Does ICC chief Haroon Lorgat know something that the world doesn't? Or does he have a great crystal ball that allows him to have a dekko at the future. When questioned about the wisdom of staging the World Cup final in Mumbai'sWankhede Stadium, which has a reduced capacity of 33,442, Lorgat defended the ICC's decision, saying, "You know you have got choices to make."Can you imagine a (more) fairytale ending withSachin Tendulkar getting a hundred in the final and India winning at the Wankhede which is his home ground? And no matter what the number (of seats), we do not have sufficient tickets, "Lorgat said while addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Kolkata's revamped Eden Gardens could hold almost 60,000 fans, Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla and Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel grounds have around 50,000 seats but all of them were overlooked for the April 2 final. Lorgat said the organisers simply did not have the means to satisfy the ticketing demands of a cricket-loving country that boasts a billion plus population. "It's an unfortunate reality that it's a finite sum of tickets and there is huge demand for it."
No tickets? Go multiplexes
There are serpentine queues outside the Motera, not of ticket-seekers but of those who are eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricket stars. Perhaps it is one way of overcoming the disappointment of not able to get hold of tickets.
Watching it on the big screen in multiplexes being the next best alternative, people are milling up at the multiplexes to make advance booking. In order to get full houses, the multiplexes are thinking up novel ideas to attract crowds such as to rope in cheerleaders, which however didn't work out.
The fortunate few
The Gujarat Cricket Association's decision to do away with the normal practice of doling out 350 passes to each of its clubs and instead giving them just eight has put the clubs in a piquant situation as to who should be given those passes. Some clubs overcame this dilemma by deciding by draw of lots.
Thumbs up for Dada
It appears that Sourav Ganguly has had a fine debut as a television commentator, if one goes by the reaction of some cricketers. According to them Dada's reading of the situation and his analysis of the game is spot on. "He talks a lot of sense without getting into needless arguments with his fellow commentators. He brings class to the table," was how a senior cricketer has put it.
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