Cricket fans across New Jersey who have been awaiting the historic ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup — the time is upon us.
For the first time, matches in this tournament will be played in the United States, including eight at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow, Long Island.
The first match at the new venue will happen on Monday, with Sri Lanka vs. South Africa at 10:30 a.m. The most anticipated match will be longtime rivals and geographic neighbors India and Pakistan on June 9, also at 10:30 a.m.
So, what will it be like for cricket enthusiasts coming from the Garden State to see the world’s second most popular sport in their corner of the globe? It could be exciting but also hectic when considering the travel to Nassau County is only one part of the journey to the stadium.
And what about those who haven’t gotten a ticket to the T20 World Cup? The good news is tickets are still available but are not cheap. There’s also the option of watching on TV and at some public locations for the fans who can’t make the trip.
NorthJersey.com has put together a guide for those attending and those not.
Eight matches will be at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which has 34,000 seats.
The matches will take place between June 3 – 12, and all will start at 10:30 a.m.: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa (June 3), India vs. Ireland (June 5), Canada vs. Ireland (June 7), Netherlands vs. South Africa (June 8), India vs. Pakistan (June 9), South Africa vs. Bangladesh (June 10), Pakistan vs. Canada (June 11) and USA vs. India (June 12).
Tickets for these matches are still available on the T20 World Cup website for prices ranging as low as $60 for Canada vs. Ireland, while seats for India vs. Pakistan in the premier sections of the stadium are going for as much as $10,000. You’ll have better luck getting lower-priced tickets on Stubhub ($27 minimum for Canada vs. Ireland, $877 minimum for India vs. Pakistan).
If you’re holding tickets to T20 World Cup matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, plan to leave the house early enough to account for rush hour traffic.
Plugging in the address of The Record/NorthJersey.com Woodland Park in Google Maps as a starting destination shows the trip can take 1 hour and 10 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes.
The gates for the cricket stadium open at 8:30 a.m.
Parking will be available near the stadium, but attendees must purchase a parking pass before game day to be allowed into the parking area. Parking passes cost $40 for general parking at the Nassau Coliseum lot and $200 for VIP parking at the Lannin wedding venue, located adjacent to the cricket stadium. Parking will also be available at Nassau County Community College. The parking lots will open at 8 a.m.
A free shuttle will run from the Nassau Coliseum loading zone in nearby Uniondale for those who cannot walk the half-hour to the stadium.
The best way for New Jersey fans to avoid traffic is to take the NJ Transit train to Penn Station in Manhattan or take the PATH train to 33rd Street in Manhattan and then walk a few blocks west to Penn Station. Then, take the Long Island Railroad train from Penn Station to Huntington and get off at the Westbury stop (45-minute trip). The Nassau Inter-County Express will provide shuttle service ($2.90 each way for adults, $1.45 for children and those requiring ADA accommodations) starting at 8:30 a.m. on game day between the Westbury station and the stadium until 2 hours after the event.
Be aware that there will be security measures in place for the matches at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said during a press conference on Wednesday that a threat was issued against the World Cup by a group linked to the terrorist organization ISIS-K-linked threat in April. That was followed by more specific threats against the India vs. Pakistan match, calling for a “lone wolf” attack.
Nassau County officials announced the following measures:
No ticket. No desire to make the trip to Long Island. Then, there are other options to see the matches.
The ICC or International Cricket Council, the governing body of cricket responsible for the T20 World Cup and the construction of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, has set up nine public fan parks in five countries where matches will be shown.
One of those fan parks will be in the Oculus at the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Starting Saturday and running through June 12, and then opening again on June 29, fans can watch in the North Oculus Plaza on Church Street 18 matches, including the much-awaited India vs. Pakistan faceoff on June 9 and the T20 World Cup final on June 29 in Barbados.
The WTC fan park will usually open an hour before the start of matches. The schedule for the fan parks is on the ICC website. RSVP for game viewings through Eventbrite.
For those who prefer to enjoy first-class cricket from the comfort of their own homes, Willow TV will be the sole cable broadcaster of the event in the United States and Canada. Television providers that carry Willow TV are DISH, Sling, FIOS, Spectrum, Xfinity, Optimum, and Optimum TV.
The commentators for the matches will include former cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar and Lisa Sthalekar, veteran journalists like Harsha Bhogle, and a newcomer, New Jersey native James O’Brien, known in the sports media world as Jomboy, who hosts several baseball podcasts, and in recent years, has posted cricket commentary videos.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter: @ricardokaul
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