- All eyes on the India-Pakistan match on June 9; Team India staying at the Garden City Hotel
- India-US flights sold out as India and Pakistan fans driving ticket demand
- ISIS threatens to disrupt the game; no credible public safety threat at this time, say local authorities
New York: Come June 9 and cricket fans all over the world will have their focus on one thing – the hugely-anticipated Men’s T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan at the newly-constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Despite the terror warning from the Islamic State (ISIS), which New York officials downplayed as not a “credible threat”. Bruce Blakeman, the head of Nassau County, bordering New York City, where the match will take place, said that they will make sure to be on top of every situation that could potentially arise.
“Now to that end, we have taken many, many precautions. We take every threat seriously. There are the same procedures for every threat. We don't minimize threats. We track down all of our leads," he was quoted as saying in media reports.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder was cited as saying in reports that his department "continues to monitor the situation and we are proactively deploying resources to maintain safety as you continue your day-to-day activities". New York officials also asserted they were monitoring the situation, increasing security measures and committing resources for any eventuality.
Ever since the Men’s T20 World Cup came into existence in 2007, the India-Pakistan clash has been the cynosure of all eyes, especially in the absence of bilateral cricket between the two nations since the 2012-13 white-ball series. Now, the stadium in New York, located around 25 miles east of Manhattan with a seating capacity of 34,000, will have its first brush with India-Pakistan cricket rivalry.
The ICC said in a statement that security would be "robust" across the tournament including at the New York venue. "The safety and security of everyone at the event is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place. We work closely with authorities in our host countries and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event,” said an ICC spokesperson.
India will play four games in New York - their first one against Ireland (June 5), then the highly-anticipated clash with Pakistan, followed by a meeting with the USA on June 12. They are also scheduled to play a warm-up game against Bangladesh there.
Team India arrived in the US this week and began training, although Virat Kohli is yet to link up with the squad after being given some time off. The players are staying at the Garden City Hotel. The ICC and Cricket West Indies, who will be co-hosting the World Cup along with the US, have also reassured they are taking every measure possible to ensure the safety of the fans and the players.
The ninth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup will begin on June 2 with co-hosts USA taking on Canada in the opening fixture at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas. A total of three venues in the USA and six in the Caribbean will be used for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. The T20 showcase features a total of 55 matches to be played by 20 teams across nine venues, culminating in the final on June 29 in Barbados.
The ICC T20 World Cup venues in the USA are Texas Grand Prairie Stadium, Florida Central Broward Regional Park Stadium and New York Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
