The ticket was given by Pakistan, but they will give it to India
T20 World Cup If you want to buy tickets for any show or match, the first thing you will probably do is search online where tickets are available. That website will appear and you will easily buy the ticket after checking the details.
This is the method adopted around the T20 World Cup , including the United States, for event or event ticketing.
Tickets for any concert or Broadway show in the US are also given by lottery to give people a transparent opportunity to buy tickets on an equal basis.
On June 9, the match between traditional rivals India and Pakistan is going to be held in New York. According to ICC, this stadium has a capacity of 34 thousand seats.So getting tickets for this competition is not an easy task.Something similar was done this year for cricket fans living in America, where the T20 World Cup festival is going to be held in June this year.
Who is responsible for ticket sales?
A temporary stadium is under construction at Eisenhower Park for the eight matches of the T20 World Cup in America, which will have a capacity of 34 thousand fans.
Nassau County officials have made it clear that ticket sales are entirely under the control of the ICC and that they cannot assist anyone in this regard.
Their responsibility is to handle the construction of the stadium and the rest of the management of the matches.
In this regard, when the BBC tried to contact the Cricket T20 host committee formed by Nassau County, no response was received even after several emails.
While the South Asian community living in the US is happy that cricket is making its way in America, it is also disappointed that the tickets for this most important cricket match at Eisenhower Park are not available and neither are the Americans. Management can help in this regard.
On February 7, the ICC had given a week’s time to the fans to participate in the lottery of tickets for all the matches of the T20 World Cup.
A ‘standard’ India vs Pakistan ticket is priced at $175, while VIP tickets are priced at $300 and $400.
According to ICC, the demand for tickets for the India Pakistan match in the lottery was eight times higher than the rest of the matches.
Shobhangi Mathur, a resident of Washington DC, told the BBC, ‘We could have applied for six tickets on one enrolment. If I had got six tickets, it would have been a bit difficult for me to pay. So I asked for only three tickets for the India Pakistan match. But they were not found either.
He said that it was given the name lottery to convey that if your match ticket comes out, you are lucky and if it doesn’t happen, you are not among those who get the chance to watch the match.
“Not getting tickets for 15 years”
New York resident Dr. Rajneesh Jaiswal says this is not new. Tickets for Indian cricket matches are not available anywhere in the world.
“And when it comes to high-profile matches like India vs Pakistan, there are more difficulties because the BCCI has not introduced a system so far and it is done deliberately because they know it,” he added. How valuable are these tickets?
He says that ‘I have been searching for the answer to this question for fifteen years, how can people who watch the match in the stadium get tickets when online tickets are not so easily available.
“But now it has also been understood that if so many people have understood how to get a ticket, then how stupid I am that I have not understood till today.”
A ticket worth two thousand dollars was found.
Zara Ali is a student of Georgetown University and is associated with the cricket board club of the university. She has also represented her university in three matches against Georgetown University Qatar.
She says, ‘I am going to watch the Pakistan vs Canada match in this T20 tournament and I am very happy.’
He further said, ‘I and my father had applied in the India Pakistan match tickets lottery like everyone else. He got a ticket for two thousand dollars and now he will go to see this match. We didn’t get those tickets but the way became easier for the rest of the matches.
In an email we were told that we can get tickets for some more Pakistan cricket matches. That’s why I chose the match between Pakistan and Canada.
Another Georgetown University student, 18-year-old Pir Abdul Qadir Khan, also got a chance to buy tickets for the South Africa vs. Bangladesh match after failing to get tickets for the India-Pakistan match through the lottery, which he said was expensive, but not that much. .
“I was born in New Zealand,” he says. And then came America. I have been playing cricket since childhood. This is a unique opportunity for my generation in America.
I have never seen a cricket match in a stadium. And this experience will be completely different and very special from watching American sports like baseball etc. in a stadium. So I don’t want to lose him.
But Georgetown University fans are among those who are getting to watch the India vs Pakistan match on June 9 at a dedicated stadium in Nassau County.
Pakistan has given the invitation, but I will support India only
21-year-old Shobhat Kumar has this precious ticket.
Talking to the BBC, he said that last year he was working in an investment bank in New York. In his CV it was written that he is the Vice President of Georgetown University Cricket Club.
During this bank interview, his supervisor mentioned the club, himself a Pakistani-American. He was surprised that cricket clubs were starting to form in American universities. Both of them again had a friendly discussion on cricket.
“After some time, I returned to Washington and my conversation with him also ended,” he says. But then a few days ago I suddenly received an email from them saying come to New York on such and such date, I have India vs Pakistan tickets for both of us.
Shobhat says he considers himself lucky. It is very special and memorable for me that a Pakistani person is inviting me to watch this traditional competition. But I will still support India.
After the lottery, general tickets for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup became available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis on the tournament’s website on February 22 this year.
Tickets for the games in Nassau County (New York), Dallas (Texas) and Fort Lauderdale (Florida) in the United States started at $35.
However, four matches were sold out before general sales began, including USA vs. Canada on June 1, India vs. Pakistan on June 9, India vs. Canada on June 15, and the final in Barbados on June 29.
Some of the tickets for these sold-out matches have reached the resale market.
These are still available on websites such as Stub Hub and Weed Seats.
And the most expensive ticket sold on Stub Hub this week for India vs Pakistan is over $40,000 and the cheapest ticket is $12,500.
Aditya, who moved to the US from Bangalore to work with an international organization, says that working professionals like him cannot afford to buy such expensive tickets, but he is happy that this is happening in the US.
He says, “I have full faith in America’s arrangements.” A great tournament will surely be held. I’m happy this is the first step in the right direction and if some people are not happy now that they didn’t get a ticket, they will be very happy in the next few years.”
He added, “It will take time, but then there is the fact that in a few years, we will not remember this tournament because we will have fixed our eyes on the next such tournament.”
