Photo Credit: USA Cricket
Major League Cricket (“MLC”) and Prairie View Cricket Complex (“PVCC”) have today announced an MOU to enter into a joint-venture partnership which will see the six-field facility located outside of Houston become one of the United States’ best cricket training and playing facilities. MLC and PVCC have been collaborating on the development of the facility over the past year, which has culminated in the successful staging of the USA Cricket Men’s Under 19 National Championships last week.
The facility was originally constructed in 2019 and is one of only a few multi-field turf wicket cricket complexes in the United States. It is anticipated the facility will play host to a number of high performance teams and multi-team tournaments throughout the year, including the Houston Open T20 tournament commencing on 14 April, as well as an MLC training camp involving MLC contracted players playing alongside some of the best amateur players in the country.
As part of the partnership, further developments to the existing facility will include:
- The construction of eight new turf practice nets and wickets.
- Upgrading an additional three grounds to high-quality natural turf wickets, alongside improvements to the outfield
- Construction of a state-of-the-art cricket pavilion, catering for both male and female players.
Once complete, the project will position the MLC National Cricket Center at Prairie View Cricket Complex as a world-class playing and training venue, whilst maintaining its standing as a community cricket hub for elite, youth and recreational cricketers.
The partnership will also see the founder of Prairie View Cricket Complex, Mr. Tanweer Ahmed, become part of the investor group of Major League Cricket. Mr. Mangesh Chaudhari, Operations Head of PVCC, will also take on a broader role in MLC’s nationwide rollout of turf wicket facilities.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Ahmed, said:
“Prairie View Cricket Complex is excited to partner with Major League Cricket to create the first MLC National Cricket Center. From humble beginnings, the entire team at PVCC led by Mangesh Chaudhari has worked tirelessly since 2019 to create a facility that sits among the top few in the United States. We are proud that Major League Cricket has recognized this hard work, and we look forward to joining forces to make this a world-class training and playing facility right here in Houston”.
Co-Founder of Major League Cricket, Sameer Mehta stated:
“Today’s announcement is a significant step towards building world-class training and playing facilities to support the growth of Cricket across all levels in the United States. Once complete, the MLC National Cricket Center at Prairie View Cricket Complex is going to positively impact all cricketers from the United States national teams preparing for international events and have access to some of the best facilities in the country”.
Chairman of the Cricket Committee of USA Cricket, Sushil Nadkarni:
“The announcement of this partnership and planned developments for the MLC National Cricket Center at Prairie View Cricket Complex will help USA Cricket prepare our teams to take on the world’s best and allow us to develop and identify the next generation of cricket stars.
“It is exciting to see the development in this facility over the past 18 months, and I look forward to works commencing shortly that will have such great benefit for cricket in this country. Thank you to both Prairie View Cricket Complex and Major League Cricket in helping us get to this stage, and being instrumental in the successful staging and conduct of the USA Cricket Men’s Under 19 National Championships”.
