Florida invests in new ground

Florida is to embark on an ambitious plan to build a state of the art ground in the Boca Raton and Delray Beach area by November.

The plans are bankrolled by Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) - a management organisation in charge of cricket in Florida - and come on the back of a successful Twenty20 tournament held on July 4.

"Given the success of the historic MAQ T20 International Cricket Tournament...we believe that South Florida possesses the amenities, good year-round weather and a diverse population that will enable the area to become the hub of cricket in the United States," said Mahammad "MAQ" Qureshi, CCUSA chairman.

The ground will reportedly meet international standards so that local, national and international tournament could be staged there, and it will eventually become the home of the USA cricket academy.

"With proper coaching, conditioning and nutrition along with the outstanding training facility, we believe that the aspiring US Cricket Players will be able to compete on the international stage against the best cricketers in the world," Qureshi said. "That's CCUSA's goal. We have the passion, resources and the will to make it happen."