Ireland kick off their T20 World Cup campaign today in Nassau County, New York.
A Long Island public park has been transformed into a 38,000 capacity stadium at a cost of $30million, but after it is over the stadium will be dismantled, though the grass pitches will remain for the use of the many émigré clubs here.
It’s hard to know whether an Irish immigrant club will spring up here, but anecdotal evidence has it that quite a few of the New York community will be coming along to support the men in green.
One possible boon to Ireland is the concerns about the pitches, whose inconsistency may help reduce the gap between the sides.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium had an inauspicious debut on Monday when South Africa bowled out Sri Lanka for just 77 and lost four wickets chasing it down.
The bounce was unpredictable, and with plenty of movement that will make scoring fast runs very difficult. The hitting of sixes that American audiences want to see may be few and far between.
Far from the 250+ scores that were commonplace in the IPL, India coach Rahul Dravid reckons 140 could be a winning score in Eisenhower Park.
Another plus for Ireland has been the apparent lack of turn in the pitches, reducing the potential effectiveness of the lethal Indian spin quarter.
The square boundaries are enormous, which will give an edge to those batters that like to hit straight, such as George Dockrell.
Ireland captain Paul Stirling says his team are getting used to the conditions, although they haven’t been allowed to train in the stadium.
‘Yeah, we’ve only had a couple of sessions here so far and it certainly feels like the wickets have come from Australia – it has that vibe about it,’ he said yesterday.
‘The facilities have been good, the pitches are unique and it’s nice to be outdoors here.
‘Hopefully the wickets at the stadium play like these in Cantaigue Park, because I don’t know if we’re actually going to get to see much of the stadium before the first game.’
Worryingly, with 19 innings since he last made a 50, Stirling’s own form has been a concern.
He has taken to the captaincy like a duck to water but, whether the role has affected his own performance or not, his career batting average has taken an alarming dip.
In the three years from 2019-21 he averaged 37.5 in T20s, but in the three years since that figure has fallen to 21.8.
His record against India is none too impressive either; his six innings have yielded scores of 1, 0, 4, 40, 11 and 0.
Stirling is a talisman at the top of the order, however, and his team are willing him to kick that run.
Fortunately, Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker have shaken their T20 woes and scored heavily against Pakistan, Scotland and Netherlands in the run-up to this tournament.
The team almost picks itself, but the doubts over the pitch will mean a call will need to be made on whether specialist spinner Ben White is needed, with all-rounders Gareth Delany and Harry Tector sharing that duty.
Josh Little’s return from the IPL forces a choice between Barry McCarthy or Craig Young, but both could remain if White is left out.
Former international Kevin O’Brien, who knows a thing or two about winning vital World Cup matches, thinks Ireland have turned a corner in their hitherto hapless T20 form.
IRELAND v INDIA Nassau County International Cricket Stadium Starts 3.30pm, LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event
