The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday that the schedule for this year's T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies has been the "most complicated ever to draft."
The tournament will see a record 20 teams participating, an increase from the 16 teams in the 2022 edition. Matches will be held at nine venues across North America, including a new 34,000-seater stadium in Nassau County, New York.
The Long Island ground, unveiled by the ICC, is set to host eight World Cup games, including the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash on June 9. The venue, a temporary modular stadium with drop-in pitches, will not have floodlights. Chris Tetley, the ICC's Head of Events, highlighted the significance of New York as a hotbed of cricket fans and expressed expectations of a full venue and an incredible World Cup atmosphere.
Despite Indian websites suggesting match timings between 1400 and 1600 GMT to cater to subcontinent fans, Tetley mentioned that the fixture details, including start times, are yet to be finalized. The tournament opens on June 1 in Dallas, where the USA faces Canada, and the West Indies begin their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Guyana. The final is scheduled for June 29 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tetley acknowledged the complexity of organising the tournament, the largest-ever T20 World Cup in terms of matches and participating teams. He sees the event as an opportunity to capitalise on the growing interest in cricket within the United States, citing the success of Major League Cricket, the T20 franchise league hosted in the country last year.
The New York stadium, designed by Populous, the company behind iconic venues such as Yankee Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, is expected to add to the allure of the tournament. Of the nine venues, six are located in the Caribbean, with Florida serving as the third base in the United States.
