Usain Bolt, considered the greatest sprinter of all-time, got a first look at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday in New York ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
USA cricketers Corey Anderson and Monank Patel, Sir Curtly Ambrose (West Indies), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), and Liam Plunkett (England) were also present on this occasion.
New York sports stars which included John Starks (NBA / New York Knicks), Elena Delle Donne (WNBA/USA), Bartolo Colon (MLB/New York Yankees-Mets), Victor Cruz (NFL/New York Giants) and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Fencing/USA) were also part of the special occasion.
The stars all signed a giant cricket bat, which will be present at the venue for all eight ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 matches to be held there between 3-12 June.
“Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, I’m very excited to be part of the T20 World Cup coming to the USA for the first time, co-hosting with the West Indies,” Bolt said.
“Getting one of the sport’s biggest events into the USA is a big milestone and can provide a launching pad leading towards cricket’s inclusion in the LA Olympics in 2028.
“The new stadium is going to be a fantastic place to watch from. It’s very enclosed and you feel very close to the action. I can imagine it will be full of energy when cricket fans get to Nassau County International Stadium next month.”
The stadium is one of the three venues in the USA, co-hosts alongside the West Indies, for the T20 World Cup.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has a capacity of 34,000. It is the first modular cricket stadium in the world.
The work on the project in Eisenhower Park began in January 2024 and was completed in May.
“Today was a fantastic celebration, showcasing a truly out of this world stadium,” said Jones. “Having Usain and a host of New York sports stars and Olympic legends to experience it was fantastic and a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA,” T20 USA Inc CEO Brett Jones said.
“Having Curtley Ambrose, Liam Plunkett, Shoaib Malik, Corey Anderson and Monak Patel here and seeing their response to the stadium and the playing surface was also pretty special. It gives us a real sense of what the fans can expect next month.”