T20 World Cup co-hosts and two-time champions West Indies kick off their campaign on Sunday against minnows Papua New Guinea at Providence Stadium in Guyana. However, the empty stands and lack of excitement were quite evident in the Group C opener. The seats inside the stadium were partially occupied and the majority of the stands were empty and isolated. Reacting to the lack of excitement in the Caribbean country, fans on social media called it sad and disappointing.
See how social media reacted:
Empty stands in Guyana.
The morning game with high ticket prices resulted in fewer crowds. pic.twitter.com/BbxegLme0m
—Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 2, 2024
The Void is in Guyana.
– It’s sad to see the stadium empty for the West Indies team’s game in the T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/MN9ot2TxJ7
– Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) June 2, 2024
It’s empty stands in the West Indies and the home team is playing, and then people say everything is organized according to the Indian crowd. pic.twitter.com/DDKadQPYj4
-Div(@div_yumm) June 2, 2024
The Void is in Guyana.
– It’s sad to see the stadium empty for the home team of West Indies in the T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/fPsw63lGmB
– CRICKET FAN (@Rishi174911) June 2, 2024
Guyana is left empty.
A morning game with expensive tickets attracted fewer spectators. pic.twitter.com/pjO7a0EVJs
– GS ESPORTES (@Gssports25) June 2, 2024
There was also participation in the opening game between the USA and Canada, in Dallas. Tickets are still available for the much-awaited India-Pakistan game on June 9 in New York, especially for the Diamond Club, Corner Clubs and Premium Club Lounge (North) sections.
One of the biggest reasons for this lack of excitement has been the price of tickets.
“I don’t think there is enough buzz for the World Cup here compared to India because it hasn’t been as commercialized. I feel they could have done a lot more in terms of preparation. But hopefully as the tournament goes on, it will gain more interest. When you travel through the areas or through airports, there isn’t a lot of hustle and bustle or billboards.” said Prasanna Balakrishnan.
“When you pass through an airport in a country hosting a major event like a World Cup, you see posters or other signs indicating this. But I’ve seen people traveling to the tournament through their posts on X (formerly Twitter) that there hasn’t been much on that front,” he said. “Tournament promotions in the US have been happening here and there. It’s been decent, but not that much because, other than the Asian population here and elsewhere, I’m not sure it’s achieved much.”
“Time will tell on this as there are some good games in Dallas, New York and Florida, including matches from the US, Canada and Nepal too, and how they are received,” adds Prasanna, who will be present at the stadium to watch all the games. of the Indian league in New York and Florida.
What was also surprising was a statement from USA Cricket earlier this week saying that fans can now secure tickets to all three co-hosts’ home games (except the one against India) at a notable 25% discount. The move suggests a lack of excitement in the tournament, leading to empty seats in stadiums for matches.
“When the first batch of ticket sales opened, they didn’t allow us to choose seats. Like, they allowed us to choose certain categories like standard, premium, VIP, etc. They were exhausted, but they weren’t.”
(With IANS inputs)
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This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
