The ODI World Cup 2023 has begun in Ahmedabad with England taking on New Zealand in the opening clash of the marquee event at Narendra Modi Stadium. It is the biggest stadium in the World with a capacity of 1,32,000 spectators. But for the opening fixture, no crowds turned up & empty seats were spotted at the stadium which left fans in shock.
Half of the stadium being empty right in the World Cup opening clash indicated less popularity of the marque event. A large portion of the stadium was empty which compelled spectators to roast the organizers. A stadium that has a crowd capacity of 1,32,000 people saw just 4518 people in attendance, isn’t it embarrassing? Empty stadium & smaller crowd didn’t go well with fans & so they took to Twitter to show their disappointment & highlighted technical negligence from BCCI & their Official Ticket partner Book My Show.
Check out the reactions of the fans on social media website X after empty seats were found for ENG vs. NZ ODI World Cup 2023 Opener Clash
Coming to the fixture, New Zealand Captain Tom Latham won the toss & opted to field first. Both teams wanted to bowl first in the hot conditions but it was England who got the opportunity for the same. Ben Stokes missed the first match due to a hip niggle while Kane Williamson was also not playing the first match for New Zealand as the management wants to give him a game rest.
IND vs. PAK ODI World Cup clash could witness jam-packed stadium
Empty stadiums don’t mean that the craze for the marquee event has reduced. One thing is for sure the stadium is going to explode on October 14 when arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns with each other. The tickets are already sold out for the IND vs. PAK fixture within minutes after they went up on the Official website. Thus expect a jampacked Narendra Modi Stadium for the epic clash between arch rivals.
The same venue will also be hosting the final, which is on November 19, tickets for which will go up only by the start of November. Notably, the Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest stadium in the World & witnessing an empty stadium for the opening clash of the tournament was embarrassing. But organizers hope that things will change for the next few fixtures & especially for the epic clash between India and Pakistan.
Also read, Most Memorable Matches in ODI World Cup History
