On November 17, 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) signed an agreement with Nassau County to host eight T20 World Cup matches at the temporary stadium at Eisenhower Park, located on the outskirts of New York City. Construction on the site, which began on January 8 this year, began on February 18, leaving just over 100 days left until the first World Cup evaluation match scheduled for June 1.
Less than two weeks later, on Thursday, when the Group A match between India and co-hosts the United States concluded, the $30 million Nassau County International Cricket Stadium achieved its purpose.
More than 34,000 fans flocked to the stadium to watch India vs Pakistan, the most anticipated match of the T20 Cricket World Cup. This was the biggest match in international cricket in the country. Despite these expectations, the drop-in stadium built specifically for the tournament was heavily criticized for a series of low scores in the opening match. Complaints were also raised about minimal marketing, high prices, and lack of venue facilities.
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positive steps
Nonetheless, tournament director Fawwaz Baksh remains optimistic about the progress cricket has made in this new market. “It’s a temporary facility and that was always the plan. Although the land was built in record time, it took years of planning to get to this stage. Because it was a temporary facility, construction was completed in four months. If you build it too early, it will go unused,” Baksh said. sports star.
He continued, “The land is temporary, but some elements are not. The drop-in pitch will remain in the country and be used in future cricket venues, allowing clubs and communities to continue playing cricket on high-quality pitches.”
USA is co-hosting this T20 World Cup along with West Indies. The 2024 event will be the third time the Men’s World Cup will be held here and the first in 14 years. The Caribbean previously hosted the 2007 ODI World Cup and the 2010 World T20. There are six countries hosting events across the Caribbean: Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Antigua.
Aerial photo of the 34,000-capacity Nassau County International Cricket Stadium at Eisenhower Park near New York, which features a drop-in stadium. | Photo credit: AFP
Aerial photo of the 34,000-capacity Nassau County International Cricket Stadium at Eisenhower Park near New York, which features a drop-in stadium. | Photo credit: AFP
Baksh spoke at length about the logistical and financial challenges of traveling between locations. “In the United States, the distance between venues is quite long,” Baksh said. “Moving a team to so many locations presents significant challenges, especially in the West Indies, where there are far fewer commercial airline options than in the United States. Although it is a thing of the past, the impact of COVID-19 still remains, especially with the reduction in the number of commercial flights available. As a result, the majority of flights within the West Indies are charter flights, while some flights within the United States are commercial flights.
“This massive tournament will feature 20 teams, each with a sizeable contingent. Hosting such a tournament for the first time in the United States and in the West Indies, a cricket stadium, places a significant strain on our hotels and transportation systems. Although it was a resource-intensive effort, we were able to accommodate all of our teams. “Despite the difficult circumstances, this competition has been successful so far,” he added.
Not Jamaica this time.
All but three of the popular cricket venues across the Caribbean – Jamaica, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis – are understood to have offered World Cup bids. Jamaica’s great sprinters Chris Gayle and Usain Bolt are ambassadors for this World Cup, but this is as close as the tournament will ever come to Jamaica. The omission came as a huge shock to cricket lovers in the Caribbean. But Baksh insists Gayle and Courtney Walsh’s home continues to be an important part of the cricket fabric.
“When I heard that we were hosting the World Cup, I contacted the hosts in the West Indies. All 15 cricketers from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) were given the opportunity to participate. Jamaica, which is an important part of our cricketing heritage in the West Indies, was one of the countries we approached,” Baksh said. “We encouraged the Jamaican government, like other countries, to bid for the tournament. Unfortunately, the Jamaican government at the time was unable to support the tournament.”
File photo: Sabina Park Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica has not been selected as one of the venues for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. | Photo credit: AFP
File photo: Sabina Park Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica has not been selected as one of the venues for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. | Photo credit: AFP
that much Jamaica Observer Sports Minister Olivia Grange was previously quoted as saying it was “not an easy decision”, but after considering “different permutations” the government felt the costs of hosting the World Cup in Jamaica would far exceed the potential benefits.
“However, we continue to work with Jamaica to ensure that they remain at the heart of West Indies cricket. We are committed to growing and strengthening sport in Jamaica. Although we could not host the World Cup this time, we have moved our bilateral matches (3T20Is vs SA at Sabina Park before T20 WC) there and we plan to host more cricket events in Jamaica in the future,” Baksh added.
strange timing
The timing of matches also caused inconvenience to fans, with some matches between the United States and the West Indies starting as early as 10:30 a.m. or as late as 8:30 p.m. The ideal time difference of more than 9 hours with South Asian countries has made the cricket watching experience boring.
But as Baksh points out, cultivating cricket in the West Indies and the United States is a delicate balance. “Cricket is the passion of the West Indies. We have been planning for several years to use the World Cup to attract new fans and players, especially in the United States, a completely new market. But we cannot forget the fans who love cricket all over the world, especially in South Asia, Europe and Australia. Most of our fans are from the eastern part of the world, so we need to keep them engaged.
“We aim to strike a balance between attracting new fans and keeping existing fans happy. In the United States, many matches are scheduled in the morning to accommodate fans from around the world, with morning and evening matches split roughly 50-50 throughout the tournament. This scheduling strategy aims to satisfy the current fan base and generate new interest in the game.
“People generally prefer to watch cricket after a day of work, so we try to schedule weekend matches in the morning and evening so that fans can enjoy cricket and celebrations throughout the day like they do in the West Indies,” Baksh said. .
With the onset of the Caribbean’s monsoon season, discussions have shifted to reserve dates for knockout matches in case of inclement weather. Unlike the first round, there is no reserve day for the second semi-final depending on the game situation. Instead, an additional 250 minutes will be allocated to allow the match to be completed due to inclement weather.
The first semifinal, held in Taruba, Trinidad, is a night game starting at 8:30 pm local time on June 26. On the other hand, the second semifinal held in Guyana begins at 10:30 a.m. local time. “If we can’t play the second semi-final in the morning, there is plenty of time to play it in the afternoon. It’s almost the same as having a prep day, but it takes place in the afternoon instead of the next day,” Baksh explained.
The final is scheduled for June 30th as a reserve date, with play kicking off at 10:30pm local time. To accommodate delays due to weather, additional time of up to 190 minutes is provided on both the scheduled and booked dates.
