Cricket
Secret $30m New York stadium with turf shipped from Australia opens doors
![Secret m New York stadium with turf shipped from Australia opens doors Secret m New York stadium with turf shipped from Australia opens doors](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/2024-east-meadow-new-york-896693614.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=1920&h=1080&crop=1)
A TEMPORARY $30 million stadium in Long Island, New York, is set to become the center of the sporting world over the next fortnight.
The 34,000-seat Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York’s Eisenhower Park opens for business this weekend.
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![The Nassau County Stadium will host games in cricket's T20 World Cup](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/2024-sports-world-body-excited-901676902.jpg)
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![The stadium is in Long Island, New York around 30 miles east of Manhattan](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/image.png)
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While American fans get ready for the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup as well as enjoy their summers at the ballpark, cricket lovers will have their eyes fixed on Long Island.
The new stadium is one of three US venues selected to host the World T20, along with the Caribbean.
And it will host one of sports’ biggest rivalries when India faces Pakistan on June 9 in a game that draws more than 1 billion television viewers globally.
Turf has been cultivated in Adelaide, Australia, and shipped 14,000 miles to America for the event.
More grass has been grown in Florida and transported up the East Coast by trailers.
Temporary stands have also been repurposed from events such as the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
But the stadium will also feature hospitality suites to cater for one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar.
The 2024 tournament kicks off on June 1 in Dallas, Texas, with the final on June 29 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
New York will also host its first game on June 1 when India takes on Bangladesh in a warm-up fixture.
The third US venue is in Lauderhill, Florida, which has hosted international cricket in the past.
This tournament marks the first time the International Cricket Council has hosted an event in the United States in a bid to grow the game.
India is the sport’s commercial powerhouse with some reports claiming the nation is responsible for more than three quarters of world cricket’s revenue.
They rarely face rivals Pakistan these days due to strained political relations – unless it happens at a world event such as this.
The ICC never misses an opportunity to pair India and Pakistan together in the same group, and it’s often the game of the tournament.
Their pool also features hosts USA, Canada, and Ireland and all fixtures between the five teams will be played in the United States.
How the 2024 World T20 works
The 2024 World T20 in West Indies and USA will be the ninth edition of the tournament.
It began in 2007 with India lifting the trophy on that occasion while England are the defending champions from 2022.
This year’s competition will be held across nine venues in the West Indies and United States.
There are 20 teams in this edition, making it the biggest event in the competition’s short history.
The sides are split into four groups comprising five teams each, with the top two from each group advancing to the super eights.
The top four teams from the super eight stage will then compete in the semi-finals before the final on June 29.
Aside from the warm-up, New York’s stadium will host eight games between June 3 and June 12 with three of them featuring India.
Eight more games are scheduled to be played across Dallas, Texas, and Lauderhill, Florida.
The Caribbean will stage 39 games in all, including the latter stages and business end of the tournament.
New York’s pop-up stadium will be removed after the cricket showcase and will revert back to just being part of Eisenhower Park.
But organizers will hope cricket leaves a lasting impression on American fans in a bid to grow the game.
![The stadium in Eisenhower Park has used stands from events such as the Las Vegas Grand Prix](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/2024-sports-world-body-excited-904191363.jpg)
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![The playing pitch was cultivated in Adelaide, Australia and shipped to the US](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/2024-sports-world-body-excited-904191346.jpg)
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