New York set to play host to India-Pakistan encounter at 2024 T20 World Cup - Reports
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the local organizing authorities are close to approving the India-Pakistan 2024 T20 World Cup clash to be held at a pop-up stadium in Long Island, New York, along with the remainder of the fixtures.
The 2024 T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA in June. According to a report by the Guardian, a total of three venues will be used in the USA — Central Broward Park in Florida, Eisenhower Park on Long Island, and Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas.
The venue in Miami has hosted international fixtures before, particularly involving the West Indies. The Grand Prairie Stadium hosted the first half as well as the final of the inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC).
An agreement was reached on the construction of a 34,000-seat modular stadium in Eisenhower Park. The site is a multi-purpose sports and event park that encompasses a variety of sports, including athletics, golf, baseball, soccer, and hockey. Furthermore, the venues will use modular stadium technology in a bid to increase the capacity.
New York is a major hub not only in terms of its infrastructure and popularity but also from the perspective of India and Pakistan. Close to a million people originating from the neighboring nations live in the metropolitan city, with the latest censor data entailing 7,11,000 Indians and about 1,00,000 people of Pakistani origin.
The only obstacle that comes with New York playing host to the iconic fixture is the fact that there is a ten-and-a-half-hour time difference. However, one would imagine that ICC will do its best to ensure the right time for the contest to cater to the audiences in the subcontinent.
ICC recently wrapped up the inspection of the venues to be used for the 2024 T20 World Cup
The report from the Guardian also mentions that over the course of the last two weeks, a team from the ICC completed the inspection of the venues to be used in the tournament. There were apparently no significant issues observed, although the belief is that there is room for improvement.
The venue for the final is yet to be confirmed. The Kensington Oval in Barbados is touted to be an early favorite. The venue has hosted the finals of the 2007 ODI World Cup and the 2010 T20 World Cup. Australia featured in both of those matches, winning the former while losing to England in the latter.
India, meanwhile, haven't won the T20 World Cup since lifting the trophy in 2007. They reached the final in 2014 but lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets.