BOCA RATON/FL – USA: Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) is hoping to host the 12th edition of the US Open T20 tournament in December and is hoping that all will be well by that time.
Chairman and CEO of CCUSA, Mahammad Qureshi says his association is doing whatever they can to ensure that the Central Broward Regional Park will be a bio-safe environment for the tournament to be conducted from December 16 to 19.
CCUSA has leaned on the advice of medical doctors Christine Dumas and Nilesh Mehta as how best to protect cricketers, officials, and fans during this tournament, should it come off.
Qureshi is willing to invest heavily in getting masks and other protective gear for those who will be at the Stadium when the tournament comes around.
According to Qureshi: “We are really looking forward to hosting not only the US Open T20 tournament which is our marquee tournament, but also the MAQ T10, USA Nationals. We always put players’ interests first and in this case, their health is what we are concerned about. It is still early days but we are hoping that in a few months the COVID 19 virus is under some level of control and we can proceed with our cricket.
“We are going to provide masks for all who are entering the facility, we are going to make changes to the dressing rooms and media area in order to keep within the social distancing guidelines. We think that with a concerted effort by the stakeholders we can host our cricket tournament because the players badly need to get out there and play the sport.”
Qureshi has been hosting regular meetings with his executive to keep them abreast of development and they have been brainstorming on how best to move forward. He said that cricket is in a dormant state and it will take enterprising minds to get it started again.