The 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup gets underway in early June, with the United States and West Indies set to share the hosting rights for the prestigious tournament.
While the West Indies already has an established infrastructure in place to host international cricket, the US has been working around the clock to build bespoke venues.
The pitches used at the tournament have been transported more than 14,000 miles from Adelaide in Australia and will be used for 16 of the 55 matches.
India will be one of the first teams to play on the new surfaces when they kick off their bid to win the T20 World Cup against Ireland in New York on 5 June.
The decision to transport the pitches around the world is undoubtedly risky, and could present challenges for the teams and sports bettors alike.
While all betting sites in Australia rate India as the favourites to lift the trophy, playing games on untested pitches has the potential to produce some surprise results.
Adelaide Oval pitch curator Damian Hough, who has been tasked with growing the pitches, acknowledged that cricket will be heading into the unknown during the tournament.
“Our aim is to produce pitches that have pace and consistent bounce, on which the players can play their shots,” Hough told the BBC. “We want entertaining cricket, but there are challenges.
“I’m really excited, but I’m a bit anxious at the same time—there are still unknowns. This is a long process. What we do know is we’ve given it our best shot.
“We’ve thoroughly thought through every possible outcome and issue along the way and we’re hoping that they’re going to be some good cricket pitches.”
Work on the pitches began last October when they were initially planted into trays. Each pitch was split into two trays with a view to creating six practice strips and four match pitches.
Although the soil and grass used are designed to be suited to warmer climates, it is unknown whether they will hold up during the rigours of a major international tournament.
Aside from the pitches, organisers face a race against time to be ready for the tournament, with at least one stadium still under construction.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium was recently pictured looking some way short of completion despite the tournament starting on 2 June.
India are scheduled to play group games against Ireland, Pakistan and the US at the venue, which is located 30 miles east of Manhattan in Eisenhower Park.
The outfield area is due to be turfed at the end of April and is part of a final construction process which is scheduled to finish on 6 May.
A test event is set to follow two weeks later, which leaves the organisers little time to rectify any issues which raise their head.
However, ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice recently released a statement saying he was confident the stadium will be ready and that it would offer fans an ‘unforgettable experience’.
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