India and West Indies are all set to face each other in one the most anticipated series of the year. The two T20 powerhouses will battle it out for the first time in the land of baseball, the United States of America, in a two-match T20 series, which will be played on 27th and 28th August in Florida.
The first leg of the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League was held in the US as well and it got a terrific response from the crowd. Last year it was the joint initiative taken by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne that helped the US crowd to witness some of the greatest players from yesteryears in action.
With India set to play their 1st ever international match in America we thought to give you an insight of the ground they would play in.
Here are the 5 things you need to know about Central Broward Regional Park in Florida.
#1 First ever Cricket match
The first official cricket event held at this stadium was the Martin Luther King Twenty20 Cricket tournament (MLK T20) from January 18 to 20th in 2008. Local players from India, Pakistan and West Indies was part of the event. The first tournament of international stature was the MAQ International Cricket Tournament from May 23 to 25, 2008.
The tournament featured teams from Canada, Pakistan, West Indies and the rest of the world. Former legends Javed Miandad, Richie Richardson and Mohammed Azharuddin were a part of the tournament.
The involvement of the star players and the crowd response paved the way for international cricket in the region. Just two years after the tournament, the first ever international match was held in Lauderhill between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
#2 History of the T20 international matches
The stadium hosted the first ever top tier competition on the American soil in the year 2010, hosting a two-match T20 series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. It was a keenly contested series finishing at 1-1.
While both the matches were a low scoring affair, the amount of passion and excitement witnessed paved way for more international matches to be held in the stadium in the near future.
The next international T20 series held in this stadium was between New Zealand and West Indies in the year 2012 with West Indies winning both the matches easily.
#3 Win Percentage (Batting 1st vs Batting 2nd)
Lauderhill hosted 4 international T20s and four matches in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League.
In the recently concluded CPL, the stadium witnessed some passionate crowds enjoying the game to their fullest. The batsmen provided much-needed fireworks that the American crowd wanted to witness badly.
In the 8 competitive matches played at the ground, teams batting first have won five times while the teams batting second have come out victorious thrice.
#4 Average score batting first
Teams batting first have a slight advantage as far as the history of this ground is concerned. In the 8 competitive matches played in the stadium, teams batting first have won on more occasions than teams batting second.
West Indies have played in this stadium more than anyone else and will be relying on their experience of playing there before. Average 1st innings total at Lauderhill is 157 and in the eagerly anticipated series between India and West Indies, teams batting first will look to improve on the average 1st innings total there.
#5 Average score batting second
The teams batting second at Lauderhill have floundered on quite a few occasions. Scores of 82, 92 and 116 in the 2nd innings prove the wicket is not always ideal for the teams batting second.
In the very first T20 international on the ground, chasing 121 to win, the Sri Lankan side were shot out for a paltry 92. Players who will feature in the India-West Indies series will try and improve the record for the teams batting second.
The average total batting 2nd at Lauderhill is 134.
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