Superstar Chris Gayle pulled the lever to illuminate New York’s iconic Empire State Building, as the Twenty20 World Cup trophy tour was launched for the June showpiece.

The two-time T20 World Cup winner, 44-year-old Gayle, was joined by United States fast-bowling star Ali Khan at the opening ceremony, with both players representing the host teams West Indies and USA. The Empire State Building was transformed into navy and pink, the official colors for the June 1-29 tournament that will showcase 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.”It will be the first time the United States will be hosting an ICC World Cup, with eight matches scheduled for the state-of-the-art modular 34,000 capacity stadium in Nassau County, New York, while the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas and Broward County Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, will stage four matches each. 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, entitled “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,” said the International Cricket Council’s General Manager for Marketing and Communications, Claire Furlong.

“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,” said Furlong.