Amid calls for boycott, the clamour for tickets for the marquee one-day international World Cup clash between India and Pakistan in Manchester on June 16 has reached a crescendo with more than 400,000 applicants for the 25,000 seater Old Trafford stadium in Manchester.
In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack last week, veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has called for boycott of India’s group-stage encounter with Pakistan while former opener Chetan Chauhan wants India to put pressure on the International Cricket Council by threatening to boycott the whole event.
ICC World Cup tournament director Steve Elworthy, during a promotional event in London, said that demand for tickets for the India-Pakistan group league clash is way more than Australia vs England game or the final at the Lord’s.
“For that particular game [India vs Pakistan], we had over 400,000 applications for tickets, which is an incredible number. The stadium [Old Trafford] only holds 25,000 people,” Elworthy was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “So there are a number of disappointed people. That’s just locally, but (there is also) the audience globally.”
The former South African pacer then provided the numbers which is an indicative that how much the match means for world cricket’s governing body. “To put that [number] in perspective, England vs Australia was around 230,000-240,000. And the final was around about 260-270,000 applications for tickets. So that gives you a bit of perspective for the demand for this match [India v Pakistan]. It’s a big game. They could end up playing each other in the final [too], you never know.”
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, in a statement on Tuesday, said that there was no indication that any of the matches at the World Cup will not go ahead as planned.
