ICC announces Americas Cricket Combine

Barbados: The ICC on Monday announced that a Cricket Combine will take place in Indianapolis, USA, in September to select an ICC Americas representative team which would compete in the WICB’s Nagico Super 50 tournament in January 2016.

It will be an opportunity for the best performing players to then trial for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The Combine will have two phases, with Phase 1 being an open trial. All eligible players in the Americas region can apply online for the opportunity to be selected to attend the trial that will take place at the World Sports Park in Indianapolis from 18 to 21 September.

The best players from Phase 1 will then be invited to attend Phase 2 of the Combine from 24 to 27 September, after which the ICC Americas team will be selected.

Some players identified through previous ICC Americas events will be invited to attend Phase 2 automatically.

“It’s exciting that the ICC, in cooperation with the WICB, is able to provide this opportunity to the best cricketers in the Americas region,” ICC’s Head of Global Development, Tim Anderson, said in a release.

“The region is full of talented cricketers, with many in the USA and Canada, and through the innovative open trial we hope to uncover some stars of the future.”

WICB President Dave Cameron said, “The WICB takes its role to assist the development of cricket in the Americas region seriously, and therefore we are delighted to be supporting this initiative.”

Applications for Phase 1 of the Combine close on Friday July 17.

The ICC Americas region is part of the ICC’s Development Programme, which aims to grow and improve cricket with ICC’s 95 Associate and Affiliate Member countries.