Cricket is set to bowl Yanks over

Los Angeles – A vacant baseball stadium in Texas is set to become a permanent venue for American cricket as the United States prepares to launch its own domestic Twenty20 competition, said USA Cricket.

American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC), a T20 tournament set for 2022, has received approval from the City of Grand Prairie, west of Dallas, on a long-term lease agreement for AirHogs Stadium.

The 5 445-seat arena is to be increased to an 8 000-capacity ground and repurposed as a dedicated cricket venue and training centre.

The redevelopment will take place throughout 2021, before it becomes the home of a Texas Major League Cricket franchise due to launch in 2022.

The ground will also serve as a base for the USA national cricket team and high performance centre.

“As the first Major League Cricket stadium in the United States, Grand Prairie represents a seminal moment for the sport in America,” ACE and MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan said.