Long Island's new cricket stadium opens doors for T20 World Cup

NEW YORK - On Saturday, Long Island's new cricket stadium will welcome its first fans for the T20 Cricket World Cup.

The stadium has 34,000 seats, and plenty of first-class amenities as it prepares to host the highest-profile cricket match on U.S. soil in history. 

"Can’t wait to feel the atmosphere, it’s a decent capacity as well," said Rohit Sharma who is the Captain of the India men's national cricket team.

The team arrived in New York and on Friday they got their first look at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow ahead of their T20 Cricket World Cup warm-up match here on Saturday.

"It looks like a proper stadium and it feels great," said Najmul Shanto, the captain of the Bangladesh men's national cricket team.

The temporary stadium at Eisenhower Park was built from the ground up in less than four months.

"It’s a Lego set of what's called Modular Stadium Construction, all the top sporting events use it, and it's a first time for cricket," said Don Lockerbie who is the Venue Development Director for T20 USA.

"There’s not a bad seat in the house, general access seating east to west, and the north to south we have hospitality facilities," said Chris Tetley, Head of Events of the ICC.

As players and fans from all over the world descend on Long Island. Food for each match will be tailored to each country playing.

"We reflect the cultural diversity of participants and anticipated fans, so for India-Pakistan, you'll get India and Pakistani cuisine," Tetley said.

Whether it’s a fast bowl, spin or googly, the countdown is on and the world will be watching.