It may come as a surprise, but the first ever cricket international was played between Canada and the United States in 1844. Canada won the match by 23 runs which, in cricket terms, means that it was a narrow victory. No only is it the longest international rivalry in cricket, but it is also the longest international rivalry in ANY sport.

_______________________________________________________________________
The longest international rivalry in cricket, in fact in any sport is that between Canada and the USA, with the first match (won by Canada) played in 1844.

It has been continually reported, in Canada, that the earliest international athletic contest, of the modern era, was established in 1844 when Canada and the United States played at cricket at the Saint George's Club in New York for a wager of $1,000.00. It should be noted that in The Cricketer's Guide, (1858), it is recorded that The Canada match began in friendly encounters between the Toronto and Saint George's (New York) clubs in 1844. The Match first assumed its present godly proportions of Canada vs. the United States in 1853.

As with all matters related to cricket, there is always more than one version of events, but we prefer the American version of the first Canada vs. USA International as described by Das as in the following:

The match in 1844 at Bloomingdale in New York, came about because in 1843, a New York team had landed penniless in Toronto and were fully financed and entertained by their magnanimous hosts. In order to honor this Canadian gesture, the New Yorkers invited the Canadians to play in New York. The US team was drawn from several New York clubs, and also included players from the Philadelphia, DC, and Boston (the other centers of US cricket at the time). The Canadians, too, tried to come up with a representative team. All the posters and advertisements of the match from that period, which are available in cricket libraries, refer to a "Canadian vs. USA" match, not a New York vs. Toronto fixture. There were about 20,000 spectators at the match, and bets of around $120,000 (close to $1.5 million in today's currency) were placed on the outcome. By any reckoning, therefore, this has to be recorded as an international fixture and a major one at that, surpassing many sporting events of that time.




http://cricketclub.org/can_usa.html