ICC World Cup 2019: Received 400,000 Ticket Applications for India-Pakistan Game, Says Event Director

In the middle of all the calls for boycott, the epic clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan have reached a new high with 400000 applications for the 25,000 seater Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. Meanwhile, the match will take place on June 16.

Meanwhile, the recent Pulwama Terror attack has created a stir countrywide as a Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosives-laden car into a CRPF bus, killing at least 40 personnel and leaving many critically wounded. On the back of it, India have cut several ties with the neighbouring country. Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has called for a boycott of Pakistan match to show their protest. On the other hand, Chetan Chauhan wants India to put pressure on ICC threatening to boycott the whole event.

However, during a promotional event, ICC World Cup tournament director Steve Elworthy admitted that the demand for tickets for the marquee clash between India and Pakistan is quite high. He also feels that the cancellation of this game may take a toll on the whole event.

“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,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Elworthy saying. “So there are a number of disappointed people. That’s just locally, but (there is also) the audience globally,” he added.

The former South African pacer then provided the numbers which is an indication that how much the match means for world cricket’s governing body. The numbers he has put forward clearly shows that an India-Pakistan tie has garnered much interest than the final of the pinnacle show.

“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,” he concluded.