In the inaugural season of the United States’ new Twenty20 cricket tournament, former Australian captain Aaron Finch will head the San Francisco Unicorns, while Quinton de Kock will play for the Seattle Orcas. Six international acquisitions, including Finch and de Kock, were revealed during Sunday’s Major League Cricket (MLC) Domestic Player Draft, during which each of the six clubs selected nine US-based players. MLC will be played between July 13 and July 30. It will emerge only months after South Africa and the United Arab Emirates presented their T20 leagues to the cricketing world and about 15 years after the Indian Premier League (IPL) revolutionized cricket.
MLC tournament director Justin Geale told reporters prior to the draught, “It’s going to be a heck of a journey, but the objective is to get year one underway, show the world we can put out a product, and get respectable audiences in, and I think the momentum will rapidly increase.” Finch, who captained Australia in white-ball cricket before declaring his international retirement last month, tweeted, “Very pleased to be a part of @MLCricket @SFOUnicorns.” The 36-year-old will be joined at the Unicorns by former teammate Marcus Stoinis and fast bowler Brody Couch, whose American mother makes him eligible for the draught. The Unicorns also selected fast bowler Liam Plunkett, who was a member of the England team that won the 50-over World Cup in 2019. The wife of Plunkett is American. De Kock, who once led South Africa in all three forms, will play opposite Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for the Orcas.
Wanindu Hasaranga, a spin bowling all-rounder from Sri Lanka, and Anrich Nortje, a fast bowler from South Africa, were the two international players revealed by DC Freedom. In the next weeks, more international signings will be revealed. Unmukt Chand, the 2012 World Cup-winning captain of India’s under-19 team, has joined Los Angeles, while former Pakistan international Hammed Azam has been signed by MI New York. “When the money is available, it would be a good idea to explore America, play cricket, and bring your family and golf equipment as well. We haven’t encountered any difficulties in communicating with gamers.” Geale added.
