New York City is gearing up to host a pivotal cricket match between India and Pakistan as part of the 2024 T20 World Cup, slated to take place in the West Indies and the USA.
In preparation for this prestigious event, a brand-new stadium is under construction within Eisenhower Park, situated approximately 30 miles east of New York City. This stadium will sprawl across an impressive 930 acres in East Meadow.
Initially, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had planned to erect a similar stadium in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. However, local residents and a cricket league that operates within the park vehemently opposed this notion. Consequently, the ICC opted to abandon the Bronx project and instead engaged in negotiations with Nassau County, which oversees Eisenhower Park. These negotiations resulted in the selection of this new venue.
This development significantly boosts the number of top-tier cricket facilities equipped with floodlights in the USA, bringing the total to three. Currently, there’s a 15,000-seat stadium in Dallas utilized for Major League Cricket’s inaugural season, along with Central Broward Park in Miami.
The ICC places a paramount emphasis on the seamless execution of the 20 matches scheduled to be played in the USA during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Furthermore, considering the possibility of Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics, the importance of this cricket event is elevated. A successful T20 World Cup could also pique the interest of the International Olympic Committee, potentially leading to cricket’s inclusion as one of the sports in the forthcoming Olympics.
The USA boasts a substantial sports market, and despite its international cricket team being relatively new and its cricket league system just a few years old, the media rights for ICC tournaments in the USA rank among the most lucrative globally.