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Cricketer Shane Warne Strikes Out on Proposed Wrigley Field Match: Cubs

By Ariel Cheung | June 22, 2015 6:13pm
 Former Australian Bowler Shane Warne (l.) and Michael Clarke of Australia talk during an Australian Nets Session at Old Trafford on July 31, 2013 in Manchester, England.
Former Australian Bowler Shane Warne (l.) and Michael Clarke of Australia talk during an Australian Nets Session at Old Trafford on July 31, 2013 in Manchester, England.
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Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

WRIGLEYVILLE — Despite reports that cricket would be coming to Wrigley Field this fall, the Cubs said Monday that wasn't the case.

Australian former cricketer Shane Warne said he planned to create the "Harlem Globetrotters" of cricket and said three exhibition games would be played in the United States in November, News LTD reported Saturday.

Warne said he'd booked Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium in New York and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for games, with the goal of establishing a following for the sport in the United States with a team formed of some of the top international players.

The Cubs, however, said there are no plans for a cricket match in the Friendly Confines.

"We are not hosting any exhibition cricket matches. We were honored to be considered, but due to our baseball and off-season construction schedule, the timing does not work," spokesman Julian Green told DNAinfo Chicago in an email.

Wrigley Field is in the middle of the first of four phases of renovations, with bleachers almost complete and plaza work beginning while the season is underway.

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