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ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

As part of efforts to grow the sport of cricket across North, Central, and South America, Cricket West Indies (CWI) will spearhead the establishment of La Federacion de Criquet de las Americas (FECA).

This proposed regional body will act as a collaborative platform to coordinate the exponential growth of cricket across the Americas, with CWI assuming a parental role as the only ICC Full Member in the hemisphere.

The move comes following an official visit by CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow to Lima, Peru.

"This marks a pivotal step in advancing cricket across the Americas.

"Cricket West Indies embraces its responsibility not only to the Caribbean but to the wider region. We recognise the importance of structure, collaboration, and a unified vision to unlock the immense potential that exists throughout the Americas," Dr Shallow said.

CWI's chief executive officer Chris Dehring also hailed the initiative.

"Our efforts to expand cricket must redound positively to each country under our remit.

"This growth will not only uplift national programmes but will also strengthen West Indies cricket by broadening our base, increasing opportunities and deepening our regional relevance," Dehring said.

"With the emergence and development of cricketing hubs in areas such as Brazil, with 72,000 registered players - most of them women under professional contracts - along with Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, this region is ripe for meaningful engagement."

Meanwhile, CWI' s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, emphasised the growing appetite for development partnerships across the region.

"Including teams from the Americas in our tournaments brings clear mutual benefits.

"It expands our competitions, giving our players more games and exposure to unfamiliar opposition, while providing valuable match experience for developing teams in the region. It also opens opportunities for players, staff and officials, and allows our coaches and technical staff to both contribute to and benefit from regional capacity building," Bascombe said.

Currently, two youth teams from the United States are participating in CWI's Rising Stars Under-19 tournament in St Kitts.

In November, four Caribbean national senior teams will be selected to travel to Lima, the capital city of Peru to participate in the Bolivarian Games, an historic first for cricket and a symbolic entry point into the South American sporting movement.

Also, in 2027 cricket is set to feature in the Pan American Games, where Caribbean nations with Olympic accreditation will compete on an international stage, aligning with cricket's reintroduction to the Olympic Games.