NEW Zealand and Sri Lanka will play a three-match Twenty20 series in Florida next month. The Pearls Cup series is the first of its kind between two major cricketing nations in America and represents part of a continuing link between the country and the Black Caps.
The matches will be played May 20-23 in Lauderhill and are seen by USA Cricket as key to advancing the sport in the country.
“The historic event will provide great exposure for cricket with some of the world’s top players on show here,” Gladstone Dainty, USA Cricket president, said.
“USA Cricket has worked hard to bring this event about and we are very excited about the potential impact of this series for the growth and development of cricket in the United States.”
USA Cricket CEO Donald Lockerbie added: “We believe that in order to grow the game of cricket in the USA we need to have the best teams in the world play in our country.
“We want to demonstrate to the American public just how exciting the T20 format is. Cricket is already popular here but has lacked major media coverage. This inaugural series is the first step to reverse this situation.” (Eurosport)