Cricket history to be made in the USA

By News / Wire

9th November, 2021

Ireland will become the first full-member nation to tour the USA when heading to Florida in December.

The United States will host and play a Test-playing cricket nation for the first time, when Ireland visit across the Christmas period for a two-format white-ball series.

The US has hosted top-tier international teams before, but they have played each other.

This time the US team will contest the matches playing Ireland in two T20 internationals and three ODIs.

The matches will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, near Miami, where West Indies played New Zealand in 2012.

Ireland will leave Dublin on December 16, play the matches in Florida, then head to the Caribbean on December 31 for a series against the West Indies.

“The progress of USA Cricket has been commendable over recent years,” said Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom.

“And we hope that not only will this opportunity allow our players to build towards the World Cup Super League Series, but that our involvement may also be a boost for USA Cricket as they work hard to develop the game across the United States.”

As part of the agreement the US will visit Ireland for matches across the next three years.

A US team played in the first international cricket match, against Canada in 1844, but the sport was then overtaken by baseball.

Their modern international history began with the ICC Trophy, a competition for associate members of the International Cricket Council, in 1979.

They played Australia and New Zealand in ODIs in the ICC Champions Trophy 2004, losing both heavily.

Ireland became the 11th full member of the ICC when awarded Test status in 2017.