'No fears' over New York T20 World Cup pitches

The drop-in pitches at the temporary stadium in New York for the T20 World Cup have now been installed

International Cricket Council (ICC) officials have "no fears" over the pitches being used at a temporary stadium in New York for the men's T20 World Cup.

The finishing touches are being applied to the 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, east of Manhattan, with the tournament just over a fortnight away.

Four drop-in pitches are now in place at the venue which is set to host eight World Cup matches, including a highly-anticipated meeting between India and Pakistan.

Six other drop-in pitches have also been installed in nearby practice facilities.

The two other grounds in the United States being used to stage matches - in Texas and Florida - already have natural turf wickets in place.

Adelaide Oval pitch curator Damian Hough was tasked by the ICC with preparing the pitches.

Six of the trays which transported the soil for the 10 Tahoma grass surfaces came from Australia before being shipped to Florida where the pitches were cultivated.

The soil variety has a high clay content, similar to the pitches in Adelaide.

They were then transported to New York by road and installed a few weeks before the tournament began.

The Australian acknowledged the "the proof will be in the pudding", but currently has "no concerns" over the pitches as the tournament edges closer.

"Two and a half weeks out from the first game we're very happy and have nothing to worry about," said Hough.

"There's no fears. Some of the best pitches in the world are drop-in pitches. We can build them anywhere."

Chris Tetley, head of events at the ICC, said the playing field at the stadium was "not a token size" but a "fully-fledged international standard cricket ground" with dimensions of 75 yards east and west, and 67 yards north and south.

"We are around about as big as the Gabba, or The Oval or Wankhede Stadium in terms of playing area," he added.

A World Cup 'legacy' of sorts for New York

The Nassau County Stadium in New York as it looked on 10 May with drop-in pitches now installed

The stands at the stadium in New York were previously used for last November's Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas.

With no floodlights installed at the venue, all eight matches played there will take place during daylight hours.

Once the tournament is over the stadium, which is reported to have cost £24m ($30m) to construct, will be dismantled.

BBC Sport understands the organisers of Major League Cricket (MLC) made informal enquiries with the ICC earlier this year about potentially staging some of their matches at the stadium in New York.

The second edition of the United States' domestic T20 franchise tournament - won by MI New York in 2023 - starts the week after the T20 World Cup final and features stars such as Australian duo Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith.

However, it seems there was not sufficient flexibility with the logistics to allow any games to take place in New York, with the temporary stands set to be transported back to Las Vegas.

MLC will again be staged at existing venues in Dallas and North Carolina.

The site of the New York stadium will be restored to a municipally accessible park after the tournament ends with responsibilities turned over to Nassau County authorities.

Despite the temporary nature of a World Cup presence in New York, Tetley said there will still be a "legacy for the cricket community" there via a "world-class international playing facility with drainage and irrigation".

He added: "The ground can continue to be played on by cricketers in the community. The space that we’ve updated for training will also remain. So there is a great legacy and cricket infrastructure at the end of it."