Delray Rawlins is looking forward to showcasing his skills in the US Open Cricket T20 tournament.

The Sussex all-rounder has been selected to represent the Florida Scorpions at the event which will be held at the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from December 6-13.

“It should be good fun,” Rawlins told The Royal Gazette.

“Some pretty strong teams in there, so it’ll be interesting and definitely a learning curve.”

Rawlins is no stranger to the event.

He made his debut with the Paramveer Tigers 19 two years ago and grabbed the spotlight after thumping 101 off 35 balls, which included fourteen sixes, to guide his team to a 24-run win against Smashers.

“I’ve played in it before, and was supposed to go last year, but had to pull out due to Covid,” Rawlins added.

The 24-year-old has seen plenty of T20 cricket this year having helped Sussex reach the semi-final of the Vitality Blast and more recently represented Bermuda at the ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Antigua.

Rawlins is one of two Bermudians on the Florida Scorpions roster as compatriot and fellow all-rounder, Kamau Leverock, has been appointed as the team’s vice-captain.

“Hopefully he (Leverock) does well for the team and himself to put his name out there,” he said. “It’s another good experience for him and I’m sure he’ll learn a lot.”

Leverock captained Bermuda at the ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier, where the national team was eliminated from the competition.

The Florida Scorpions have been pitted in Group B along with Samp Army, Clarion County Eagles, Punjab Blues and Titans Cricket Club.

They will meet Clarion County in their tournament opener on Monday before facing Titans Cricket Club (December 9), Punjab Blues (December 10) and Samp Army (December 12).

Group A consists of US All Stars, Cavaliers 22 Yards, NDCC Royals, Brampton Pacers and Yankee Royals.

The top two teams from each group following the initial round robin phase will progress to the semi-finals.

The winners of Group A will meet the runners-up of Group B and vice versa to determine the finalists.

A new champion will be crowned as last year’s winners Atlanta Param Veers are not involved in this year’s tournament.

Arnold Manders, the Bermuda Cricket Board president, hopes to see more local players competing in tournaments such as the US Open Cricket T20 and others in the future.

Rawlins is optimistic Manders’s wish will come to fruition.

“It’s something that will probably happen a lot more as there are a lot of leagues taking off around the world,” he said.

The US Open Cricket T20 has been fully sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and USA Cricket.

West Indies trio Chris Gayle and brothers Dwayne and Darren Bravo are among the high profile cricketers to have competed at the white ball event.