DALLAS — Samuel Plummer is the man behind the new cricket pitch at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Long before crowds gather for this weekend's Sixty Strikes tournament, he transformed a piece of land into a professional-grade cricket pitch.
"You want to have good bounce and pace," Plummer explained, detailing the work involved.
It took over two months of rolling and watering to perfect the pitch. "This is my profession, so I take pride in doing this," he shared.
Plummer's love for cricket started as a young boy in Jamaica, where he played at the highest level.
He flew in from Florida to Texas for one purpose: to craft this cricket ground into something special. He knows it takes time, commitment, and passion. It also takes the right type of grass: Tahoma and Bermuda.
"You have to grow with it to become an expert," Plummer said.
His hard work has turned this once agricultural field into one of the few professional-standard cricket grounds in the country, currently hosting an 11-day national cricket league.
"After 20 or 30 games, it will be the most beautiful pitch," a UT Dallas student, who is part of the university's cricket club, said.
Cricket in the U.S. is still in its infancy, but like this field, it’s growing from the ground up.
"It’s in our culture," fans echoed, excited to see the sport take root locally.
The 11-day, 19-match tournament held by the National Cricket League will feature teams from Los Angeles to New York. The teams also feature Team USA players and many international cricket stars.