Debasis Sen, Kingston(Jamaica) : West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Whycliffe Dave Cameron feel there is a huge market to be tapped in the USA. With millions of sub-continent immigrants and people of Caribbean descent living in the US, cricket waits for its turn to getting popular in those parts.
According to Mr. Cameron, the WICB is charged with overseeing cricket development in the Americas. “We saw the opportunity with India being in the region at this time. We thought it was a good idea to look at the US market. Bear in mind the West Indies Cricket Board is potentially in charge of the Americas and our job is to develop cricket in the Americas, so we thought it was a good second step [since] we actually did it couple years ago with New Zealand, which we thought was a good enough success.
“We are expecting really and truly at this point a very significant crowd… we contemplate having a number of Indians in the diaspora, and not just Indians, our Caribbean fans, and the entire cricketing world to descend on [Florida] over those two days,” he said.
The idea of the two-match series in Florida came about when Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials met with the WICB in Jamaica “a month or two ago”.
However there is a question mark about the availability of top stars in the West Indies line up. The dispute between the Board and the players do not seem too end, due to varying reasons — including numerous public disputes with the board – a lot of those players have not represented the Test team in recent times. The West Indies Players Association(WIPA) president and chief executive Wavell Hinds has his differences of opinion with star players like Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle over payment of wages. Earlier the WindiesT20 Captain Darren Sammy revolted against the association over a payment standoff between players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
“The team is always selected by our selectors and our selectors pick the best teams that are available based on eligibility,” Cameron said at yesterday’s press conference at Sabina Park when asked about the quality of the T20 side to take on the Indians.
West Indies and India are currently locked in a four-Test series in the Caribbean. India leads 1-0 and are on the verge of pulling of a comprehensive victory in Sabina Park as well.
The venue in Lauderhill is the only such International Cricket Council-certified facility in the USA. It held six Caribbean Premier League T20 matches between July 28 and 31, and previously hosted two games between West Indies and New Zealand in 2012. Tickets for the CPL games in Florida started as low as US $23 and was said to have gone as high as over $200 for VIP-type amenities.
Cameron said prices have not been set as yet, but added that “tickets will at least be in range or higher” than that of the CPL. The meeting between the two teams is expected to attract a lot of attention in the US and around the world.