MARGATE/FL – USA: Chairman of Cricket Council USA (CCUSA), Mahammad Qureshi says that the US Open T20 tournament is his gift to the people of America and he hopes it goes a long way in helping the young cricketers in the country.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to the eleventh edition of the US Open T20 tournament, which promises to be the best of the lot. I had a vision 11 years ago to play T20 cricket here in the United States and went about organizing this tournament with the help of friends. It has been a labor of love, one that has given me great pleasure as we serve humanity through cricket.
“During this tournament, you will see several world stars taking part and who would have envisioned that years ago when we started. The US Open T20 is a gift to the people of America from Cricket Council USA (CCUSA), a wonderful group of which I am very proud to be the chairman.
“This year we have 27 teams vying for the top prize but as I always say, the winner at the end of the day is ‘cricket’. This tournament being the only International Cricket Council (ICC) event approved by the ICC in North America brings people together, as we stage cricket matches with the hope of giving the young ones something meaningful to occupy their time.
This very tournament has produced local players who have done the country proud and graduated to the Caribbean Premier League. We have the likes of Muhammad Ali Khan, Jaskaran Malhotra and Zishawn Qureshi, all of whom have had exposure to the CPL. It is my hope that the young cricketers of America come out and take a look at these matches, meet their heroes and get inspired by great cricket.
“We have representation from all around the country at this year’s tournament and it shows that we are doing our part to develop the game in this country. I hope that everyone has an enjoyable time at the event this year as we do our part to keep America’s cricket on the world map. Let’s Play US Open!”
