Eisenhower Park, a gem nestled about 25 miles east of the pulsating New York City, stands as a testament to a new era in international cricket. This historical venue, the first of its kind modular stadium, is ready to have its maiden run with the T20 World Cup. The stadium, a marvel with 34,000 seats, was unveiled on a bright Wednesday by none other than the world\’s swiftest man, Usain Bolt, who is also an esteemed World Cup ambassador.
Before the World Cup commences on the first of June, the International Cricket Council ICC will run some test events at this fresh venue. The World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the USA, will have New York hosting eight of the 16 matches scheduled in the USA. Dallas and Texas will have the honor of hosting four each. The first match at Eisenhower Park, nestled in Nassau County, will see South Africa and Sri Lanka battling it out on June 3.
However, the park will witness its first action on June 1, with a warm-up match between Bangladesh and India. Sources from ESPNcricinfo confirm this. India is set to play three games in New York during the main tournament, including the much-anticipated match against Pakistan on June 9.
The Eisenhower Park project remains one of the most ambitious ventures undertaken by the ICC. It involved the construction of a brand-new stadium in a mere five months on what was once just ordinary parkland. An integral part of this challenge was the preparation of drop-in pitches in Florida, which were then transported by land to New York. These were installed in both the main square as well as the practice areas.
The pitches were prepared by Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, led by the renowned Damian Hough, the head curator at Adelaide Oval. The outfield was crafted by LandTek Group, a US-based turf-making business known for preparing surfaces for baseball teams New York Yankees and New York Mets, as well as football club Inter Miami.
Chris Tetley, ICC\’s head of events, remarked during a media interaction, “We\’ve transformed what was parkland and an informal cricket ground into what you\’ll agree looks like a world-class cricket stadium that you might find anywhere.”
The Bangladesh versus India warm-up game will mark the first international game at Eisenhower Park. Tetley also mentioned that “community cricket events” would be held in the last two weeks of May to understand the operational demands and resource management, including testing the infrastructure.
Tickets for the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match are still up for grabs. Tetley stated that fans could still avail of “limited opportunities” to buy tickets for all eight matches of the T20 World Cup in New York. “A few tickets and hospitality to all games have been made available, and will be made available as we get the odd returns back from allocations that have had to be withheld,” he said.
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