The United States has their eyes on an elite Twenty20 cricket tournament something like the lucrative Indian Premier League.
The USA Cricket Association hopes "top-class international cricket" will take root here in the US when the first professional competition, the USA Premier League, is launched.
The first steps were taken when proposals were received from:
1. potential organizers
2. sponsors
3. broadcasters
Look out football, basketball and baseball! Cricket is coming...we hope.
The USACA wants to unlock the sport's potential in a "massive market" then use revenues to help spread cricket across the U.S. eventually creating a competitive international team.
"The commercial potential of cricket in the United States is widely recognized and that was underscored by the number of approaches USACA has received from many significant and prestigious organizations ranging from broadcasters to promoters and sports marketing companies," commercial adviser Nigel Rushman said.
"This process will enable us to consider all the proposals on the table and select the ideas and form the partnerships which are most beneficial to USACA, to the development of cricket in the USA and to the partners themselves."
The United States is the world's second biggest internet cricket market. The 2007 World Cup attracted 1.15 billion hits, just behind India.
More details.
See also: USA Cricket Association begins search for commercial partners
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