USA To Play Two T20 Games Against CPL Teams
Jul 22, 2017 at 1:00 PM
Less than a year after watching India and West Indies battling it out in a couple of T20 Internationals, cricket fans of USA are gearing up to watch the game again in their own backyard and this time they will connect themselves even more as USA will be playing two warm-up games against a couple of Caribbean Premier League teams in the build-up to this year’s pair of CPL doubleheaders in Florida on August 5 and 6. The USA will take on St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the first match on August 2 before playing defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs on August 3. Both the matches will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.
Damien O’Donohoe, the CEO of the CPL, expressed his delight over the development and reiterated CPL’s desire of spreading the game in the USA.
“The Hero CPL is firmly committed to spreading the game of cricket in the USA and these matches are just another example of this. We see so much potential for growth of cricket in the USA and we want to make sure we are doing all we can to help that cause,” O’Donohoe said.
Ricardo Powell, USA Chairman of selectors, said that the two games will be a ‘great opportunity’ for Team USA.
“These matches are a great opportunity for Team USA to compete against some of the best in the world. Initiatives such as these are of critical importance for the development of our playing group and we are grateful to the CPL, St. Kitts Patriots and Jamaica Tallawahs for arranging these practice matches in the lead up to the USA-leg of the tournament,” Powell said.
The USA players had got a taste of rubbing the shoulders with the big names last year too when CPL set its foot in the country for the first time. A USA XI had played a CPL Developmental XI in an exhibition T20 game while all the CPL teams had included two USA players in their training squads throughout their stay in the country.