NEW YORK: USA Cricket, which has joined forces with Cricket West Indies in an attempt to stage an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament from 2023 onwards, is hoping that United States’ success in hosting the football World Cup in 1994 would help it’s bid to host the T20 World Cup.
“If you played in the USA, every venue would be sold out,” USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
“Other sports have used their major events as catalysts for growth in nontraditional markets,” he added.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup saw an attendance of more than 3.5 fans which is a World Cup record.
Higgins said that they have identified several areas where the US can prove itself worthy of a place at cricket’s top table.
“One would be to persuade the ICC to be brave enough to bring a T20 World Cup to the USA,” he said.
“I am confident that we will have great quality venues that are capable of scaling up and scaling down for ICC events. The plan is to have at least six venues in this country that are capable of hosting international matches.
“When you look at the number of travelling fans from the US to the last two World Cups, it shows an enormous appetite for cricket,” he added.
Last year, the US gained ODI status from the International Cricket Council. Higgins said the US now wishes to gain Test status within the next decade.
“It’s our objective to have a team that’s competing with full members of the ICC in the short term, and it’s our objective to become a full member of the ICC in the next 10 years,” he said.
–PTI

Press Trust of India