New York's Nassau Stadium, home to nail-biting T20 World Cup 2024 matches, set for demolition

Nassau Stadium, a temporary cricket ground in Nassau County, faces demolition after hosting intense T20 World Cup matches, marked by challenging drop-in pitches and international cricket controversies.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published Jun 13, 2024, 6:20 PM IST

The temporary Nassau County cricket ground, constructed specifically for the T20 World Cup, is set to be demolished following the conclusion of the New York leg of the event, marked by India's seven-wicket victory over co-hosts USA.

Built in just over 100 days, the stadium became infamous for its challenging drop-in pitches, sourced from Adelaide. Located on the edge of the 930-acre Eisenhower Park in Long Island, the massive structure housed 10 drop-in pitches—four for the main ground and six for the adjacent training facility in Cantiague Park.

"After the last match at East Meadow on June 12, the stadium will be dismantled, parts shipped back to Las Vegas for another golf event, and Eisenhower Park will return to normal, albeit with a world-class cricket pitch left behind," stated a New York Times report.

The stadium, which seemed to "pop up overnight," will be dismantled over six weeks. It had a capacity of 34,000 and hosted a packed house during India's marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9, with some tickets fetching astronomical prices between USD 2500 and USD 10,000.

India played four matches at the venue, including a warm-up game against Bangladesh after the ground was opened on June 1. The drop-in pitches hosted eight matches, producing unpredictable and occasionally dangerous bounce, resulting in notably low scores in the first two matches, where no team crossed 100 runs.

During India's match against Ireland, where Ireland was bowled out for 96, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma sustained body blows. This led to widespread criticism and prompted the International Cricket Council to issue a statement acknowledging that the "pitches have not played consistently."

The highest successful chase at the venue was only 111 runs by India in their win over the USA on Wednesday. Canada's 137/7 against Ireland was the highest total recorded, while India successfully defended a low total of 119 against Pakistan.

In a thrilling match, South Africa barely chased down 103 runs against the Netherlands, losing six wickets, and later defended 113 runs against Bangladesh, winning by a narrow margin of four runs.

Finalized by the ICC in 2023, the stadium was built in just 106 days. The playing field, with the rectangular pitch in the middle, was crafted from special grass grown in Florida. The grandstands comprised borrowed materials most recently used at Las Vegas’s Formula 1 race and professional golf events, according to the NYT report.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Yuvraj Singh not recognised in New York, Indian fans come to the rescue on social media

Last Updated Jun 13, 2024, 6:20 PM IST