A massive stadium with 34,000 seats is being built in a New York park to host one of the world’s top cricket tournaments next month. However, budding young cricketers were already playing on a makeshift pitch on the other side of the park. The tournament, called T20 World Cup, will be the first major international cricket competition in the US, driven by South Asian and Caribbean immigration that has seen the game thrive in the area for years. Organizers hope the tournament will boost the sport’s popularity in the country, potentially leading to its inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The Long Island Youth Cricket Academy founder was pleased to see the progress made with the construction of the new stadium in the park, where the academy began as a way to teach cricket to American-born children of South American descent. The game has spread from the outskirts of New York City to the suburbs where immigrant families have settled, contributing to the growth of the sport in the area. The T20 World Cup, hosted by the US alongside the West Indies, will feature a modern version of the game that is more accessible to casual fans and will be played in multiple venues across the country and the Caribbean.
