Cricket fans from India and Pakistan flocked in thousands to New York for the ICC T20 World Cup match, offering a flavour of the subcontinent in territory unfamiliar to the sport.
The temporary 34,000-seat Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, built at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow on Long Island, was packed to the brim with fans coming from far and wide for Sunday’s match.
The United States is co-hosting the T20 World Cup with the West Indies, with Lauderhill in south Florida and Dallas also hosting games.
This match is the most important one of the group stage of the competition, with the two rival teams locking horns in a match that holds significance far beyond cricket.
The two teams rarely meet each other outside major competitions because of political tensions and security concerns, but there were no signs of any such issues among the fans, who were in a festive mood despite rain that delayed the start of the match.
For members of the Indian community in the United States, the tournament provides a rare opportunity to see their heroes in person rather than watching them on the internet.
Kumar Mathuria from New York said, “It’s in our backyard so there’s nothing better than this, this is the first time we are getting a chance to experience cricket. We are lucky that this amazing ground has been built for this event.”
“There are a lot of cricket fans in the area, but I have also met people who have come from all over India and abroad for the game. It’s incredible,” he said.
The crowded streets surrounding the venue were lined with traders selling jerseys of both teams, while Pakistani fans waved their national flag from the roofs of SUVs.
Pakistan supporter Ishwar Malik came from St. Louis to watch the match and said this rivalry is something that Americans now understand.
He said, “It’s an old rivalry — it’s like the Yankees-Red Sox or St. Louis and Chicago — an old rivalry that keeps going.”
This is the fifth match to be held at the venue but is by far the highest profile match and is likely to be the only match for which tickets at the stadium will be completely sold out.
This was evident in the long lines at security and the chaos around parking areas.
Secondary market tickets were still available on various apps, but anyone buying last minute would have to be prepared to spend over $1,500 for a general admission ticket.
Inside the stadium, the ‘New York’ signage was the only indication of where the game was being played, and the music and pre-game preparations were clearly tailored to fans from both countries.
There was a huge uproar when former Indian great Sachin Tendulkar was introduced to the crowd during the pre-match interviews.
Siddharth Kadavarthy travelled 10 hours from North Carolina to watch the match and said the chance to watch Indian greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in what could possibly be their last tournament was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.
“They are legends of Indian cricket and the game itself and we may never see them in a match like this again, so even though it was a 20-hour journey to and fro, I wasn’t going to miss it,” he said.
There was no particular purpose behind the presence of the smiling Mutharaiya.
“It is definitely one of the biggest events in sports”
