The country is hosting a major international cricket tournament for the first time in a generation. It's a much-needed bright spot in a nation that's confronted recent economic and political crises.

Cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports, with about 2.5 billion fans. Several of the U.S. team’s starting players are from other countries, including India, Pakistan and New Zealand.

The new league makes its debut near Dallas on Thursday when the Texas Super Kings play the LA Knight Riders. The league's backers hope to cultivate a new generation of U.S. cricketers.

NPR's Scott Simon talks about a cricket-match scam in an Indian village. Russian gamblers were duped. The scam is now under investigation.

"Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed," a senior Taliban official reportedly said.

The Indian Premier League was suspended in May, but critics weigh in on whether the event should have been held at all amid the country's deadly COVID-19 crisis.