FANS GEAR UP FOR GRUDGE MATCH
ISLAMABAD: Big screens are going up, TV sales are booming and even the Taliban are getting their transistor radios ready for the biggest grudge match in cricket: Pakistan against India.
From the beaches of Kerala to the snowy Himalayas, from the deserts of Baluchistan to the tea plantations of Assam, hundreds of millions of fans will be glued to the action as the two sides clash in the World Cup on Sunday.
The time difference with Australia means the match will start around breakfast time in the subcontinent, but that is unlikely to deter legions of supporters for whom a win over the old enemy is almost as important as winning the tournament.
In the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, big screen TVs are selling fast, with many restaurants installing the latest LED screens.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in temporary accommodation around northwest Pakistan after being forced to flee from their areas.
AFP His new attire has cost him
$300 (around `18,600) to get designed and stitched. It has “Jees des mein Ganga behti hai, Os des ki meri biwi hai” written across on a background of
India and Pakistan flags merged into one. Pakistan’s Chacha
No 2, Mohammad Bashir has landed in Adelaide and made his presence felt by leading a joint India-Pakistan cheerleading group gathered from among the locals.
The 63-year-old who runs a restaurant called Gharib Nawaz in Chicago, is married to Rafia who hails from Hyderabad in India and hence the ‘joint venture’.
However, most travelling from India and Pakistan did not quite like the idea and they cheered their respective teams from opposite stands of the stadium. Surely, form isn’t an issue here. In the three months India have been here in Australia, they have just won one match, that too against World Cup rookies Afghanistan. Pakistan are raring to set their World Cup record straight on Sunday going into the match with back to back wins in the warm-up ties. But visit the ICC memorabilia outlet at the South Gate of the Adelaide Oval and there is a shock waiting for India fans who are potential buyers. An India jersey is priced at $120 (around `5800). Getting your name written on it will cost you some more. A
Pakistan shirt on the other hand, is priced at $60 (around `2600), same as the Australian team jersey. “The sales have been good in the past two days and we have been kept really busy. Mostly Indian fans here, mate,” Nick, who has been behind the counter for a week now said.
INDIA LEAD ON SALES FRONT TOO
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland is confident Sunday’s match would be the most watched in the sport’s history with the viewership on television expected to touch well over a billion. According to authorities, tickets were sold out in just 20 minutes online and some more that were put out for sale were lapped up in a few seconds. But surprisingly on Saturday, the Adelaide Oval ticket counter was open and still selling tickets. But since there has been very little advertisement of the fact that tickets are still available, there were hardly a few who were buying them. Hundreds of fans from both countries have flown in from many parts of the world to watch the match while a huge number of Indian fans are expected to visit Australia and New Zealand during the event.
NILANKUR DAS
LATE BIRDS CLAIM LUCKY TICKETS