- author, timothy abraham
- role, bbc sports journalist
International Cricket Council (ICC) officials have “no concerns” about the pitches being used at a temporary stadium in New York for the Men’s T20 World Cup.
The 34,000-seat stadium at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, east of Manhattan, is being put on the final touches with just over two weeks left until the tournament begins.
The venue currently has four drop-in pitches and is scheduled to host eight World Cup matches, including the much-awaited match between India and Pakistan.
There are also six other drop-in pitches located at nearby training facilities.
Two other grounds used to host matches in the United States (Texas and Florida) already have natural grass turnstiles installed.
The Australian admitted the “evidence is tacit” but said he had “no worries” about the pitch as the tournament approaches.
“It’s been two and a half weeks since the first game and I’m very happy and I don’t have anything to worry about,” Huff said.
“Don’t worry, some of the best pitches in the world are drop-in pitches. We can build it anywhere.”
ICC events director Chris Tetley said the stadium’s playing field was not a “token-sized” field, but a “full-fledged international standard cricket pitch” measuring 75 yards east-west and 67 yards north-south. .
“In terms of playing area, we are almost as big as the Gabba, Oval and Wankhede Stadium,” he added.
A kind of “legacy” of the World Cup for New York
The stands at the New York stadium were previously used for the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas last November.
There are no floodlights installed at the venue, so all eight matches will be played during the day.
BBC Sport understands that Major League Cricket (MLC) organizers made an informal inquiry to the ICC earlier this year about the possibility of holding some matches at stadiums in New York.
The second edition of the US domestic T20 franchise tournament (won by MI New York in 2023) begins the week after the T20 World Cup final and features stars such as Australian duo Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith .
However, there appeared to be insufficient logistics flexibility to hold the match in New York, and the temporary stands were to be moved to Las Vegas.
MLC will once again be held at existing venues in Dallas and North Carolina.
After the games, responsibility for the site of New York Stadium will be handed over to Nassau County authorities, who will restore it to a park accessible to the city.
Despite the temporary nature of hosting the World Cup in New York, Tetley said New York will continue to have a “legacy to the cricket community” through “world-class international competition facilities with drainage and irrigation.” He said it would remain.
He added: “The ground will continue to be available for cricketers from the region to play on. Updated space for training will also remain. So there will be a great heritage and cricketing infrastructure behind it.”