Secret $30m New York stadium with turf shipped from Australia opens doors

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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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.

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.

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