Cricket is set to take its World Twenty20 "showpiece" to the U.S., as the game "ramps up a push to crack the biggest sporting market on the globe," according to Ben Horne of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Australia and other heavyweights "could be playing" big time int'l matches on U.S. soil within the next 12-18 months, while the World T20 of '24 is being targeted as a "power play" to rival football's "market-busting FIFA World Cup" in North America back in '94. There is "no window dressing" about the Int'l Cricket Council's ambitions in America either, "with moves also afoot to implement cricket" into the U.S. college sports system to boost male and female participation at a grassroots level. The U.S. is "worth billions already to cricket, second only to India as the most lucrative market for broadcast rights." Since Shane Warne’s "successful" All Stars exhibition last month broadcast into the U.S. on ESPN, it is understood "some major stadiums across America have even made preliminary inquiries" as to how their venues could be maneuvered to host cricket. ICC Head of Global Development Tim Anderson said, "If we continue to make good progress we would (hope to) see a World Twenty20 in the USA in the next rights cycle. We think that'd be a great concept. Other sports have done that, not just football but rugby are doing that with major events as well so we see that as a medium term goal." Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has "already expressed his desire" for Steve Smith’s team to play in the U.S., and it is understood New Zealand and the West Indies "are among other nations willing to put their hands up" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 12/7).
