‘Ticket fiasco, a fact of life’

Feb 27, 2011 |

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World Cup

Feb. 26: The ticket rush for the England-India clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday morning caught the attention of the international media.

The chaotic scenes and the police caning the public also caught the eye of the International Cricket Council and prompted them to take extreme measures to end future scuffles between queuing crowds.

ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat said here on the day, “We all understand the difficulties. It is a reflection of great demand and I’m excited by that and we will do it through the ballot process.”

After going through similar difficult situations throughout the country, Lorgat said, “The rush for tickets is an indication of the how popular this game is. Some time ago we were talking about of the demise of the 50-over cricket. And look what we have got.

“We will announce the process we will follow through a ballot system for the semifinals and final. It is a much more favourable way and will avoid physical risks,” Lorgat added.

Much of the criticism of ticketing has originated from an agreement that the allocation to the general public has not been sufficient. “All of the ticket allocation finds its way to the public eventually. What is unfortunate is only a few numbers go to the public in a general sale — whether it’s through the clubs, associates or ICC channels.

“It is a fact of life that we have a commitment to sponsors, supporters over a long period of time,” he explained.
Although the dearth of tickets has been the talking point, the super Sunday’s clash may not be witnessed by a packed stadium.

As many as 4,000 tickets have been made available to England supporters, but there is no clear evidence on their arrival in the city.

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