OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- In the East Bay, the City of Oakland has announced that Major League Cricket will play matches at the Coliseum this summer. Cricket is the world’s second most popular sport, after soccer.
The Bay Area will get a chance to see some of the best cricket players in the country take to the pitch at the Coliseum this June. On Wednesday, Major League Cricket, an American-based league with seven teams, including the San Francisco Unicorns, announced that cricket is coming to the Coliseum.
A total of nine matches will be played at the Coliseum over seven days running from June 12 to June 18.
"It’s going to have the best players in the United States. The best players from around the world. Playing the most exciting format of this sport, a three-hour game, with games starting at 6 p.m. in the evening and we encourage everyone from Oakland and the Bay Area to come out and drag along their non cricket fans and introduced them to this wonderful sport," said Major League Cricket CEO Johnny Grave.
Since the A’s left Oakland last year, the Coliseum Authority and the City of Oakland have been working to bring professional sports back to the Coliseum. The Oakland Roots men's soccer team just played its home opener at the venue last weekend.
Now, with professional cricket debuting this summer, the city is hoping to keep the Coliseum in use, and they are working to bring even more events here.
Tickets to the June matches start at $20 and go on sale Thursday. Tickets can be purchased at majorleaguecricket.com.