THE United States will co-host its first major cricket tournament in 2024 when it stages part of the men's T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday (16).
The baseball-loving country, which has never appeared at either a T20 or a 50-over World Cup, will host the event along with the more established cricket nations of the West Indies.
Cricket in America was strong in the 19th century when teams from England would tour but was largely neglected following the rise of baseball, often described as the national game of the USA.
The West Indies, who have twice won the T20 World Cup, began playing international matches at Central Broward Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2012.
The ICC announced a slew of hosts for all of their men's white-ball events up to 2031.
Pakistan, which has been starved of international cricket recently owing to security reasons, is slated to host the 50-over Champions Trophy in 2025.
It will be the first major global cricket tournament played in Pakistan since 1996 when it hosted the men's ODI World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka.
Namibia, who reached the Super 12 stage in their first ever T20 tournament at the most recent edition in UAE, will also be first-time hosts when they share the 2027 ODI World Cup with South Africa and Zimbabwe, who last co-hosted the event in 2003.
Ireland and Scotland were also named as co-hosts of the 2030 T20 World Cup alongside England.
Tournament schedule
T20 World Cups
2024: West Indies, USA
2026: India, Sri Lanka
2028: Australia, New Zealand
2030: England, Ireland, Scotland
ODI 50-over World Cups
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia
2031: India, Bangladesh
50-over Champions Trophy
2025: Pakistan
2029: India
(AFP)
Alice Johnson attends a special screening of Lee Cronin's "The Mummy"Getty Images
