Rishabh Pant on left and Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on right. (File/ICC)
The upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA marks a historic event in itself. It is the first time a marquee cricket tournament will be held in the USA. Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant would voice his opinion and said cricket growing in America is a good thing.
“We are used to playing in certain countries but this is a different prospect. It has opened up a different channel for sport because I feel cricket is growing around the world and…getting the exposure here would be nice for cricket as well as USA cricket,” he said speaking on BCCI TV.
The T20 showpiece is also seen as a major stepping stone to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where cricket will make a comeback after 128 years when the big event kicks off on June 1.
A total of 16 games will be played across three venues — New York, Dallas and Lauderhill — with a majority of 55 matches scheduled in the Caribbean including the knock-outs.
Getting used to conditions
Pant would also give his take on drop-in pitches. “New pitches are there. I’m just getting used to the conditions. The sun is a little bit brighter here, so just getting used to the conditions over here. Let’s see how it goes.”
Ten drop-in pitches have been prepared in Florida since late December, employing proprietary techniques honed over a decade at Adelaide Oval, the ICC said in a press release.
The development of the pitches has been undertaken by Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, led by renowned Adelaide Oval head curator Damian Hough.
Adelaide Oval head curator Hough said, “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, and working alongside great partners like LandTek has been fantastic and everything is coming together as it should.”
With agency inputs
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