Liam Plunkett believes England’s top stars will find it hard to resist the attraction of the big-money Major League Cricket competition in the United States next summer.
The inaugural 20-over event is set to involve franchises based in six US cities and offer higher salaries than any league in the world with the exception of the Indian Premier League.
Former England pace bowler Plunkett, part of the 2019 World Cup-winning team, is set to play in the competition next June and July and expects many current national team players to be tempted.
🏗️ Work is currently underway in Texas on the first world-class MLC cricket venue in the USA 🏟️🇺🇸
The facility will feature over 7K permanent seats with the ability to expand to a capacity of 15K for major events 🙌
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/dFoljpJ0y5
📹 courtesy of @gp_tx pic.twitter.com/0c519a2Xuv— Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 26, 2022
Advertisement
“Americans want to watch the best and I think we can attract them,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I think they will definitely jump on board when they see how big it is. With how many people love cricket here and the way Americans put on a show, you will get packed-out crowds.
“Hopefully you will get people like Jonny Bairstow, Andre Russell, all of these guys coming across to play. It is a lot of people’s dream to play sport in America.”
Plunkett added: “With the money that’s behind this, it’s going to be massive.
“It’s ‘go big or go home’. That is how they do stuff in America.”
MLC, which is sanctioned by USA Cricket, has secured investment from more than 20 organisations and individuals including tech entrepreneurs.
