 "Tickets for India-Pakistan cricket meetings are known to get sold out quickly, often in just minutes but that is far from the case in the ongoing Asia Cup, where the arch-rivals meet in Dubai on Sunday, 14 September. Reuters")
A cricket match between India and Pakistan is among the most watched and celebrated sporting events across the world, and the hype of the rivalry between the South Asian neighbours is one that leads to match tickets usually getting sold out in the blink of an eye after going on sale.
One, therefore, would assume that the organisers of the ongoing Asia Cup are worried with the lukewarm response to Sunday’s clash between the arch-rivals in Dubai, for which tickets are get to be sold out. And as per latest reports, the slow sale of tickets more than two weeks since they were made available for the general public has forced the Asian Cricket Council to take some emergency measures.
ACC forced to reduce ticket prices
According to GeoTV, the ACC has slashed ticket prices for the marquee fixture in an attempt to lure more fans to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which will also be hosting the final on 28 September.
Standard tickets that were initially priced at 475 dirhams are now being sold at 350 dirhams. Additionally, tickets for premium enclosures have witnessed the slowest sales of all the sections of the Emirates Cricket Board’s premier venue.
An ECB official, however, dismissed concerns over ticket sales for the India-Pakistan fixture, describing the current situation as “very encouraging”.
“The signs are very encouraging. There is no truth to the claim that tickets are not getting sold,” an ECB source told The Times of India.
Boycott the reason behind slow sales?
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in any format for more than a decade now, and face each other only in events organised by the ICC and ACC. The latest meeting between India and Pakistan, however, takes place months after the Pahalgam terror attack that was followed by a four-day military standoff between the two nations.
The BCCI as well as the Centre have faced massive backlash back home for allowing the fixture to go ahead instead of boycotting Pakistan, or the Asia Cup itself for that matter.
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A p etition had recently been filed by four law students at the Supreme Court that sought an urgent hearing on the cancellation of the India-Pakistan fixture. The apex court, however, refused to entertain the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), stating that the “match should go on”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia captain Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, had expressed excitement over facing Pakistan after his team registered a thumping nine-wicket victory over UAE in their tournament opener on Wednesday.
“Everyone is excited for the game against Pakistan,” Surya had said during the post-match presentation ceremony after the Men in Blue bowled UAE for just 57 and chased the target down in just 4.3 overs.