Adelaide Oval head groundsman Damien Hough says the drop-in pitches for New York’s Men’s T20 World Cup are a world first in how they are prepared, with some being built in Adelaide before shipping to Florida and then transported to the new venue. Hough and his team at Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions have been hired by the ICC to oversee the delivery and preparation of the drop-in pitches at the pop-up stadium in New York, given their expertise in growing and preparing such pitches. Hough explained that it has been a complicated process with many logistical challenges. “We built six of the 10 trays here in Adelaide,” Hough told Channel 7. “They are modular, and we’re proud of them. We put them in a shipping container and send them around the world. They’ve gone to Florida, and I’ve just come back from a month of work there.” Hough stated that the real work starts in May when the trays are transported to New York, with four going into the 34,000-seat stadium and six into the warm-up venue. Hough, who has also been working on Adelaide Oval’s Test match pitch and BBL pitches, said there is likely to be only one warm-up game at Eisenhower Park before the World Cup starts in early June. “I pinch myself sometimes,” Hough said. “For us, Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, to have a little bit of involvement and assist with something that is quite historic in a World Cup in America for the first time.”
