Cricket’s first modular stadium where India-Pakistan match will be held: Pitch made in Australia, Formula-1 stand installed

8-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is standing in a cricket ground with a bat. Someone bowls to him and he defends it. Next to him is West Indies’ famous fast bowler Courtney Walsh. All this is happening in New York. Yes, in the cricket stadium of Nassau County, New York, where the India-Pakistan match is to be held on June 9. This makeshift stadium has been built at a cost of about Rs 250 crore.

Usain Bolt (far right) during the opening ceremony of the Nassau County Stadium.

The T20 World Cup is going to start on 2 June in America and West Indies. On 21 May, Usain Bolt inaugurated this temporary stadium in New York. The pitch made in Australia will be used in this. Formula-1 stands have been installed for the spectators. Along with the India-Pakistan match, a total of 8 matches of the World Cup are to be played here.

Let’s know in detail about Nassau County Stadium…

Why is it called a modular stadium?
Nassau County Stadium is cricket’s first modular stadium. That is, its pitch, stands etc. were assembled for a tournament. Modular stadiums use steel and easily assembled elements. This saves both time and money in setting up the ground.

Bermuda grass was also planted in Nassau Stadium, which is used in baseball and football grounds. After the World Cup, this stadium will again be converted into a park. That is, this is a temporary stadium, which can be used for playing other sports apart from cricket.

Why was a modular stadium built?
Time constraints and environmental sustainability were two important reasons. The company had to build the stadium in six months. In such a short time, there was no option other than a modular stadium. The construction of the modular stadium did not have any adverse effect on the environment around the ground. After the tournament, this ground will be returned to the local community in its pre-tournament state.

It takes less money to maintain a modular stadium. Because once the work is done, it can be kept as empty land. Which does not need to be maintained at all. In cities where only 1-2 sports activities take place in many years, the concept of modular ground is growing rapidly.

What will be the capacity?
The New York stadium will be able to accommodate 34 thousand spectators. Apart from the normal stands, a VIP lounge and press box have also been prepared in the stadium.

New York’s Nassau County Stadium is now fully ready to host international cricket.

Drop-in pitch is being used
Drop-in pitches will be used in the modular stadium in Nassau. A total of 10 pitches were made in Adelaide, Australia. The pitch weighing around 30 tonnes was transported to Florida, USA by sea in December last year. The pitch was prepared in Florida for 5 months and fitted in the Nassau stadium in May.

It took about 4 days to transport 10 pitches from Florida to New York by road. For this, trucks and containers carrying a workload of more than 30 tonnes were used. During this time, the road was closed for the general public so that the pitch transportation could take less time.

Why was the drop-in pitch installed?
The board got very little time to prepare the stadium and the pitch for the T20 World Cup. Therefore, the drop-in pitch was made in Australia and transported to America. The pitch was made by the Adelaide Oval Turf Solution Company in collaboration with The Landtech Company of America. This project was led by Damian Hogg, the head pitch curator of the Adelaide Stadium.

ICC’s event head Chris Tetley had said, ‘The pitch was kept in Florida for 5 months instead of New York because the weather in New York is not suitable for keeping the pitch ready. If the pitch was kept there, all the hard work would have gone waste due to the cold, but the weather in Florida was perfect for preparing the pitch.’

The pitch of New York’s Nassau Stadium was prepared in Florida. Its soil and structure were brought from Australia.

The use of drop-in pitches is not new in cricket
Drop-in pitch will be used for the second consecutive time in the T20 World Cup. Drop-in pitch has been used at Adelaide Oval ground in Australia since 2013, where the 2022 T20 World Cup matches were held. Drop-in pitch has also been installed at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. Matches of the 2015 ODI World Cup were held here.

How many matches will be held in New York Stadium?
A total of 8 group stage matches will be played at Nassau Stadium, including the match between India and Pakistan. The stadium will be inaugurated with a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka on June 3. A warm-up match between India and Bangladesh will also be played here on June 1.

A stadium was also built in Dallas last year
Apart from New York, Dallas and Florida will also host 4 matches each in the T20 World Cup. Dallas’ Grand Prairie Stadium was also completed in 2023, where Major League Cricket matches were held. Earlier, baseball matches were held in the stadium. The Florida stadium was built in 2007, but rugby and football matches were held there before cricket.

Modular stadiums are also used in these sports
Modular stadiums have been used in Formula-1, Moto GP, Olympics, marathon, baseball and football so far. The first season of Indian Supercross Racing League was held in India in February this year. A modular ground was built in this too, which took about 15 days to prepare. Just 3 days after the competition ended, it was converted back into a normal ground.

Modular stadiums have also been used in the Indian Supercross Racing League.

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Graphics: Kunal Sharma

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