BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Superstar Chris Gayle pulled the lever to illuminate New York’s iconic Empire State Building, as organisers launched the ICC Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup trophy tour for the June showpiece.

The 44-year-old Gayle, a two-time T20 World Cup winner, was joined at the opening ceremony by United States fast-bowler Ali Khan, the two players representing host teams West Indies and USA.

The Empire State Building was transformed into navy and pink, the official tournament colours for the June 1-29 tournament that will see a record 20 teams competing for the first time.

“The start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy tour is an emphatic signal to fans worldwide that the World Cup is coming,” said tournament director Fawwaz Baksh.

“Throughout its Caribbean leg of the tour, fans can look forward to a plethora of engaging activities, including meet-and-greets with cricket stars and legends, Caribbean infused cultural entertainment, and the opportunity to see and take pictures of the trophy in person at some of the region’s most iconic locations.

“In addition to fan-facing engagements, the trophy tour will also serve as a platform to leverage the continued growth of cricket globally and to drive positive change and leave a lasting impact on communities.”

United States will be hosting an ICC World Cup for the first time, with eight matches scheduled for the state-of-the-art modular 34,000-capacity stadium in Nassau County, New York, while the renovated Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas and Broward County Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will each stage four matches.

In addition, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago will also host games in the Caribbean.

The trophy tour, dubbed “Out of This World”, will visit 15 countries across four continents, including Argentina, Brazil and Canada.

“With less than three months to go until the first ball of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, there is huge anticipation for what will be a historic event for cricket in the Americas,” International Cricket Council’s Marketing and Communications General Manager Claire Furlong said.

“As we count down to the World Cup, the Trophy Tour provides fans with the opportunity to be part of the event in locations across the globe.

“The tour will travel extensively across the Americas, igniting the passion of both new and existing fans to share in the excitement of T20 cricket’s pinnacle global event coming to the region and what better way to kick it off than by lighting up one of the world’s most iconic buildings in one of the world’s most iconic cities.”

West Indies will compete in Group C with New Zealand, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Uganda.