'The sky is the limit' - where does USA cricket go after T20 World Cup?

For now the American dream is over.

The USA are out of the T20 World Cup and depart after a sorry 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of England.

But their run to the Super 8s will remain one of the lasting memories of this tournament.

So how do they reflect on their performance? What's next? And how far can the USA go?

'A lot of areas to improve' - Anderson

USA's victory over Pakistan in the group stage was one of the biggest shocks in cricket history.

Having already won their first match at a T20 World Cup by beating Canada, they held their nerve in a super over to defeat 2022's beaten finalists.

USA ran South Africa close in their opening match of the Super 8s stage but afterwards were comprehensively beaten by West Indies and England.

All-rounder Corey Anderson, 33, said there were "a lot of areas that we need to improve on".

"We are still an associate nation, growing, trying to get a bigger player pool," he said.

"The last couple of games have just been not quite there, but that's what happens in these Super 8 comps - the bigger boys start to really show up and they're kind of hitting their stride."

Anderson suggested as the tournament went on, opposition teams became more familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.

"The guys have probably been found wanting a little bit in that regard but, again, it's a great learning," he said.

'Our performances will have really opened eyes of the public'

The USA's only previous appearance at a major global tournament was the Champions Trophy in 2004, at which they were heavily beaten in their two matches.

Here, having also beaten Pakistan and Canada, they were also involved in a tight defeat by India in New York.

"Have we run out of steam? I guess you could say that," captain Aaron Jones said.

"I don't think people thought we would be here right now playing against England, West Indies and all the big boys. But we did it.

"Our performances in this World Cup have really opened the eyes of the American public, and that's something we have been talking about [doing] in the last few years.

"We have been getting a lot of calls, a lot of messages and we have a lot more support now because of this World Cup. We are grateful for sure."

'We hope this is a stepping stone'

By qualifying for the Super 8s, USA secured direct qualification for the next T20 World Cup in 2026.

But, as it stands, the US do not have any fixtures planned against the major cricketing nations before that tournament in India and Sri Lanka.

"It is not just about playing World Cups, after the way we have played hopefully there are top teams that want to play series," batter Nitish Kumar, 30, said.

"Teams always go to the West Indies for series and it's not a long trip so hopefully we get more quality cricket.

"The World Cup is an amazing thing. We have played really well, but we hope this is a stepping stone for even better things."

Of the XI selected to play England, only 29-year-old captain Jones is aged below 30, leading to questions about the direction of the side going forward.

Anderson was non-committal about his future while no detail has been given on the position of coach Stuart Law beyond this tournament.

Law has said there is "promising talent" in the US among players not selected for this squad.

"We will hopefully continue to grow that, gain more interest from other parts of the US and unearth a couple of more players," the former Australia batter said.

'The sky is the limit' - Anderson

There have been some positives, such as the 156,719 people who attended World Cup matches in New York, but also negatives when it comes to assessing how well the World Cup has cut through in the US.

The win over Pakistan did not make the top 30 most-watched sports programmes on the day it happened.

The next top-level cricket across the pond begins when the 2024 season of Major League Cricket gets under way on 5 July.

The league has been slightly expanded from last year - there will be 25 matches compared to 19 - and there have been a number of high-profile signings, including Australia captain Pat Cummins on a four-year deal.

Matches will be played in Dallas and North Carolina but it is hoped all six teams will host their own matches in the coming years, which would lead to regular cricket in New York and Los Angeles

The tournament has recently been given List A status, meaning its matches count towards official statistics, but with six overseas players allowed in each XI there is limited space for local players to come through.

"Major League next month's obviously going to be a big, big thing again for American cricket," Anderson said.

"We've had a lot more guys become eligible to play for the USA and that's been able to grow the player pool. The sky is the limit really."