Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Timothy Abraham
- Role, BBC Sport Journalist in New York
Security has been tightened before the first T20 World Cup match at a temporary stadium in New York, including positioning police snipers at covert locations around the ground.
The 34,000 capacity venue in Eisenhower Park will host its first match of the tournament on Monday when South Africa face Sri Lanka at 15:30 BST.
Nassau County Police Department will oversee a massive operation to ensure the games held at the Long Island ground between 3-12 June pass off without incident.
India play Pakistan at the venue on 9 June, in what is the most high-profile match in the tournament’s group stage.
It is understood security measures will include SWAT teams with specialist snipers. Plain clothes police officers will also be operating inside the ground.
BBC Sport also spoke to officers from the force’s narcotics division who have been seconded from their normal duties to watch the four drop-in pitches on a rolling 24-hour basis to ensure they are not tampered with.
Nassau’s police force has worked in conjunction with the New York Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Department Of Homeland Security and other agencies in the build-up to the tournament.
“The safety and security of everyone at the event is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement to BBC Sport.
“We work closely with authorities in our host countries and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event.”
The park land surrounding the ground will be closed off to the public on the eight match days to counter the potential threat of a drone attack.
Fans attending matches will be subject to searches and will have to go through airport style security scanners before gaining entry.
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman said last week that security would be “like the Super Bowl” but “on steroids”.
The pop-up stadium has been built at a cost of £24m ($30m) but will be dismantled afterwards and the land turned back over to Nassau County.