Nassau County is gearing up for ICC T20 Cricket World Cup

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is starting to take form in Eisenhower Park.

The temporary 34,000-seat venue will serve as one of the hosting locations for the 2024 International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, set to take place this June in locations that also include Florida, Texas and the West Indies. And Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman emphasized Eisenhower Park’s involvement by joining ICC officials and renowned professional cricketers at a parade last week to officially bring the World Cup’s trophy “home.”

The trophy was displayed underneath an American flag arch, set up by the East Meadow Fire Department, and escorted by the Nassau County Police Department, dozens of emergency vehicles, bagpipers, and the county’s mounted unit to the stadium site. 

“We are in the process of constructing this beautiful stadium that will be here for the duration of the tournament,” Blakeman said. “It’s going to be a great venue for everybody to enjoy cricket. There’ll be so many countries that will be here with their teams — we will have fans from all over the world.”

Eight games are slated for Nassau over the course of 12 days. Eisenhower Park will actually host one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament — India vs. Pakistan — which both consistently fielding some of the best cricketers in the game.

The Cricket World Cup is the third-most popular sporting event across the globe, only behind the FIFA World Cup and the Tour de France.

“We call it the Super Bowl on steroids,” Blakeman said.

The stadium was designed by Populous, an architecture firm also responsible for creating Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and the UBS Arena, among others. The initiative is privately funded, and the stadium is being built in the open space behind the park’s aquatic center, adjacent to Field 6.

Tickets for games have been hard to obtain, but ICC officials say fans may still be able to secure some.

“The levels of interest in being part of the event are huge, with more than 3 million ticket applications in the initial ballot,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s chief executive said. “I’m delighted to confirm today that we’ve worked closely with our partners to release more tickets to 51 of the 55 games of the event.”

For those unable to purchase tickets, Blakeman says the county will set up watch parties in various locations — details of which will be announced at a later date. 

Allardice also thanked the county and Blakeman for their support, saying the ICC had “found a true partner” that supports the council’s “vision and ambition.” The stadium had originally been planned for the Bronx, but moved to Nassau County after considerable resistance from neighbors surrounding Van Cortlandt Park there.

“It’s fantastic to stand here today and see our vision come to life,” Allardice said. 

Ali Khan, a Pakistani-born American cricketer who plays for the United States, says he’s excited about returning home for the upcoming games.

“It’s really good to be here in Nassau County this morning — good to see all the people coming out,” Khan said. “We cannot wait to take the field here.”

Team USA will compete against India on June 12 in Eisenhower.

“That’s going to be a huge game for us as a host country,” Khan said. “I wish (that) a lot of people come, especially local supporters. Get your tickets now and come support your home team, Team USA.”

As part of county’s negotiations with the ICC, the stadium will be disassembled after the tournament, but the state-of-the-art cricket field will be left in place, along with practice facilities in Cantiague Park in Hicksville.

Local cricket teams and leagues will be able to use the fields when the tournament ends.

“Cricket,” Blakeman said, “is here forever now.”