Hyderabad: Upbeat at the inclusion of cricket in the next edition of the Olympics in Los Angeles and after having successfully hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup recently, USA Cricket Board chairman Venu Pisiki said the game has a bright future in the country.
Venu, who hails from Nalgonda, said there is a huge market for cricket in the USA. To the extent that it could be the second biggest market after India.“In order to grow the sport in the US, it requires a lot of tools. You need to show a career path and opportunities. One step in making cricket a professional sport is with the Olympics and the recent World Cup. With the game’s inclusion in the Olympics, it gives a clear path to any newcomer.”
The picture that USA Cricket presents is that of expats and immigrants playing the game. Venu says a lot of locals are now picking up the game. “The State of California has included cricket in their school system. It is a big boost as we need the game to develop from grassroots. Other states will follow. We have challenges in providing infrastructure and facilities. But with Olympics four years away, I am sure by that time, we will have much better facilities,” he asserted.
“As a playing nation, our performance in the T20 World Cup — getting into Super 8 and defeating Pakistan in a league match — really helped. That actually created a lot of interest, a lot of impact in the community. Most of the media, even the government officials, diplomats, everybody is talking about cricket,” the 54-year-old added.
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 12:16:00
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