The Proteas team celebrated their opening ICC T20 World Cup victory over Sri Lanka with a special visit to the iconic Yankee Stadium in New York this week.
Rob Walter’s team were special guests of the world famous baseball team for the New York Yankees’ Major League Baseball match against the Minnesota Twins.
The team were treated to a special tour of the stadium situated in the Bronx, while captain Aiden Markram, Walter and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada also conducted a jersey swap with Yankees coach Aaron Boone and star player Austin Wells.
The Proteas squad and members of the management team also travelled to the renowned Times Square, where they were greeted with a customised video message displayed prominently on the TSX screen in the heart of “the city that never sleeps”, which read, “New York Welcomes The Proteas!”
⚾ Baseball meets Cricket 🏏
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 5, 2024
A special day out for the Proteas at the Yankee Stadium in New York.#T20WorldCup #cricket pic.twitter.com/KlX4ALsqHc
It was a continuation of the five-star treatment the team have received since arriving in the United States, after being the special guests at a welcome dinner co-hosted by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Consulate upon their arrival in New York at the Long Island Marriott Hotel.
In attendance were Dilip Chauhan, the Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs in the New York City Mayor’s Office, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the SA Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ismail Esau, the Chargé d’Affaires at the SA Embassy in Washington DC, and Ogaufi Mampane, the South African Consulate-General in New York.
South African artist Motswedi Modiba entertained guests with her renditions of various Mzansi melodies.
Protea fire at the Times Square in New York 🇿🇦#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/MQI9mQ8drc
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 4, 2024
“The team is feeling incredibly motivated and grateful for the incredible support we’ve received here in New York,” coach Walter said.
The Proteas will now switch their attention back to matters on the field as they prepare to face the Netherlands at the Nassau County Ground on the outskirts of New York tomorrow (4.30pm SA time start).
The unfancied Dutch have beaten the Proteas in their last two ICC tournaments, most notably at the T20 World Cup in Adelaide in 2022.
The 🇿🇦 players strike a pose in the heart of New York city! 😎#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KrGiZ2Kiid