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Miami, May 17: United States is hosting its first ever Twenty20 international game in the sunny South Florida. The three game series, Pearl Cup, between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will occur from May 20-23.
The series is a start to a more symbolic relationship between New Zealand Cricket Association and their US counterpart. With New Zealand team looking to make more frequent trips to help advance the sport in the country. The nation is home to about 15 million cricket fans with a large Asian and Caribbean migrant population. The games will be held at the Lauderhill cricket stadium north of Miami, with a seating capacity of 20,000. The stadium happens to be the only ICC approved stadium in North America. USA cricket chief executive Donald Lockerbie said ""We want to demonstrate to the American public just how exciting the Twenty20 format is". "Cricket is already popular here but has lacked major media coverage. This inaugural series is the first step to reverse this situation." New Zealand Cricket association’s chief executive said that the initiative was to promote the sport in the country. The event will create a potential impact on the growth and development of the game in States. He said "We are looking at ways of helping USA Cricket grow the game both professionally and at the grassroots," he said. "This T20 series is the first of many initiatives between our two cricket boards and we envisage the Black Caps playing in the USA on an annual basis." Both Sri Lanka and New Zealand have agreed to send their best team after their participation in the ICC Twenty20 world cup in the Caribbean’s. The three games are scheduled on May 20, 22 and 23rd. This event is major step towards the popularity of the game in States. IPL is also planning on hosting a few games during the 2011 season. The shorter 20 over format might very well be the turning point of the game in the continent of America.
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