USA Cricket Board Aims To Host An ICC Global Event
Paraag Marathe who is the chairman of USA Cricket Board and the chief executive Iain Higgins announced their goal to host at least a single major global event of ICC in the next eight-year TV rights cycle.
They also aim to achieve a long-term objective to attain Full Member status. Both the decisions are part of a series of serious targets that were taken in the inaugural of the USA Cricket annual general meeting on Friday night in New York.
Minor And Major League Of USA
Both the chiefs said that they want to launch a league that will consist of 22 teams in it, and it will be a city-based “Minor League” T20 franchise tournament. They will lay the foundation of the contest this summer and it will be a base for the “Major League Cricket” T20 franchise event launch in 2021.
Previously, the ICC officials had fixed serious plans on enlarging the role of the USA in the global market. And the former head of the ICC backed that up with the decision of hosting an ICC tournament on Friday night.
He also stated that USA Cricket will support the addition of cricket in the Summer Olympics of 2028 in Los Angeles. He believes that it would bring a variation in the engagement and awareness of the sport in the USA.
Launching USA’s Own Franchise
There have been numerous failed efforts in the last 20 years in the USA to launch a franchise T20 competition. Starting from ProCricket’s single-season in 2004 to a failed partnership between USA Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket in 2010.
But Marathe feels that the launch of USA’s own franchise T20 cricket tournament with the Minor League T20 in the starting will be a turning point in American cricket history.
