FORT LAUDERDALE (United States) – Organizers of June’s T20 Cricket World Cup matches in the United States say early ticket sales have shown there is huge demand for the sport among cricket fans in the country.
The much-anticipated clash in New York between cricket rivals Pakistan and India has been oversubscribed 200 times in the public vote for tickets, the International Cricket Council said.
The temporary 34,000-seat venue, the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, has yet to be completed, but is already certain to sell out for the June 9 game.
The tournament is co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America.
While large crowds are expected in traditional cricket nations in the Caribbean, this will be the first time the international tournament has been held in the United States, with 16 matches in the country, including games in Lauderhill, South Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas.
“We’ve had amazing demand for tickets. The voting process has shown that there’s really a lot of demand,” Brett Jones, chief executive of T20 World Cup USA, Inc., told AFP on Friday.
“India-Pakistan is obviously a highly anticipated game at any World Cup. I think it’s really gratifying to see these two countries come to the US,” he added.
Powerhouses India and Pakistan will play all their group games in the US and are sure to attract packed crowds from the diaspora living in the country.
While organizers hope to “convert” some Americans to the game, they are well aware that there is already huge interest among the immigrant population and are focusing on serving those fans.
“I think, number one, we want to celebrate those who are already fanatical cricket fans. They deserve to see the best players in the world come to their backyard and have that chance,” Jones said.
“So, number one, we want to make sure that happens and they feel like they’re close to the game they love. Number two, I think it’s about increasing curiosity in the game,” he said.
Americans have never fallen under the spell of cricket and prefer baseball for its bat and ball action, but the sport is set to get an unprecedented platform in the T20 format in the country, including the Los Angeles Olympics in four years.
“Obviously there’s a great trajectory to the Olympics in LA in ’28 and then to Brisbane in 2032 for the cricket, which will again keep it in the global view and in the awareness of a big country like the US. I think we’ve got it.” two things work for us,” Jones said.
“We say we want to reward our cricket fans and cricket lovers in the US, which is a huge market.
“Then we want to spark curiosity and really hope to start a bigger conversation about the game and its benefits at the community level,” he added.
Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Canada will play in the USA along with the host nation itself.
While there is no shortage of interest, organizers still have work to do to create the facilities and infrastructure needed for a global tournament.
Lauderhill, just outside of Fort Lauderdale, has already hosted international cricket matches at home, but is undergoing major upgrades.
Grand Prairie opened last year as the venue for Major League Cricket’s new home tournament, but it is also being upgraded for the tournament.
“We will still have a lot of work to do to make sure we can provide access for our cricket fans,” Jones said.
“We want to show people that in a sports-mad country that demands entertainment, cricket is a great entertainment product,” he added.
The tournament will begin on June 1 when the USA takes on Canada in Texas.
USA vice-captain Aaron Jones says he hopes the team’s performances will offer inspiration for youngsters starting out in the sport.
“We want to show everyone in the world that the US can also be a cricketing country and be a role model for future kids,” he said.
