US The crucial, crucial T20 World Cup co-organised by - the pet project of cricket's power brokers - is only two years away.
It almost seems hard to believe that just three months ago Australia won the rescheduled T20 World Cup and their title on home soil starts in just eight months. The Covid-19 pandemic has tightened the schedule, but preparations are well underway for the blockbuster event in 2024.
In line with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) desire to open its cycle of events with pizzazz to the world's largest sports market by 2024–31, the U.S. And there was an acceleration in handing over the bid to the Caribbean.
USA Cricket previously told me that a bid for 2026 or 2030 was originally scheduled, but the ICC did not oppose the opening of a crucial moment for the game's bid to try to make an impression in the overcrowded US sports market. Could do ,
This has put pressure on the construction or re-purposing of facilities to suit the oddities of cricket, which is played on an oval-shaped grass field with a pitch of 22 yards in the middle. In the midst of a much-needed change, the famed city of Dallas has become the home of cricket in the country, with Airhogs Stadium in Grand Prairie in the western suburbs to be transformed into an 8000-seat venue, with development expected to be completed later. The year.
Other developments have been announced at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose and the city of Morrisville in North Carolina. The need for venues has grown with six-team Major League cricket, America's first professional T20 cricket competition, to begin in 2023.
Another interesting potential destination in the Pacific Northwest is the plan to develop a multimillion-dollar cricket venue in the famed sports city of Seattle.
Marymoor Cricket Community Park is set as a "state-of-the-art cricket facility" on a 20-acre site approximately twenty minutes from downtown Seattle. It will be located in a prestigious area at the heart of rapidly growing tech hubs in Bellevue and Redmond.
Boasting a large expatriate community from the subcontinent, the region is home to three adult cricket leagues and a "rapidly growing" youth cricket program with over 3,500 members.
The venue is expected to seat around 6000 spectators, but this could be increased to 10,000 for bigger events like the T20 World Cup. This means a bold bid has been launched for a coveted berth for Seattle in the 2024 event, which will be drawn to potentially billions of spectators worldwide.
Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, U.S. It has the only ICC certified ground in the U.S. - a location close to the Caribbean. But there are Dallas, San Jose, Morrisville and now Seattle as other possible venues for the T20 World Cup.
The plan was passed unanimously last week by King County Council, outlining the development of cricket in the area. "As our region grows, we see more interest in cricket, one of the most popular sports in the world," said Claudia Balducci, president of King County Council.
Sameer Mehta, co-founder of Major League Cricket, said it was a logical site to give a geek of the game in the region. “Major League Cricket has been incredibly impressed by the passion for cricket shown by the community in King County and the wider Seattle area, which is one of the largest participation bases for the sport in the country,” he said.
The Seattle Thunderbolts are part of the Minor Cricket League and will play the upcoming season at Tollgate Farm Park in North Bend, approximately 28 miles from downtown Seattle.
Seattle Thunderbolts owners Salman Taj, Vijay Beniwal and Phani Chitneni said, “Seattle Thunderbolts are very excited about this highly anticipated proposed development that will allow the cricket community to watch exciting minor league cricket games in an excellent location for our players and fans. will give." in a statement.
Reputed to sports, business and the arts, the beautiful city of Seattle may soon lay claim to an unlikely reputation for being the breeding ground for the growth of cricket in America, while also hosting one of the biggest events in the sport. .