First cricket museum coming to USA

MARGATE/FL – USA: The first ever cricket museum in America will soon come on stream in Margate, South Florida.

The ambitious venture is being undertaken by Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) at their headquarters in Margate. The idea for the project came from CCUSA chairman Mahammad Qureshi who recently visited a popular cricket museum in Dubai called the Shyam Bhatia Cricket Museum. According to Qureshi: “I always wanted to create a museum in America because I firmly believe that in order for the game to progress and reach out of the Indian, West Indian and Pakistani diaspora, we need to have a home of cricket where locals can come and learn about the history of the game.

“Cricket is a great game and it has a tremendous history. It should be taught to the young ones with the hope that it inspires passion amongst them.” Qureshi asked the question: “How many people know where the first ever cricket match was played? Well they can come to the museum when it is finished and realize that is was right here in America.  The first ever international cricket game was between the US and Canada in 1844. The match was played at the grounds of the St George’s Cricket Club in New York.

Qureshi added that the museum when finished will not only have memorabilia, books and other cricket items from America but across the world. “We will have different sections in the museum that will cater to the different major cricketing nations. We will be inviting all cricket lovers to come to the museum and immerse yourself in the rich cricketing culture of this world.

“It is also our hope that the different schools can bring their kids to visit the museum so that we can introduce them to the sport. We have held workshops in some of the schools in Margate and Plantation and it has worked well, with kids showing the interest.”