FORT LAUDERDALE, United States: Organizers of June's T20 Cricket World Cup games in the United States say that early ticket sales have shown there is a huge demand for the sport among cricket lovers in the country.
The highly anticipated clash in New York between cricket rivals Pakistan and India was over-subscribed by 200 times in the public ballot for tickets, the International Cricket Council said.
The 34,000-seat temporary venue, Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, has yet to be completed but is already assured of a sell out crowd for the June 9 encounter.
The tournament is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
While big crowds are expected in the traditional cricket countries in the Caribbean, this will be the first time that an international tournament is held in the United States with the 16 games in the country also including matches in Lauderhill, South Florida and Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas.
"We had amazing ticket interest. The ballot process showed there's a really big demand," T20 World Cup USA, Inc. chief executive Brett Jones told AFP on Friday.
"India-Pakistan is obviously a game that at every World Cup carries great interest. I think it's really pleasing to see those two countries come to the USA," he added.
Powerhouses India and Pakistan will play all their group games in the USA and are sure to attract packed crowds from the diaspora living in the country.
Best players in their backyard
While organizers hope that they can "convert" some Americans to the game, they are well aware that there is already huge interest among immigrant populations and their focus is on serving those fans.
"I think, number one, we want to celebrate those that are already fanatical lovers of cricket. They deserve to see the best players in the world come into their backyard and have that chance," said Jones.
"So, number one, we want to make sure that happens and they get to feel like they're close to a game they love. Number two, I think it's about spiking curiosity in the game," he said.
Americans have never fallen for the charms of cricket, preferring baseball for their bat and ball action, but the sport is set to get an unprecedented platform in the country with the T20 format, including in the Los Angeles Olympics in four year's time.
"Obviously there's a great runway to the Olympics in LA in 28 and then on into Brisbane in 2032 for cricket, which again will keep it in the global view and the consciousness of a big country like the US. I think we've got those two things working for us," said Jones.
"We're saying we want to reward our cricket fans and lovers of cricket in the US, which is a huge market.
Spike curiosity
"Then we want to spike curiosity and really hopefully start a bigger conversation about the game and its benefits at the community level," he added.
Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Canada will also play in the USA along with the host nation themselves.
While there is no lack of interest, organizers still have plenty to do to create the facilities and infrastructure needed for a global tournament.
Lauderhill, just outside Fort Lauderdale, has already played home to international cricket matches but is undergoing significant upgrades.
Grand Prairie opened last year as the venue for the new domestic tournament, Major League Cricket, but is also being enhanced for the tournament.
"We're still going to have a lot of work to do to make sure we can provide access to 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 start on June 1 with the USA facing Canada in Texas.
USA vice-captain Aaron Jones says he hopes the team's performances will offer inspiration to youngsters starting out in the sport.
"We want to show everybody in the world that the USA can be a cricketing country as well and be a role model for kids coming up," he said.
