- author, mark higginson
- role, BBC Sports Senior Journalist
The pitch used in the United States for this summer's Men's T20 World Cup will undergo quite a journey, being transported more than 14,000 miles when the first ball is bowled in the tournament.
They arrived by boat from Adelaide, Australia, via Florida, as organizers are running a major world cricket tournament in the United States for the first time.
Games will be held at custom-built venues in New York, Texas and Florida.
The opening game, USA vs. Canada, and the biggest game of the group stage, India vs. Pakistan, will both be held in the United States.
16 matches will be played in the United States and the remaining 39 matches will be held in the West Indies.
And preparing America for cricket takes quite a bit of effort, especially when it comes to preparing cricket pitches.
“Our goal is to create pitches that have pace and consistent bounce that our players can hit shots with,” said the company, which is tasked with growing the pitches in Australia and shipping them to the United States. Adelaide Oval Pitch Curator Damien Huff said:
“We want entertaining cricket, but there are challenges too.”
Work on the 10 drop-in pitches began in early October 2023 when they were first planted in trays. Each pitch he divided into two trays, and the ultimate goal was to create his four pitches and six practice strips that he could use for games.
The stadium uses a combination of clay soil, which is also used in baseball stadiums in the United States, and a special type of grass that is suitable for warm climates and is resistant to rolling and abuse.
The tray was shipped from Adelaide to Florida in January in a shipping container on a boat. From then on, they grew in warm climates until they were transported overland to their final destination. At the time, New York was enduring sub-zero temperatures.
Two drivers will be employed to operate each vehicle to limit the amount of time spent in the truck bed, limiting the need to stop for breaks.
It will then take Hough and his team 12 hours to set up pitches at the venue, some of which are being built for the tournament.
“I’m really excited, but at the same time I’m also a little nervous. There are still some unknowns.
“This is a long process. All we know is that we did our best.
“We have thoroughly considered all possible outcomes and issues along the way and hope they will result in a good cricket pitch.”
