Nassau County Ground inaugurated by Usain BoltCHENNAI: 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.
T20 WORLD CUP SCHEDULEThe world is waiting with bated breath to see how the public accepts cricket in the United States, which is a new market for the sport.
For cricket in the US to be successful, the India-Pakistan game group league game on June 9 in the Nassau County Stadium, 35 kilometres east of Manhattan, must be a hit.
And the ICC and United States Cricket have left no stone unturned to produce a stadium with a capacity of 34,000 in six months' time.
The stadium, where eight matches will be played including three games featuring India, was inaugurated by legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on Wednesday.
Ahead of the occasion, Chris Tetley, head of events, ICC, said that the ground meets international standards comfortably.
"Whenever a new stadium comes up, there are a lot of questions about the size. But the Nassau County ground is not a token-sized ground - it is 75 yards east west and 67 yards north south from the centre. It is similar to the size of Wankhede. The drainage facilities, too, will be world-class,' Tetley said during an interaction.
Not too long ago, it was just a municipality park and the ICC worked on war-footing to get the facility ready. Other than the four centre wickets, there are six practice pitches near the ground and drop-in pitches will be used for the tournament.
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. Hough, who knows all about producing great wickets, says that it was a major challenge but they are happy with how things have shaped up.
"The pitches will have pace and bounce and the ball should come on to 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 of Las Vegas and returned after the tournament is over.