NO one has a harder job in sports than the officials of the United States Cricket Association.

Just imagine trying to sell cricket to a country which basically has no interest, or knowledge, of cricket and only plays sports they invented ? basketball, baseball and American football. While some commentators have recently compared the US with the Roman Empire in its efforts to conquer the world, in the sports context the US is still an isolationist country. In fact in the sports context, Americans often consider themselves the world ? they have the World Series in baseball even though the teams nearly all come from the US and of course they call the Super Bowl the "World Championship" even though it only involves teams from the US.

The famous comedian, Robin Williams, probably put the US perspective on cricket the best when he described the game "baseball on Valium".

But the opinions, and perhaps ignorance, of cricket by the majority of Americans will not stop the game in that country from growing said the manager of the US team, Hubert Miller.

"It can be tough, especially in trying to raise sponsorship," said Miller this week while he watched the US team compete in the Americas Championship in Bermuda. And while the US national players have their eyes set on the ICC Champions Trophy tournament being played in England in September involving the best teams from around the world, Miller was angry and upset over the snubbing his adopted country received on Monday when they were not chosen to be a host of the 2007 Cricket World Cup being hosted by the West Indies. Bermuda also had their bid rejected but were chosen to be the first alternative country.

Miller said the the decision of the ICC to reject the US bid: "It is a great disappointment that the West Indies and the ICC did not award a match to Fort Lauderdale. I am amazed that it was not accomplished.

"Here we have an American city and they are spending over $80 million on the erection of facilities ? facilities that are basically for this purpose (cricket)."

Miller said that with the help of former West Indies great Lance Gibbs, they were able to convince the authorities in Fort Lauderdale to put up the money to to build the facility. Now that the bid has been rejected it "is going to be a tremendous blow to what we are trying to do".

Miller said the ICC have said in the past that they want to market cricket in the US ? to make it the "last bastion of expansion".

"Well what are you telling me with that decision?" he asked adding, "and you know anything built by the Americans will be first class. The logistics are in place. Fort Lauderdale is very close to the Caribbean ? the hotels are in place, everything would be in place. The decision not to award a match to Fort Lauderdale is very unfortunate. It does not make common sense.

"I guarantee that we could get 25,000 people and more in that stadium if we could have hosted one of the 2007 World Cup matches. And then the national TV would spread the game. There are about four million people in the US who are seriously interested in cricket ? people who have come from the Caribbean, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. This opportunity should have been grasped. Sometimes you have to wonder whether they (ICC) seriously want to address cricket in North America. We are so disappointed. It was a missed opportunity. The decision baffled me ? it was very short sighted. When you consider that we managed to get the city of Fort Lauderdale and their politicians on board it says a lot of the work we did."

Now Miller is hoping to go one better than qualifying for this September's ICC Champions tournament in England and qualify for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. The US have never qualified for the World Cup but Miller thinks it can be done ? starting with the Americas Championship on now in Bermuda.

"I would love to qualify for the 2007 World Cup. Our goal is to win this tournament in Bermuda and I think we have the players to help us. We are also looking for an infusion of young players in the future to help us."

Miller, who was born in Guyana, has been living in the US for the past 35 years.

In fact all of the players on this current US team were born outside the US ? bar one and that is opening batsman Amir Afzaluddin.

The USCA will also be trying to bring in younger players as this current team is aging.

"The age of the team is in decline in terms of average age. Most of them are in their 30s although we have Amir Afzaluddin who is 20-years old," said Miller adding that Afzaluddin has been to the cricket academy in Grenada.

"The future of cricket lies a lot with the American kids. There is a strong movement regards to youth currently in New York and California. There are also youth programmes thriving in New Jersey. We and trying to push those youth programmes.

"I think in another five or seven years we will see a strong emergence of younger players in the squad ? providing that they live up to the talent and promise they show right now."

But Miller desperately wants to have a major sponsor come on board for US cricket.

"We are really suffering from the lack of a major sponsor ? I can't say that enough. We have accomplished a lot with very little. A lot of hard work has been done by individuals who are committed to making sure that we do what's right in terms of presenting cricket as it should be. There are a lot of flaws but that can't be helped. It is a volunteer organisation and what we really need are professionals in paid positions who can dedicate themselves to do what is necessary to advance the game in the US."

Miller said he expects that a number of the youngsters being born to the millions of US immigrants from places like the Caribbean, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, England and Australia may take up the game.

But he is also worried about the fact that many immigrant youngsters in the US are being seduced by basketball. "America has done a tremendous job of marketing basketball ? not only in the US but also internationally. Even in the Caribbean basketball is taking over to a certain extent. Many young players are starting to lean towards basketball.

"One of the reasons is economics ? in basketball all you need are sneakers and a ball. Economics dictate one's lifestyles and patterns. But I also think there are a lot of false dreams being sold to the youth concerning basketball. The Caribbean was lucky to have two players, Patrick Ewing from Jamaica and Tim Duncan from the St. Thomas. Kids watch the NBA and there is an illusion of the big money in basketball. But of course as anyone knows only a tiny percentage of people can make it to the NBA."

Another roadblock to advancing the cause of cricket in the US is that "there is no acceptance by the press of anything that is not American".

Miller said: "It is a matter of learning. Our job is to spread it (cricket). We have to go through the schools although there are a lot of universities that play cricket in the US.

"One of the things that Americans enjoy in sports is that they like to see everything conclude in one day. I think the one-day version of cricket will sell but the five-day (Test) version might not be totally acceptable to the American public."

Miller said he believed that that the millions of foreign-born people in the US who have an affinity for cricket would come out to watch one-day matches and support cricket. "But they have to be made aware that it is out there. When those people hear that there is a US cricket team they are surprised because everyone has this mindset that American doesn't enjoy cricket."

The US team gained entry into the ICC Champions Trophy in England set for September when they won the ICC Six Nations Challenge in Sharjah by beating Scotland in the final.

Competing against the world's best in the Champions Trophy "will be great exposure for us", said Miller.

"We will be playing Australia and New Zealand among the other teams and there we have to seize that opportunity to getting that exposure. We are fortunate in that during one of those two days we will be the lone team playing in the world. So that gives us an opportunity for a sponsor ? to show them what kind of exposure is available and get them on board."

Playing in the Champions trophy will finally see the US arrive as a cricketing nation after 160 years of playing the game. In fact the oldest international rivalry in cricket involves the US playing Canada at the St. George's Cricket Club in Manhattan in 1844 ? an event that even predates the modern Olympics by more than half a century.

Until 1925 the US sent out teams to tour England and other countries.