Drop-in Pitches Arrive In New York For Embedding

In a milestone event, 10 drop-in pitches arrived in New York by road in massive trailers for being laid out at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York. Meenakshi Rao follows the trail

New York (USA): A convoy of more than 20 semi-trailer trucks transported 10 drop-in pitches and squares by road to New York for the upcoming ICC T20 Men’s World Cup. With this milestone event, the crucial phase of construction at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York began today with four of the pitches nurtured in the warm climate of Florida around 2500 km away, being embedded at the iconic stadium where India will kick off its T20 World Cup campaign on June 5, 2024.

The drop-in square – the type used around the world including at Adelaide Oval and Eden Park – has been curated thanks to the support of the ICC’s Official Global Logistics Partner DP World.

The outfield was laid last week by LandTek who have worked with the New York Yankees and New York Mets as well as Inter Miami CF on their stadium and training fields. As many as four pitches will be set up at Nassau Stadium, with an additional six designated for neighbouring practice facilities. The Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team will remain in New York to assist local grounds crews in pitch maintenance throughout the World Cup to ensure world-class pitches that will set the stage for unforgettable cricket.

"The installation of these pitches is one of the final pieces in a project that is unprecedented in international cricket. We have taken a considered and well-planned approach to this project, using the very best in the business in Damian Hough to ensure we have the best possible playing surface for eight World Cup matches in New York," ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said.

"This innovative strategy, to bring the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to the United States, with a temporary venue and a pitch that has its founding on the other side of the globe, is groundbreaking and I can’t wait to see the world’s best compete in Nassau County this June," he added.

The pitches, cultivated with native Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass, have been meticulously nurtured in Florida by Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions and US-based sports turf experts LandTek Group, undergoing continuous care and maintenance over the past three months.

These pitches were being prepared in Florida since late December, on techniques honed at the Adelaide Oval under the auspices of Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions led by renowned Adelaide Oval Head Curator Damian Hough.

“We are excited to see the arrival of the pitches here in New York. Florida proved to be the ideal nursery for the pitches with good weather. We’re now focused on bedding in the pitches here in New York to ensure we’re delivering an end product of the highest quality,” Damian Hough said.

The matches in New York will take place at a state-of-the-art 34,000-seat modular stadium located at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, east of Manhattan. Nine teams will feature in New York including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ireland, Bangladesh, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the US, with the first match taking place on June 3 between 2014 champions Sri Lanka and South Africa.

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