Friday, May 21, 2010
Historic Match Could Boost US Cricket
Sri Lanka and New Zealand will stage the first cricket matches on US soil between two full ICC members this weekend, a move officials hope will launch a US boom for the sport.
“The historic event will provide great exposure,” USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty said. “We’re very excited about the potential impact of this series for the growth and development of cricket in the United States.”
Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches will be staged at Lauderhill’s Central Broward Regional Park in Florida, the only ICC-approved venue in the United States. The 20,000-capacity facility must still upgrade lighting to ICC standards in order to host night events.
With an India property developer sponsoring the Pearls Cup Twenty20 matches and Indian Premier League officials talking about staging US events as early as 2011, the US breakthrough could be only a hint of greater things to come.
“We’ll be meeting with potential investors and event developers to keep building our momentum,” USA Cricket chief executive Don Lockerbie said. “Interest is already high and this is very encouraging.
“To grow the game of cricket in the USA, we need to have the best teams in the world play in our country. We want to demonstrate to the American public just how exciting the Twenty20 format is.”
USA Cricket hopes to organize a US Twenty20 league as quickly as 2012.
“Given the door to cricket has been opened to investment through the sale of Indian Premier League franchises, this model is a logical step to raising the capital required to take cricket in the US to another level,” New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said.
“The structure proposed is a wonderful opportunity for someone to get in on the ground floor, particularly given the growing level of interest in the US cricket market.”
“The historic event will provide great exposure,” USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty said. “We’re very excited about the potential impact of this series for the growth and development of cricket in the United States.”
Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches will be staged at Lauderhill’s Central Broward Regional Park in Florida, the only ICC-approved venue in the United States. The 20,000-capacity facility must still upgrade lighting to ICC standards in order to host night events.
With an India property developer sponsoring the Pearls Cup Twenty20 matches and Indian Premier League officials talking about staging US events as early as 2011, the US breakthrough could be only a hint of greater things to come.
“We’ll be meeting with potential investors and event developers to keep building our momentum,” USA Cricket chief executive Don Lockerbie said. “Interest is already high and this is very encouraging.
“To grow the game of cricket in the USA, we need to have the best teams in the world play in our country. We want to demonstrate to the American public just how exciting the Twenty20 format is.”
USA Cricket hopes to organize a US Twenty20 league as quickly as 2012.
“Given the door to cricket has been opened to investment through the sale of Indian Premier League franchises, this model is a logical step to raising the capital required to take cricket in the US to another level,” New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said.
“The structure proposed is a wonderful opportunity for someone to get in on the ground floor, particularly given the growing level of interest in the US cricket market.”
Dilshan to lead Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe
COLOMBO (AFP) - – Batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed to lead the squad to Zimbabwe for a tri-nation one-day international series that also involves India, Sri Lanka Cricket said Thursday.Several senior players including captain Kumar Sangakkara, former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a dismal World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean, have been left out of the team.
Muttiah Muralitharan, the most successful bowler in history with a record 792 Test and 512 one-day international wickets, was not picked for the tour. Muralitharan is recovering from a groin injury.
All rounder Angelo Mathews will deputise for Dilshan, who is on his maiden stint as a captain for the one-day games.
The 15-member squad includes left-hand batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who played two one-day games against Bangladesh in January, and uncapped allrounder Jeewan Mendis.
The selectors also included fast bowler Dilhara Fernando, opener Upul Tharanga and middle-order batsman Chamara Silva, who were left out of the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.The tri-nation series gets under way in Bulawayo on May 28, with Zimbabwe taking on India in the opener.
Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilhara Fernando,Chamara Silva, Thissira Perera
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