Thursday, June 29 2006 14:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Los Angles: The 2006 Los Angeles Open 20/20 Cricket Tournament, the "Premier Cricket Tournament in the United States", will host a press briefing at Woodley Park Cricket Fields in Van Nuys, California featuring the lineup of international teams and players scheduled to compete from Saturday, July 1 through Monday, July 3 for over $25,000 in prize money.

Mohammed Azharuddin, former captain of the Indian national team will be competing.

Air India, the top corporate cricket team in India, will have several players who have represented India in international matches, including Sameer Dighe, Pravin Amre, and Narendra Hirwani among others.

The Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board is sending their current national team with players such as Ricardo Powell, Lendl Simmons and Dave Mohammed, along with several rising young stars.

From Southern California will feature several well-known cricketers such as Richie Richardson, Stuart Williams, Curtly Ambrose, and Adam Sanford, Mohammed Azharuddin, Nikhil Chopra, Rohan Gavaskar, Arvind Shetty, Romesh Kaluwitharna and Kumara Dharmasena.

In addition, there will be teams arriving from New York, Florida, Chicago, Northern California and Washington DC.

In past years, the LA Open has seen an average of almost 200 runs scored in each 20-over innings, creating great excitement and entertainment for enthusiasts and first time spectators.

"There is no other place in the US where you get to see so many good quality cricket players, assembled in one location, playing action packed cricket for three days," says Kamal Doshi, one of the LA Open organizers.

There are currently over 9,000 cricketers, many of whom have played international and first class cricket for their home countries, now residing and playing in the US. Many of the US teams participating in the 2006 LA Open will showcase a collection of the best first class players from their particular region.

The will be held at Woodley Park Cricket Fields in Van Nuys, California, 6350 Woodley Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91406. The site offers four international class cricket fields in one centralized location. In its brief three-year history, the LA Open has come to be known as one of the best showcases for cricket in the United States.