Morrisville park getting millions worth of upgrades for Major League Cricket

The town of Morrisville has now sealed a multi-million dollar funding project to expand their cricket venue at their Church Street Park.  Cricket is an international sport with a big following in the Triangle.

The announcement about the public-private partnership was made on the field under a slight sprinkle of rain, something that cricket fans call a "sticky wicket."

Cricket, Morrisville Councilman Steve Rao explained, is "similar to baseball though you are only running this way, there's no bases." The scoreboard indicates that terms like a "batsman" and a "last man" are a central part of competition.

Cricket matches at Church Street Park grow more popular every year, and town leaders couldn't be more pleased.

"The presence of cricket in our community is another component that makes Morrisville a great place to live," said Mayor T.J. Crawley.

Cawley and other town leaders said the partnership demonstrates their desire to create an international-quality cricket venue. It includes plans to renovate the grassy field. Grass seating will soon be replaced with more bleachers and even a new broadcast booth.

"Last year's finals were broadcast on television and streamed worldwide," said community services supervisor Jerry Allen.

Church Street is a park for every family and for just about every sport, but cricket is even more firmly taking its place on center stage. "Years ago we started seeing growth in our demographics where cricket was the favorite sport," said Allen.

The popularity of the sport attracted internationally known cricket stars to the area including Jaskaran Malhotra, who is now a minor league coach of the Morrisville Cardinals. He said, "It's amazing. I moved here for cricket. I didn't know cricket was so big here."

Town leaders believe cricket's popularity is a big boost for attracting visitors, boosting business in the town, the county and in the state. "Because we're sending a message that we are a global state," said Rao.

Morrisville's town leaders also plan to bid to be one of the host venues for the 2024 "T-20" Men's World Cup which is co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies.