| New Zealand spinner Nathan McCullum believes the Black Caps and the West Indies have a responsibility to entertain when Twenty20 cricket comes to the United States for just the second time on Saturday. The two sides will meet in a two-match series in Lauderhill, Florida, and McCullum knows the importance of winning over new fans in a country where cricket is a niche sport. "It's a pretty big responsibility for us and the West Indies to put on a spectacle. We're keen to do that and promote the game of cricket," McCullum said on www.blackcaps.co.nz. "Getting locals along to the stadium and putting on a show for them can hopefully produce a little bit more interest and spread the word around the country and then it can take off from there." It is only second time ICC full-member nations will compete in the US after New Zealand and Sri Lanka played a landmark series in 2010. But Black Caps assistant coach Trent Woodhill claims the facilities have been improved since then and is expecting a packed house. "I believe the grandstands have nearly sold out so there's a lot of interest," he said. "There's a lot of expat West Indians, also expats from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India who have been showing their face at training, so there's definitely a market here for cricket and we want to help it grow." "The training wickets have been really good. The bounce has been consistent and the quicks have been able to get the ball up a little bit which is a lot better than it was couple of years ago. "The wicket looks good and that helps for putting on a show. "When the conditions are good the players feel comfortable so I'm positive it will be a good for spectators." West Indies captain Darren Sammy is banking on plenty of support from the Caribbean community in the region. "We have large (numbers of) Caribbean supporters, it would be good to come here and put a smile on their faces," Sammy said on www.windiescricket.com. Windies head coach Ottis Gibson expects a closely-fought series as the two teams continue their preparations for the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in September. "Both teams are evenly matched, it's a good opportunity for us to see how much progress we've made in the last 12 months against a very competitive New Zealand side," he said. "The place is new to both of us, and that's why it's a good opportunity." |