International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly considering awarding a bid to USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies for hosting the 2024 T20 World Cup. If these reports are true then it will become the first global cricket tournament, which is not been hosted by India, Australia, and England, since the 2014 T20 World Cup that was hosted by Bangladesh.
This decision of ICC to host the T20 World Cup in the USA is seen as a step forward to include cricket in the multi-sports event, the Olympics. It has been quite a while, as the international cricket governing body has set a target of 2028 Los Angeles to include cricket as a sports event in the Olympics. While this decision of hosting the World Cup in the USA will surely be helping the cause.
There would also be some major changes in the tournament as five new teams will be included, starting from the 2024 T20 World Cup, meaning there would be a total of 55 matches played. The recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which ended on Sunday had 16 teams playing a total of 45 matches, and this will be the same in the T20 World Cup 2022.
According to a report in Sydney Morning Herald, a “decision on venues for ICC events in the next cycle was imminent, and that an outward, global focus would mean they were more widely distributed than in the recent past.”
“In addition to marking a significant move away from those years, the choice of the US to help host the 2024 tournament would also serve as a launchpad for cricket’s long-awaited inclusion in the Olympic Games, starting with LA in 2028 and following up with Brisbane in 2032,” said the report in the Australian daily.
ICC is trying to increase the distribution and popularity of cricket in various distant parts of the world. Following to which the international cricket governing body has started to look for new associates and will be trying to host major events in emerging nations. This plan of cricket expansion also involves the work to include the game in Olympics in the coming years.