Bolt, Shoaib Malik among stars to get first look at New York venue for T20 World

Usain Bolt, the legendary sprinter, joined cricket stars and New York sports icons for an exclusive preview of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

The event featured prominent names like Corey Anderson and Monank Patel from the USA cricket team, West Indies' Sir Curtly Ambrose, Pakistan's Shoaib Malik, and England's Liam Plunkett. 

Alongside them were celebrated New York sports figures including NBA's John Starks (New York Knicks), WNBA's Elena Delle Donne (USA), MLB's Bartolo Colon (New York Yankees-Mets), NFL's Victor Cruz (New York Giants), and fencing star Ibtihaj Muhammad (USA).

In a symbolic gesture, the stars autographed a giant cricket bat, which will adorn the venue throughout the eight ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 matches scheduled between June 3rd and 12th.

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with a capacity of 34,000, stands as the first modular cricket stadium globally. The stadium is one of three venues in the USA that are co-hosting the T20 World Cup along with the West Indies.

Its construction, initiated in January 2024, culminated in May, marking a significant milestone for cricket in the USA.

The tournament will commence on 1 June with co-hosts USA taking on neighbors Canada, while fellow hosts the West Indies will play Papua New Guinea in Guyana.

Groups for T20 World Cup 2024:
Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, United States
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal