The first ever international match of cricket was played in New York City between USA and Canada in 1844. And it only took a mere 166 years for the next first international game of cricket to be played in the USA, between NZ and Sri Lanka. According to Richard J. Kaplan (Mayor of Lauderhill, FL) the second-first-international-game took so long to be played because all the men in the USA who played cricket died in WWI.

Anyway…there are an estimated 15 million cricket fans in the USA (that’s 4 x the entire population of NZ) and NZ Cricket is very keen to explore the potential of cricket being played in the USA. In fact NZC has high hopes of tapping these fans and turning them into a viable business and marketplace.

Making cricket a mainstream sport in the USA will not be an easy task, some might say an impossible dream. But if anyone can help…who better than TimeZoneOne.

So with cricket in our hearts Tatts and I headed to Lauderhill, FL for a spot of cricket and conversation with Justin Vaughan CEO, NZ Cricket.

(Due to the highly confidential nature of our conversations, I cannot type anymore…) But I can show you what we experienced…

untitled1.png

Me and Ian Chappell casually chatting in the pavilion.

untitled2.png

Me and Sunil Gavaskar seconds before he began commentating

untitled3.png

Tatts, Me and 4301 Sri Lankan fans.

untitled4.png

Me and security (Tamil Tigers are everywhere in Florida).

untitled5.png

The Pearl Cup (which no one actually won).

untitled6.png

Central Broward Cricket Ground – just 400m from the number 2 tourist attraction in FL

untitled7.png

The best way to carbo-load the night before an international game of cricket

Post to Twitter