In anticipation of the highly awaited India-Pakistan clash in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Damien Hough, the head groundsman at Adelaide Oval, unveiled the intricate process behind crafting the pitch at Eisenhower Park in New York. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has enlisted Hough and his team at Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions to manage the preparation of drop-in pitches at the temporary stadium in New York.
Hough explained the difficulties and steps in making the pitch, stressing the approach taken for this important ICC tournament. Hough highlighted the complexity of the task, saying, "It's a bit tricky, we basically built six of the 10 trays here in Adelaide. We made them modular. We're really proud of them. We've got a couple out of the back that will probably come out here [on Adelaide Oval] next year," quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying in an interview with Channel 7.
He confirmed that the pitch in Eisenhower Park is currently in the "grow-in phase" and elaborated on the process, saying, "We put them in a shipping container and send them really wherever we want around the world. But they've gone over to Florida. And I've just come back from a month of work over there putting the trays together, putting the soil in, compacting them and putting the grass on. So we're in the grow-in phase."
He explains the groundwork for the New York stadium's drop-in pitches has been underway, with substantial efforts already made. The primary phase is set to begin in May, involving a unique two-day transportation process. The subsequent step will be the installation of the pitches.
“It's a lot of work that's gone into it so far. But the real work starts around the start of May. It'll take two days to transport them up which is quite incredible. Never done that before. So there's a lot of firsts. And then there's getting them in the ground.”
IND vs PAK Clash Set For June 9
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 gets underway from June 2 with the IND vs PAK match scheduled for June 9. Emphasising the significance of the India vs Pakistan match, Hough expressed enthusiasm about the game being played at the pop-up stadium in New York, which has a seating capacity of 34,000 spectators.
"Four go into that venue, that pop-up stadium, 34,000-seat stadium. Eight games in 10 days. One of them is Pakistan and India which will be amazing. And then there's six that go into the warm-up venue with so many teams rotating through and so much training.”
“For us, Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, to have a little bit of involvement and assist with something that is quite historic in a World Cup in America for the first time,” he concluded.