Tag: USA

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka cricket team departed for the United States of America (USA) on Tuesday to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, commencing on June 1.

Sri Lanka are the first team to leave for the mega event, however, star spinner Maheesh Theekshana is not travelling with the squad, owing to his commitment to IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.

The squad features a blend of experienced and young players and will be led by star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

Sri Lanka opted to rely on the experience of veteran Angelo Mathews, who made his T20I comeback in January after being away from the setup for nearly three years.

Notably, this will be Mathews’ sixth T20 World Cup appearance. He was also a part of Sri Lanka’s victorious campaign in 2014.

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Besides the experience, Sri Lanka emphasised on the team balance and thus picked multiple all-rounders in their squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Skipper Hasaranga is one of the spin-bowling all-rounders beside Dunith Wellalage, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kamindu Mendis. Whereas, Matthews and Dasun Shanaka are the pace-bowling all-rounders.

Right-arm pacer Dushmantha Chameera will spearhead Sri Lanka’s pace bowling attack which features Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara.

Sri Lanka are placed in Group D of the T20 World Cup 2024 alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal.

The former champions will kick start their campaign on June 3 against South Africa in New York.

Sri Lanka squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dilshan Madushanka

Traveling Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Janith Liyanage.

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The United States of America (USA) and Mexico withdrew their joint bid for the Women’s World Cup 2027 on Monday, just weeks before FIFA is due to vote to award the tournament at a meeting in Bangkok.

In a joint statement from the USA and Mexico football federations, the two governing bodies said they would now switch focus towards mounting a successful bid for the 2031 tournament.

The shock decision comes as FIFA officials prepare to hold a vote at the global governing body’s Congress in Bangkok on May 17 to decide the 2027 hosts.

The USA and Mexico’s withdrawal leaves two rival bids vying for the tournament — a joint bid from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and a solo bid from Brazil.

The end of the USA-Mexico bid came after FIFA said earlier on Monday that the 2027 tournament hosts would for the first time be decided by an open vote when the FIFA Congress convenes in Thailand next month.

The USA had been bidding to stage the women’s football flagship event for the third time after hosting the tournament successfully on its own in 1999 and 2003.

Had the USA-Mexico bid for 2027 been successful, it would have meant another large-scale sporting event taking place in North America in what has become a crowded calendar for the region.

The United States, Mexico and Canada are already gearing up to stage the men’s 2026 World Cup, while Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympics.

The United States is also due to host next year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, and is also staging this year’s 16-team Copa America.

USA Soccer said waiting until 2031 would give tournament organizers more breathing space to plan for the tournament while absorbing lessons from the region’s staging of the 2026 men’s World Cup.

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“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe,” US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.

“I’m proud of our commitment to provide equitable experiences for the players, fans and all our stakeholders.

“Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe.”

Mexico Football Federation chief Ivar Sisniega echoed Parlow Cone’s position.

“After careful analysis we feel that moving our bid back to 2031 will allow us to promote and build up to the most successful Women’s World Cup ever,” Sisniega said.

“The strength and universality of our professional women’s leagues, coupled with our experience from organizing the 2026 World Cup, means that we will be able to provide the best infrastructure as well as an enthusiastic fan base that will make all the participating teams feel at home and to put together a World Cup that will contribute to the continued growth of women’s football.”

Last year’s Women’s World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand.

The last time the tournament was held in North America was when Canada hosted in 2015.

The USA are the most successful nation in the women’s game having won the World Cup on four occasions.

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T20 World Cup hosts the United States of America (USA) have named Stuart Law as head coach, US cricket officials said on Thursday, with the Australian calling it “an exciting opportunity.”

The 55-year-old former batter takes charge of the USA men’s team ahead of a three-match home T20 series against Bangladesh next month.

The USA will host the World Cup with the West Indies in June.

USA Cricket did not reveal the length of Law’s contract as head coach.

“It is an exciting opportunity to join USA Cricket at this time,” said Law, who has previously coached Bangladesh, the West Indies and Afghanistan at international level.

“USA is one of the strongest associate nations in the sport and I believe that we can mold a formidable squad going ahead.

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“The first task will be to prepare the team for the series against Bangladesh and then set our sights on our home World Cup, which will be huge.”

Venu Pisike, chairman of USA Cricket, called the Australian “one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport.”

“Stuart is one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport. He brings a lot of experience to USA Cricket with his varied assignments, particularly in developing international sides over the years,” said Pisike.

“His appointment will only help the team grow to their full potential. We are excited to have Stuart on board just before the World Cup and look forward to lots of successes together.”

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Former New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson has been selected in the squad of the United States of America (USA) on Friday for the home T20 series against Canada.

The 33-year-old all-rounder, who last played for New Zealand in 2018 before moving to the USA in 2020, is set to make his debut for his adopted country.

Corey Anderson became eligible to represent the USA in international cricket last year.

He played 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 31 T20Is for New Zealand since making his debut in 2013, scoring over 2000 runs and taking 90 wickets across formats.

He was also part of New Zealand’s squad in the ICC World Cup 2015, where they reached the final for the first time, but lost to co-hosts Australia.

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The five-match T20I series between the USA and Canada will be played in Houston, Texas from Houston, Texas.

Monank Patel will continue to lead the USA, while Aaron Jones will serve as vice-captain of the team.

“With the ICC T20 World Cup looming, this series holds immense significance for our team,” Monank said in a USA Cricket statement.

“We have some new players coming into the squad, and these games will help us get the right combinations and prepare well for the World Cup.”

USA squad for the T20I series against Canada

Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones (vice-capt), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Gajanand Singh, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Usman Rafiq

Reserves: Juanoy Drysdale, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Shayan Jahangir

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The Bangladesh Men’s Cricket Team will tour the United States of America (USA) for a three-match T20I series ahead of this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced Thursday.

Bangladesh’s historic tour to the USA meant that the two teams would face each other in the shortest format for the first time.

The BCB sees the three-match series as an opportunity to prepare for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

“For the Bangladesh Team, this tour serves as an ideal platform to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, CEO, Bangladesh Cricket Board, said.

“We recognise the significance of this preparatory phase and are committed to making the most of this invaluable experience.”

Bangladesh have thus far played only two T20Is in the USA, both against the West Indies in 2018.

The Asian Tigers will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the country, taking on Sri Lanka and South Africa in Dallas and New York respectively.

Prior to the historic series against Bangladesh, the USA will host Canada for a five-match T20I series,

All eight matches of the two bilateral series will be played at Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, Texas.

“Ahead of the important Men’s T20 World Cup, these games will be vital for our team to get their working combinations, build team cohesion, and fine-tune strategies,” said Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket.

Notably, Bangladesh are placed in group D of the T20 World Cup 2024, alongside Sri Lanka, South Africa, Nepal and the Netherlands.

Whereas, the USA are part of Group A which also features India, Pakistan, Canada and Ireland.

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