The USA Cricket Association (USACA) announced today it hopes "top-class international cricket" will finally take root in America by launching the first professional competition, the USA Premier League.

The first steps were taken by inviting proposals from potential organisers, sponsors and broadcasters in a country dominated by football and baseball.

Proposals must be received by August 7.

Rushmans, an international sports event management company based in Wiltshire, has been appointed as commercial adviser.

Nigel Rushman said he is confident, with the right partners, that the United States can host a world class Premier League and attract large television and online audiences.

Unlike Test cricket, which is held over five days, a Twenty20 game involves two teams batting for a maximum of 20 overs each and usually the event is over in less than three hours and includes a mix of sport and off-the-field entertainment.

Since its inception in England six years ago the game has spread around the cricket world.

The IPL is currently the largest and most popular in terms of attendance and television audience Twenty20 league in the world, including a 10-year TV deal worth $1.026 billion and eight franchises which attracts the world's top players.

A campaign has now been started by players and officials from around the world for the sport to be inclued in the 2020 Olympics.

A successful league in the US would undoubtedly help its cause massively.

The USACA said it wants to unlock the sport's potential in a "massive market" and use the revenues from the new league to help spread cricket across the U.S. and form a competitive international team.

Rushman said: "The commercial potential of cricket in the United States is widely recognised and that was underscored by the number of approaches USACA has received from many significant and prestigious organisations ranging from broadcasters to promoters and sports marketing companies."

Organisers hope to build on the existing passion for cricket in ex-patriot communities from the Caribbean, the Asian subcontinent and other traditional cricket playing nations like England.

Rushman said: "Cricket is a truly global sport which has been liberated by developments in the media.

"The success of the IPL in South Africa is evidence of that."