Dallas, Florida and New York have been named as venues for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 when the United States hosts the event for the first time, according to American media reports.
The tournament, to be co-hosted by West Indies, will be played on the soil of a country where cricket is not a major sport, but millions of immigrants live in the U.S. from cricket-playing countries.
Cricket enthusiasts welcomed the news that the biggest tournament in history, with 20 teams competing, will be played here.
A 34,000-seat modular stadium will be built at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, New York, subject to a permit.
Existing venues at Grand Prairie, Dallas, and Broward County in Florida will be increased in size.
The ICC Board awarded the hosting of the event to the West Indies and the USA in November 2021.
“The USA is a strategically important market and these venues give us an excellent opportunity to make a statement in the world’s biggest sport market,” International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Geoff Allardice said.
“We explored a number of potential venue options in the country and we were hugely encouraged by the enthusiasm the event generated in prospective hosts, reinforcing the growing awareness around cricket’s massive fanbase and its power to unite diverse communities.”
Major League Cricket, the inaugural T20 franchise tournament in the United States, was held for the first time in July.
The World Cup will be held in North America for the first time in June 2024 – and the USA, who have not qualified for a major ICC tournament since 2004, and West Indies have been granted automatic qualification as hosts.
The ICC said it would utilize modular stadium infrastructure to develop “a world-class state-of-the-art” purpose-built stadium in New York, with two to three months of work scheduled to commence in late January 2024.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to use modular stadium technology to present world-class cricket in a location that has not previously hosted an ICC global event, giving USA cricket fans the chance to watch the world’s best on their doorstep,” Allardice said.
“This technology has been used at previous ICC events to increase venue capacity and it’s routinely used in other major sports around the world.
“In the USA, it will give us the opportunity to increase the size of the venues in both Dallas and Florida and create what is going to be a stunning venue in New York.”
By Dr Muhammad Hussain
