Windies likely to play two T20Is against Bangladesh in Florida, USA this August
What's the story?
After a gap of nearly two years, International cricket is all set to return to the USA as the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida is likely to host the second and third Twenty20 Internationals of the three-match series between West Indies and Bangladesh in August, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials stated on Sunday, May 13.
The details
"We are likely to play three T20Is against West Indies in America during the upcoming tour," a BCB spokesperson was quoted as saying. While the first one will be hosted at St. Kitts, the second and third will be hosted in Florida, also owing to the growing popularity of cricket in the region.
In case you didn't know...
This will be the third time Windies will host a team in Florida, having earlier played against New Zealand (2012) and India (2016). In 2010, New Zealand and Sri Lanka played two T20Is at the same venue with both teams winning a match apiece.
Windies, meanwhile, are undefeated in Florida, having won three matches so far. India featured twice in 2016, the first game being one of the most closely-fought encounters in the history of T20Is. Chasing a hefty 245 set by the Windies thanks to Evin Lewis' ton and Johnson Charles' 79, India went on to score 244, falling short by just one run despite KL Rahul bagging a ton.
The second game was washed out due to rain after India managed to bundle the Windes out for 143.
What's next?
For the people living in the USA, it was a dream come true to watch their favorite stars play cricket at their venues. It was already decided that the ICC would conduct more tours in the region and the latest BAN-WI series falls under those plans.
The series, which also includes two Tests and three ODIs, was originally scheduled for March 2018 but was moved to July-August as the initial schedule would have clashed with the World Cup Qualifiers that the Windies were a part of. The itinerary for the tour is yet to be finalized.
Author's take
With more nations coming forward to host and participate in cricket matches, it is extremely beneficial for the sport to attain global popularity. Games featured in places like the US could attract a lot of viewers and also garner sponsorship and revenue that could enhance the global appeal of the sport.