USA legislator Jenifer Rajkumar requests ICC to host 2024 T20 World Cup matches in New York

Jenifer Rajkumar, the first Indian-American woman in the New York State Assembly, has requested International Cricket Council chairman Greg Barclay to allot some matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup to her state.

The tournament will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA, with the latter getting the rights to the tournament for the first time. New York is already being seen as a potential host city after a recent infrastructure assessment by the ICC.

"On behalf of tens of thousands of New York cricket fans, I write to implore you (Barclay) to select New York City as the host for the ICC World Cup," Rajkumar said in a letter. "I am a proud supporter of cricket, having played the sport as a child with my cousins in India. Our love of cricket is due in no small part to New York City being the cross-section of the world. We have welcomed people from all nations where cricket is a national pastime."

Rajkumar wrote about New York's cultural diversity and the presence of communities from South-East Asian and other participating nations, for whom watching the tournament would be a "dream come true".

She also cited the city's rich cricketing history, including the presence of the oldest continuous cricket club in America - the Staten Island Cricket Club that has been in existence since 1872.

"Selection of New York City would also commemorate our deep history of cricket," the politician said. "New York City hosted the first ever international cricket match in the world in 1844, when the American and Canadian national teams played an exhibition match. Hosting the World Cup in New York City exactly 180 years later would bring the history of international cricket competition full circle."

Finally, Rajkumar mentioned New York's participation in the inaugural Major League Cricket, saying she's "especially proud" that the city's team is a subsidiary of the "legendary Mumbai Indians".

Despite Rajkumar's appeal, New York might find it difficult to host World Cup matches

Despite the legislator's request, there are still some issues to be sorted out if New York has to be one of the host cities for the World Cup.

About 20 acres of area in the Van Cortlandt Park - a public park spread across 1,146 acres in Albany - is being seen as the venue for the ground but it'll reportedly need at least six months from January-June 2024 to be readied for the tournament. This is said to be difficult because the timeline will clash with Albany's upcoming legislative session.

The USA successfully hosting the World Cup is crucial for the sport, which is hoping to go global via the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket's inclusion at the Games is dependent on the States having proven infrastructure to host the sport.