in the United States, inspiring young players and raising awareness nationwide.
“If the ICC pays more attention to Associate nations,” he said, “you’ll see more big games — and more teams changing their tag from Associate to major cricketing nations.”