'Super Bowl on steroids': NY gears up for Pakistan-India T20 clash

New York officials are preparing for the "Super Bowl on steroids" as thousands descend upon Nassau County for the clash of arch-rivals Pakistan and India in the group stage of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

The two sides form one of the most intense rivalries in sport and the temporary, 34,000-seat stadium in East Meadow, New York, will be bursting at the seams, with millions more watching on TV.

"India vs. Pakistan is like the Super Bowl on steroids. We had no idea how huge it was," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said on Monday. "We want to put our best foot forward."

That has meant an extraordinary safety effort, with security personnel from every level in the region working in conjunction in the county, which sits adjacent to New York City.

New York state governor Kathy Hochul said last week that there will be increased security for the World Cup, after reported threats including those specifically related to the India-Pakistan fixture. "I found her remarks refreshing," said Blakeman.

"I'm very confident that this is a safe environment - if it wasn't, then I wouldn't hold it."

'A dream come true'

The two sides have not played a test since 2008 and the least expensive ticket available for Sunday's match was $790 on ticket resale website StubHub, as of Monday afternoon.

Operations appeared to go smoothly on Monday and security blanketed the stadium in New York as it hosted the first of eight matches, as South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets.

The United States are co-hosting the tournament with the West Indies, with matches staged also in Texas and Florida, as cricket hopes to woo American fans before returning to the Olympic programme in 2028.

The 12,562 fans in attendance in New York on Monday kept a party atmosphere going and expats who never thought they would see their national team play cricket on US soil got a taste of home.

"Literally a dream come true. One would never expect cricket to be here (but) like you see so many fans out here," said Shehan Perera, 27, who moved to the US from Sri Lanka when he was 14-years-old.

"There's a demand for cricket anywhere. If there's an event, we're going to show up."

India's strong record against Pakistan

Pakistan, T20 World Cup champions in 2009, have performed well in the past two editions of the competition, reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and losing to England in the final in 2022.

However, their preparations for this year's tournament in the United States and West Indies has been far from ideal, with a sobering defeat by Ireland in an eventual 2-1 series victory followed by a 2-0 defe at by England in a rain-affected series.

Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup and begin their campaign against hosts US on June 6.

They will then take on arch-rivals India in one of the event's highly-anticipated matches three days later.

Pakistan and India have faced each other seven times at the T20 World Cup, with Pakistan winning just once.