The Major League Cricket (MLC), a newly-formed T20 franchise cricket tournament in the United States of America (USA), has acquired List A status from the International Cricket Council (ICC), cricket's apex body following on from UAE's ILT20 earlier this year. (More Cricket News)
The tournament director, Justin Geale could not hide his happiness following the decision from the ICC.
"We are really excited for the news, as it's a recognition of the standard and high quality of players taking part in the tournament. By awarding MLC List A status for the upcoming season, it helps to acknowledge the strength and growing stature of the tournament and ultimately will help to enhance the credibility of the sport in the USA on a global scale," Geale was quoted in ESPNcricinfo.
"The most important part for me, though, is it ensures the performances of some of the world's best players alongside their peers are adequately reflected in their career statistics. Really thankful to the ICC for taking the time to look at it as cricket in the USA doesn't always fit into a template. We are an Associate nation and proud of that, one with a unique opportunity in front of us. It's our hope that on the back of the upcoming World Cup and a successful season, we can continue to build a platform for the sport to grow and ultimately succeed in the USA," Geale added.
The second season of MLC will kick-start on July 5, a week after the T20 World Cup 2024 ends with the final scheduled to be played on June 29 in Bridgetown.
The first season was played out on July 13 till 31 in 2023 with 15 group games followed by playoffs. Ambanis owned-MI New York were the inaugural winners under the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran.
The second season will be played on the same venue as the first - the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and the Church Street Park Stadium in Morrisville.
