ICC head of events Chris Tetley was present along with a host of other superstars as the Nassau County Ground in New York was inaugurated ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Cricket is at a crossroads with a part of the T20 World Cup in June taking place in the USA ahead of the sport's re-entry into the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
The globe is watching with bated breath to see how the public perceives cricket in the United States, a new market for the sport.
For cricket in the United States to be successful, the India-Pakistan group league game on June 9 at Nassau County Stadium, 35 kilometers east of Manhattan, must be a success.
ICC and United States Cricket have left no stone unturned to produce a stadium with a capacity of 34,000 in six months. The stadium, where eight matches will be played including three games featuring India, was inaugurated by legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on Wednesday.
"Whenever a new stadium comes up, there are a lot of questions about the size. But the Nassau County ground is not token-sized - it is 75 yards east-west and 67 yards north-south from the center. It is similar to the size of Wankhede. The drainage facilities, too, will be world-class,' Tetley said during an interaction.
The stadium is one of the three venues in the USA for the upcoming mega-event. Florida and Texas will also host matches from the event. The pitches have been prepared in Florida under the supervision of Damian Hough, head curator of Adelaide Oval, and have been brought to New York in trucks.
"The pitches will have pace and bounce and the ball should come onto the bat, something that the players prefer. The idea is to produce good pitches that will stay good throughout the tournament and the players will enjoy playing on,' Hough said.
The galleries for the venue are makeshift. The temporary structure will be brought in from the Formula One track in Las Vegas and returned after the tournament is over.
The USA co-hosts for the event alongside the West Indies, where 39 matches will be played across six venues. The Final will be held on 29 June in Barbados.
(ICC inputs)
