Groundbreaking drop-in pitches destined for installation at World Cup's New York venue

Pedestrians move past the construction site as work continues on the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (Pic: AFP)

The drop-in pitches prepared for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 are being transported from Florida to New York in semi-trailer trucks for installation at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, the ICC said on Tuesday.

Among other matches, the venue will also host the marquee India-Pakistan group stage fixture on June 9.

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.

"The pitches, cultivated with native Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass, have been meticulously nurtured in Florida by Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions and US-based sports turf experts LandTek Group, undergoing continuous care and maintenance over the past three months."

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Four pitches will be set up at the Nassau stadium, with an additional six designated for neighbouring practice facilities.

The Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team will remain in New York to assist local grounds crews in pitch maintenance throughout the tournament to ensure 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 laid 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: "The installation of these pitches is one of the final pieces in a project that is unprecedented in international cricket.

"We have taken a considered and well-planned approach to this project, using the very best in the business in Damian Hough to ensure we have the best possible playing surface for eight World Cup matches in New York."

The T20 World Cup 2024 will be held from June 2-29 in the USA and West Indies.

Adelaide Oval head curator, Damian 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."

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 feature 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 champions Sri Lanka and South Africa.

(With agency inputs)