Last year alone, the United States gained ODI recognition. The United States has been declared a temporary one-day recognized nation for four years and is preparing for a major tournament. The United States has shown interest in hosting the World Cup, not the ODI or T20 cricket tournament. The Associated Press (AP) has said that the United States will submit a proposal to the International Cricket Council (ICC) claiming that it can easily host the 2023 T20 World Cup.
The United States had a great run in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Thirty-five million spectators watched the World Cup live in the stadium 22 years ago. The United States has not been able to host a major sporting event since the FIFA World Cup. According to the AP, the American Cricket Association has dared to host the T20 World Cup with the aim of taking cricket to the next level.
Ian Hingis, chief executive of the association, has claimed that every game will be houseful when the T20 World Cup is in the United States. “If there is a World Cup in the United States, we want to make sure that tickets for each game are sold out,” says Ian. In the United States, however, basketball, the American Soccer League, and boxing are popular sports. The spectators of these games have their own different nature.
The presence of supporters in the American Major Soccer League is just as strong. In cricket, however, there is not much crowd. However, Cricket Association chief Ian said supporters at the T20 World Cup would not disappoint anyone. “I am confident that, like in other sports, cricket fans will support and the stadium will be full,” he said. The one-day recognition came after the United States defeated Scotland in December 2019. The United States plans to dominate international cricket as a Test nation in the next decade.
“The goal now is to get Test recognition. Even though the ODI status is short, we are making good use of it,” Ian said. Ian recalls that Ireland and Afghanistan from the Associate Nations gained Test recognition in a short period of time. “Based on their performances on the field, Ireland and Afghanistan received Test recognition from the Associate Nations. Associate nations like ours have made these two teams role models,” Ian said.
The United States has so far successfully hosted six ODIs and 10 Twenty20 Internationals in Florida. The United States is planning a T20 series against the West Indies and South Africa in the near future. However, the ICC has not yet made a decision on the series. Ian, head of the association, said that the level of cricket in the United States would rise in the next four years.
“Over the last four years, we’ve made a lot of improvements, and we’ve had to make big changes to the level of cricket in the United States,” he said. Ian has analyzed that the United States could host more competitions from the ICC by bringing the physical infrastructure of cricket to the international level. “I hope the United States will internationalize the stadium, which will give us the strength to host other major tournaments,” Ian said, referring to the four-year plan.
The United States will build six international cricket stadiums next year. “The current plan is to build six stadiums, which will lay the groundwork for the World Cup,” Ian said. “Imagine the final match between India and Pakistan in the 2023 T20 World Cup.” He says that the United States has started homework to make the clash between the cricket veterans a reality.
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