By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Bangalore : The buzz is missing from the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Frenzied fans who created a lively atmosphere during India’s dramatic tie against England Sunday were not present in large numbers to witness England take on minnows Ireland in a Group B World Cup match here Wednesday.
Only a few hundred die-hard fans in the eastern stands around the sprawling stadium were cheering for the two teams on a hot afternoon.
When captains Andrew Strauss and William Porterfield walked into the middle for the toss at 2 p.m., the stands were near-empty, a contrast to the roar of thousands that reverberated in the air hours before the start of the India-England clash.
Though it was a holiday for Shivratri, with schools and colleges shut, the counter for the lowest denominated Rs.100 ticket was still open long after the ODI got underway. There was no clamouring, no jostling for tickets like had happened before the India match that forced the police to stage a baton charge and prompted the organisers to release more tickets.
For Wednesday’s low-profile encounter, there were not many takers for tickets priced Rs,1,250 and higher.
Even hundreds of members of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and affiliated clubs were conspicuously absent in the privileged pavilion stands and diamond and corporate boxes though they are entitled to complimentary passes.
“The thin attendance for this low-key match was only to be expected, as thousands of fans had their fill on Sunday watching an exciting contest between the home team and England. We are, however, expecting an overwhelming response when India take on Ireland this Sunday in another league match,” a KSCA spokesman told IANS.
With Strauss winning the toss and electing to bat, the organisers were hoping against hope that the stadium would get filled up, at least partially for the the day-night match.
“Lower-priced tickets for the India-Ireland game are already sold out at counters as well as online. We are betting on a full crowd for the Sunday match, as thousands of those who had missed the previous match are keen to make up to watch Sachin, (Virender) Sehwag and (Yusuf) Pathan fire playing Ireland,” the official asserted.
Minnows Ireland came into their second league match after losing to Bangladesh by 27 runs Feb 25 at Mirpur in Dhaka, while a confident England are playing their third match after winning the opener against the Netherlands at Nagpur Feb 22 and sharing points from the drawn match against India.