Vishal P Ten drop-in pitches have been prepared in Florida since late December, employing proprietary techniques honed over a decade at Adelaide Oval.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 gears up as pitches arrive at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, a pivotal step before the tournament starts. Transported from Florida, 10 pitches are ready, with four for the stadium and six for practice facilities. Damian Hough, Head Curator of Adelaide Oval, praises their condition, ensuring an exciting contest awaits.
The drop-in pitches prepared for the upcoming T20 World Cup are being transported from Florida to New York in semi-trailer trucks for installation at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, the ICC (International Cricket Council) said on Tuesday.
Among other matches, the venue will host the highly anticipated India-Pakistan group stage fixture on June 9. Since late December, the ICC stated in a press release that ten drop-in pitches have been created in Florida using techniques refined over a decade at Adelaide Oval.
The development of the pitches has been undertaken by Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, led by renowned Adelaide Oval head curator Damian Hough.
“The pitches, cultivated with native Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass, have received careful attention in Florida from Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions and sports turf specialists LandTek Group based in the US, undergoing consistent care and maintenance over the past three months.
Four pitches will be set up at the Nassau stadium, with an additional six designated for neighboring practice facilities.
The Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team will stay in New York to assist local grounds crews in maintaining the pitches during the tournament ensuring world-class pitches.
The drop-in square – the type used around the world including at Adelaide Oval and Eden Park – has been curated in Florida and transported by road to New York via a convoy of more than 20 semi-trailer trucks.
The outfield was installed 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.
ICC Head Of Events, Chris Tetley, said that installing these kinds of pitches is one of the final pieces in a project that is unparalleled in international cricket. We have taken a considered and well-planned approach to this project, using the expertise of Damian Hough to guarantee top-notch playing surfaces for eight World Cup matches, in New York.
The tournament will be held from June 2-29 in the USA and West Indies.
Hough, the head curator of Adelaide Oval, expressed their excitement about the arrival of the pitches to see in New York. Florida proved to be the ideal nursery for the pitches with good weather, he also praised the collaboration with LandTek as being fantastic and expressed how everything progressing smoothly as planned.
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 be participating in New York including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ireland, Bangladesh, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the USA, with the first match taking place on June 3 between 2014 champion Sri Lanka and South Africa.
