MARGATE/FL – USA: All matches at this year’s US Open T20 tournament will be played inside the Central Broward Regional Stadium.
This was revealed by the chairman and CEO of Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) Mahammad Qureshi on Sunday. CCUSA is the parent body for the US Open T20 tournament. Qureshi, as well as tournament director Shah Zafar, was able to ink the deal with Broward County management and the tournament that is carded to get off on December 15 and lasts until December 20 is expected to come off without any issues.
This year the number of teams taking part in the tournament was reduced from 32 to eight, due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. As a precaution, the tournament will be played in the bio-secure environment of the Central Broward Regional Park and this is why it was decided that all the matches will be played inside the stadium and not on adjoining fields.
Qureshi explained: “We are cognizant of the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic and if we want to fight through and have the cricket, then we need to take precautions. We have already decided to cut the number of teams to eight so we have more control of the situation as far as the Coronavirus is concerned.
“We have been working closely with Broward County all the while in terms of being in line with their Covid 19 protocols and we will be setting up accordingly to satisfy this. Our tournament director Shah Zafar has already laid out the plans for the teams in terms of what is required on their part and we are hoping for a successful tournament.
“We will be spending a lot more money than usual because we have to ensure the safety of the players. We are going out all the way to make sure everyone is safe so they can concentrate on their cricket.”
