TAKING CRICKET TO U.S. IS KEY, SAYS THAKUR

Washington: The sell-out crowd at the recently concluded two T20 International matches between India and West Indies in Florida has encouraged the BCCI to mull on a long-term plan of tapping the potential cricket market in the United States, said president Anurag Thakur. “We are coming out with a five10 year program. I will be sending a team soon to the United States to look at the potential venues where we can have international matches,” Thakur said while speaking to the reporters here. Thakur is part of a delegation of Indian MPs who are in the US to meet their American counterparts and administration officials. “We are very serious about this (American) market. Cricket fans, who are in large numbers in the United States, have been deprived of live matches in the past several years,” Thakur said in response to a question. Referring to the recently held T20 matches between India and West Indies in Florida, Thakur said the experiment was very successful. “It was decided just three weeks in advance. Anyone who visited the Fort Lauderdale matches, could see the atmosphere. It was very lively, thanks to the Indian cricket fans,” he added. “I think, if you could engage more countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and others, we have a large population in this area, but Indians have to play a very important role. Without India nothing can happen. It has to be India-centric. We can take it to the next level,” he said. — PTI