The Nassau County stadium that hosted the India vs Pakistan match on June 9 is set for demolition after the T20 World Cup in New York ended on Wednesday with a win for India vs USA.
The stadium, built in less than 100 days, has been criticised for the sloping nature of the pitch, which has tended to be unpredictable.
“After the final match is played at East Meadow on June 12, the stadium will be dismantled, the parts shipped back to Las Vegas, another golf event will be held and Eisenhower Park will return to normal but will be left with a world-class cricket field,” The New York Times reported.
The stadium has a capacity of 34,000 and saw sellout crowds during India vs Pakistan matches, with some tickets being sold for exorbitant prices ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.
India have played four matches at the venue, including a warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1. Eight matches have been played on a drop-in pitch, producing an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous bounce, resulting in particularly low scores in the first two matches, with no team able to score more than 100.
This drew widespread criticism and the ICC issued a statement acknowledging that “the pitches were not performing reliably”.
The highest chase at this venue was just 111 runs in India’s win over the United States on Wednesday.
Canada’s 137/7 against Ireland was the highest total recorded, while India managed to defend a low total of 119 against Pakistan.
In tight matches, South Africa barely trailed by 103 runs against the Netherlands, losing six wickets, before defending 113 against Bangladesh to win by just four runs.
“The stadium, which has a rectangular pitch in the middle, is made from special grass sourced from Florida, while the seating is borrowed from recent Formula One races and professional golf events in Las Vegas,” the New York Times report added.
(Provided by agency)
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First uploaded: 13 Jun 2024 16:43 IST
