Can cricket finally crack America? And what impact might Major League Cricket, the States’ ambitious new franchise tournament, have on the wider global game? Nicholas Brookes investigates

In Thursday, cricket will come crashing into the world’s biggest sporting market. Major League Cricket (MLC) – the newest arrival on the franchise scene – is the latest attempt to popularise the game in the States and, according to those involved, it is much more than a two-and-ahalf-week tournament. Can cricket succeed where Jamie Oliver, Oasis and Ant & Dec failed – and break America? We’re about to...