Champions Trophy diary: All roads lead to the India-Pakistan match—unless they're closed!

By K.R. Nayar

Dubai.  For most cricket fans, nothing is more important on Feb 23 than the India-Pakistan match at the Dubai International Stadium. In Dubai, many events planned for this day have been canceled. Those attending ongoing functions have informed organizers that they will disappear by noon when the match starts. All roads will lead to Dubai Sports City, where the Dubai International Stadium is located. The only question is: how many roads will be open to reach the stadium? It is understood that many roads will be closed as early as 9 AM. Unlike other cricket venues, this stadium is not located near a metro station, meaning everyone must use cars or buses to reach the venue.

All roads will lead to Dubai International Stadium.

No-show should be a crime

Everywhere one goes, the talk is only about the India-Pakistan match. If someone is even remotely connected to the event, the first question they face is whether they have a spare ticket. There have been many past instances where, despite all tickets being sold out, a few vacant seats could still be spotted. It is believed that some organizations purchase tickets and distribute them as complimentary passes to people they deem important. However, many of these recipients prefer to flaunt their tickets on Facebook rather than endure the hassle of watching the match live at the stadium. Cricket fans argue that possessing a ticket and not showing up should be considered a crime. There is now a new category of fans—those who prefer to watch an India-Pakistan match from a theater while munching on popcorn. Roxy Cinemas has advertised screenings, inviting fans to watch the match live from their theaters.

Paying the price for poor scheduling

 The turnout of only about 10,000 spectators for the India-Bangladesh opening match of the Champions Trophy at the 30,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium has sparked debate over whether fans are only interested in an India-Pakistan clash. Some argue that the waning charm of One Day cricket is a contributing factor. The poor turnout in Karachi for the Pakistan-New Zealand opening match has also been discussed. Scheduling an India-Bangladesh match on a Thursday, a working day, was a key mistake. Had the match been played on a Friday, when most offices close by the afternoon, it might have drawn a larger crowd. "Pay the price for poor planning," remarked a volunteer at the ground.

Rename Bangladesh as Bungla-desh?

One fan suggested that Bangladesh should be renamed "Bungla-desh" after their team bungled a golden opportunity to capitalize on Rohit Sharma’s dropped catch. Jaker Ali, who was lucky to escape being caught by Sharma, later dropped KL Rahul’s catch at a crucial stage, allowing India to win the match. A journalist humorously commented that Ali perhaps wanted to prove a point: if he could be dropped, he could do the same to others!

Rohit Sharma and ‘ground abuse’

Hundreds of comments flooded social media about Rohit Sharma’s easy dropped catch of Jaker Ali. Since Sharma banged the ground in frustration after missing the catch, one witty remark suggested he should be fined for "ground abuse," akin to "racket abuse" in tennis. During the post-match talk, Sharma joked that he might take Axar Patel out for dinner to console him for missing a hat-trick due to the dropped catch. However, considering how late the team left the stadium, one wonders if Sharma dropped the dinner plan as well!

Award for spotting mistakes?

Perhaps it’s time to introduce an award for those who excel at spotting mistakes and stirring up controversies. The latest discovery is that, during the India-Bangladesh match telecast, the host country’s name—Pakistan—was missing throughout. Additionally, it has been reported that at the Karachi stadium, every participating nation’s flag was displayed except for India's. More controversies are likely to emerge in the coming days, given that this is the first time hybrid tournament is being held. Just like hybrid cars had to overcome early glitches, the International Cricket Council may have lessons to learn from this experiment.