CRICKET IN AMERICA

USA to host Caribbean Premier League games in 2016

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Six games will be held in USA, CPL officials announced after taking the necessary approvals from the ICC. © CPL © Cricbuzz

Cricket will attempt to build on its popularity across the United States as Caribbean Premier League announced, on Thursday (February 11), its plan to stage six leagues games in America during the 2016 edition after obtaining the necessary approvals from International Cricket Council (ICC).

Though CPL is yet to announce the dates and venues, as per the report published in ESPNCricinfo.com, the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) in Lauderhill, Florida has been marked out to stage some, if not all, the six games. Lauderhill's CBRP, USA's only ICC One-Day International certified venue, will be in use for the first time since June 2002 when the West Indies hosted two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand.

Indianapolis World Sports Park is another venue that can be used for the 2016 edition after it successfully hosted the ICC Americas Division One T20 championship in 2015.

"Today is a landmark day for the CPL and a massive boost for cricket followers across the USA," Damien O'Donohoe, CPL chief executive said. "This project has been in discussion for many months and we are grateful to the ICC for supporting this move which enables us to step up our planning and open up opportunities for the cricket-hungry American public."

"The CPL has already had a positive impact in the Caribbean and we are excited about bringing top quality cricket to the USA. We are committed to developing the next generation of cricketers and we believe that by exposing the best talent from across the Caribbean and the Americas region in the CPL, we can inspire a new generation of cricketers in the USA," O'Donohoe added.

The association with the United States is an extension of the recent activities in WI cricket which has seen them welcome and try to develop cricket in the US. The Nagico Super50, which is a domestic one-day cricket competition in the West Indies, saw the inclusion of an ICC Americas Regional team for the very first time. In the CPL, one player from the ICC Americas will be assigned to each franchise in the tournament, lending some local American flavour to the tournament.

"I would also like to acknowledge the ongoing support of Dave Cameron and our partners in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in this process," O'Donohoe said. "The participation of the ICC Americas team in the recent Nagico Super 50 has proven to be a hugely important step forward and we are committed to providing more opportunities for players. That experience will certainly count for those six ICC Americas players who will be selected in this year's Draft."

Tim Anderson, ICC Head of Global Development, lauded the decision to play in the United States, saying that the move was a "positive step forward for all cricket followers in the US."

"We are also delighted that a number of development activities will take place around the matches, ensuring that the expertise and experience of the CPL players, coaches and officials contribute to the exciting growth of the game in the USA."

Since the inaugural edition in 2013, all CPL games have been confined to the Caribbean islands at venues involving the six franchises. Trinbago Knight Riders, co-owned by Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan and formerly known as Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel club, are the defending champions. Other clubs include Barbados Tridents, Jamaica Tallawahs, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks and St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The multi-starrer tourney is expected to kick off in July.

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