The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday that the Caribbean will host the 2024 ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, together with the United States.
The Caribbean staged the T20 World Cup 11 years ago, and by the time the 2024 edition rolls around, it will be the fifth ICC World Cup event to be held in the region.
The Caribbean also staged the 2007 ICC Men’s World Cup (50 overs), the 2018 ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, and will host the ICC Under-19 (Boys) World Cup next year.
It will be the first time that the United States will be staging an ICC World Cup event.
Cricket West Indies said in a media release that its strategic partnership and vision with USA Cricket for the 2024 T20 World Cup was geared towards growing the game in the Americas by re-energising the sport with a new generation of fans in the West Indies and unlocking its potential in the United States.
“CWI welcomes this announcement by the ICC,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said in the media release. “It means simply that the Caribbean has been handed another opportunity, in 2024, to host a premier world cricket event.
“And this time it will be in partnership with our neighbours to the north, USA Cricket, led by my colleague Paraag Marathe. We know that our strategic partnership has helped ICC to accept our bid, and we must soon get to work to make this exciting ICC decision a truly successful one for all concerned.”
CWI said the partnership and bid planning, which started close to two years ago, was aimed at delivering ground-breaking fan and match-day experiences that combine Caribbean carnival with the best of American “sportainment” and breaking new ground on digital innovation and integration.
The regional governing body said the long-term goal was to accelerate cricket’s growth as the world’s No.2 sport, driving towards mainstream status in the United States and enhancing its prospect of inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games to be hosted in Los Angeles.
(AR)
