Cricket followers in the USA will have the chance to watch some of the greatest players in the world this summer in the HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved the staging of Twenty20 (T20) fixtures in the forthcoming 2016 season.
Six fixtures are planned to take place in July, with full fixture and ticket information for the coming season to be announced in due course.
Commenting on the announcement, CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe said: “Today is a landmark day for the CPL and a massive boost for cricket followers across the USA ahead of the CPL Player Draft in Barbados on Thursday.
CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe.
“This project has been in discussion for many months and we are grateful to the ICC for supporting this move which enables us to step up our planning and open up opportunities for the cricket-hungry American public.
“I would also like to acknowledge the ongoing support of Dave Cameron and our partners in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in this process. The participation of the ICC Americas team in the recent Nagico Super 50 has proven to be a hugely important step forward and we are committed to providing more opportunities for players and that experience will certainly count for those six ICC Americas players who will be selected in this year’s Draft.
“The CPL has already had a positive impact in the Caribbean and we are excited about bringing top quality cricket to the USA. We are committed to developing the next generation of cricketers and we believe that by exposing the best talent from across the Caribbean and the Americas region in the CPL, we can inspire a new generation of cricketers in the USA.”
ICC Head of Global Development, Tim Anderson, said: “In partnership with the US cricket community the ICC has recently established a strategic framework for the future development of cricket in the USA.
“The staging of high level international cricket is a key part of this strategy, therefore we see the approval of several CPL matches in the USA as a positive step forward for all cricket followers in the US.
“We are also delighted that a number of development activities will take place around the matches, ensuring that the expertise and experience of the CPL players, coaches and officials contributes to the exciting growth of the game in the USA.”
Story and photos courtesy of www.cplt20.com/