THE International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday announced that a cricket Combine will take place in Indianapolis, USA, in September to select an ICC Americas representative team.
This team will play in the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Nagico Super 50 tournament during January 2016, with an opportunity for the best performing players to then trial for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The Combine will have two phases, with Phase 1 being an open trial. All eligible players in the Americas region can apply online for the opportunity to be selected to attend the trial that will take place at the World Sports Park in Indianapolis from 18 to 21 September.
The best players from Phase 1 will then be invited to attend Phase 2 of the Combine from 24 to 27 September, after which the ICC Americas team will be selected. Some players identified through previous ICC Americas events will be invited to attend Phase 2 automatically.
“It’s exciting that the ICC, in cooperation with the WICB, is able to provide this opportunity to the best cricketers in the Americas region,” said ICC’s Head of Global Development, Tim Anderson.
“The region is full of talented cricketers, with many in the USA and Canada, and through the innovative open trial we hope to uncover some stars of the future.”
WICB President Dave Cameron said: “The WICB takes its role to assist the development of cricket in the Americas region seriously, and therefore we are delighted to be supporting this initiative.
“The Nagico Super50 and the CPL are important events on our annual calendar, and to extend opportunities to the best players in the Americas to compete in them is the right thing to do in-line with ICC’s strategy to grow cricket beyond its traditional boundaries.”
The ICC Americas region is part of the ICC’s Development Programme, which aims to grow and improve cricket with ICC’s 95 Associate and Affiliate Member countries.
Only players that meet the IC eligibility criteria to play for Associate and Affiliate member countries within the Americas Region will be considered for selection in the open trial and regional team.