Shadley van Schalkwyk's leap of faith leads to World Cup debut for Team USA

When Shadley van Schalkwyk was bowling at Mangaung Oval in 2019, the last thing on his mind was playing in front of people wearing Seattle Seahawks jerseys or having to hop on a flight to play a match in Miami. 

That is his life now.

The Wynberg Boys High graduate is preparing to don the red, white and blue at a World Cup.

“I took a leap of faith. I came in 2020, a few months before Covid-19, to check out the cricket scene,” said the 35-year-old.

“If it worked, I’d run with it. Then Covid-19 happened and I was stuck here because the borders were closed.” 

The leap, coupled with the unique circumstances of a global pandemic, saw him granted a “green card” and earning a place in the US team for the T20 World Cup.

On Sunday morning (2am SA time) Van Schalkwyk will be in the starting team at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas for the opening match of the tournament against Canada. 

“If you asked me four years ago, ‘would you like to play cricket in Miami?’ I would have jumped at the chance and now I get to do it regularly,” said Van Schalkwyk.

Now settled in Seattle, which has a vibrant club scene with more than 200 teams, Van Schalkwyk, whose wife gave birth to a baby daughter in February, will apply for US citizenship in two years' time. 

Cricket in the US has changed drastically in the past four years with the advent of the Major League Cricket (MLC) competition, the T20 World Cup and an Olympic tournament in Los Angeles at the 2028 Summer Games driving growth.

“[The standard] is surprisingly good. I’d describe it as an ‘undiscovered industry’,” said Van Schalkwyk.

“It’s not as structured as the first class system in South Africa, there isn’t the same coaching structures, the overall structure is not on the same level, but it’s a lot better than it was four years ago.”

Van Schalkwyk plays for the Seattle Thunderbolts in the Minor League Cricket tournament 24-team competition, which is the primary feeder for the MLC and the US national side. 

He described Americans as curious about the game.

“People are willing to learn and because they love their region, they will come and cheer the team. 

“It can look a bit strange — the merchandising hasn’t caught up with the excitement — so if you come to one of our home games people will be wearing Seattle Seahawks NFL jerseys. They are into their sport, they want to support a local Seattle team.” 

The MLC tournament was a big step for the sport. Three of the teams are owned by IPL franchises, including Van Schalkwyk’s side, the LA KnightRiders. “[Cricket] is growing at an exponential rate — a lot quicker than I thought it was when looking at it from South Africa.” 

A lot of that growth is driven by the enormous Asian community in the US, reflected in the national team which has seven players born in Pakistan or India, including captain Monank Patel, who hails from Gujarat.

Van Schalkwyk, with his old Free State teammate Andries Gous, lend the US extra South African flavour, while Corey Anderson, who played for New Zealand at the 2015 World Cup, is also in the American team. 

“It’s not been difficult to come together. When cricket is the common language, it’s easy. We’ve been playing together or against each other for a few years and it becomes easy to bond, especially when all of us are pushing for the same goal.”

Van Schalkwyk, who once harboured hopes of cracking the Proteas team, said he would encourage young South African cricketers to seek their fortune in the US.

“I would tell them to jump at any opportunity that comes their way. But if you take that leap of faith, realise it is a lot harder work because the structures aren’t there yet, but it is growing quickly.”

As for the US’ prospects at the World Cup, Van Schalkwyk admits those may have been made harder by their series win over Bangladesh recently.

“After the Bangladesh series, people are starting to look at us more and not simply writing us off.”

Van Schalkwyk picked up two wickets in that series.

“We’ve built some good processes in the group so we want to follow those, but at the same time also enjoy the environment we have created.”

Besides looking forward to catching up with best friend Reeza Hendricks in New York, Van Schalkwyk is hopeful the tournament will show off the best of cricket in his adopted country.

“It will be a platform to showcase the cricket skills that exist in America and that there are fanatic fans that follow US cricket.”