With the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup to be held in West-Indies and USA in 2024. New York legislator Jenifer Rajkumar made an appeal to ICC chairman Grey Barclay for letting New York host some games of the mega event.
Growing interest for the game in United States
The Inaugural season of Major Cricket League (MLC) has seen success in terms of introducing the game to the fans in United States. With large number of South Asian population residing in New York , the people has deep interest for the game.
New York legislator in her appeal says,
“Every World Cup team enjoys a dedicated fan base in City, and the prospect of witnessing their favourite cricketers live in action would truly be a dream come true,“
“Our City is home to the largest South Asian community in the Western Hemisphere. Along with significant West Indian, British, Australian, New Zealander, Emirati, and African Diaspora communities.“
Cricket and New York shares a long history,
Furthermore, the legislator showcases the importance of sports in her community. As well as she pointed out the city’s deep-rooted history with the sport and explains how popular it is in America. Altogether, the legislator presented a strong case to host World Cup games in the city.
“As the epicentre of cricket in the United States, New York is the ideal host of the World Cup. We are home to an estimated 100 cricket clubs, boast 59 cricket grounds, and numerous leagues. Even the New York Police Department (NYPD) operates its own youth cricket league. New York City also proudly boasts the oldest continuous cricket club in America, Staten Island Cricket Club, which was founded in 1872,” Rajkumar added.
Although, there is only single ICC recognize stadium in USA. New York needs to fulfill ICC’s criteria and have necessary facilities to host World Cup games there.
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