There might not be a lot of noise ahead of World Cup in the sporting city of Melbourne, but ICC officials and locals are confident of its success
To comprehend the notion of a multi-sport nation, you don’t have to look beyond the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. Bordered to the north by Wellington Parade, to the east by Punt Road, to the south by the Yarra River, and to the west by Batman Avenue, it is the unofficial sporting capital of the world. Season after season, athletes from all over the planet strive to quench the insatiable Australian hunger for sporting excellence, drama and gladiatorial feats. Yet, the Aussie wants more.
If the Olympic Park dishes out rugby league, rugby union, football and basketball at the AAMI Park Stadium and Westpac Centre, then the Melbourne Park serves a palatable buffet of Grand Slam tennis, netball and cycling. And for those humming the ‘Dil Maange More’ tune, there’s the Yarra Park, which boasts the multi-purpose Punt Road Oval, Gosch’s Paddock, National Sports Museum and the Big Daddy of them all, the Melbourne Cricket Ground aka the MCG, or just ‘The G’.
When it comes to a sporting extravaganza, the keyword is buzz. Or so we thought. Not surprisingly, the Aussie loves to disagree. “Why do you want the buzz, mate? Just take the bus instead,” is how a true-blue Melburnian retorts. There are no billboards, no giant cutouts, no ‘We Want It Back’ campaigns. Not at the Tullamrine Airport, not on the awe-inspiring M2 highway, not on the Precinct. Nowhere at all. “Aussies want action. Buzz is for the others,” says another loud and proud local.
And rightly so. If Tim Cahill’s Socceroos set the ball rolling with their historic Asian Cup triumph, then Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams took it up a notch in the second half of January. And all along, there was high-quality Test, ODI and Twenty20 cricket on for the cricket faithful. “It’s footie season now,” reminds another sports fanatic. “I don’t know how, but come February 14, and you’ll see 90,000 people here when Australia take on England at the opener.”
The organisers are anything but worried. In fact, they are armed with some serious numbers. Well, 8,25,000 tickets are already sold in the 14 host cities across Australia and New Zealand. The ultimate target is one million.
That should be a stroll. If a million-plus fans will attend the games, then nearly 2.5 billion will watch them on TV.
“It’s the second-biggest single sport event of its kind in the world,” ICC chief executive David Richardson thundered on Tuesday. On a roll himself –– he has visited almost every host city in the last month or so –– the South African spoke of the 200 countries and territories the World Cup will be beamed live to in seven languages, including Italian. Yes, you read it right. Italian! After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. “The ICC Cricket World Cup is half as big as the FIFA World Cup, but 10 times as big as the Rugby World Cup,” he added.
If Richardson added a dash of perspective, then John Harnden, the tournament’s CEO, vowed to make every match a home match for the players. That’s easier said than done. But however brash the Aussie is, he is ever-welcoming. And loving.
Both Richardson and Harnden are banking on the India-Pakistan game in Adelaide (February 15) to exceed expectations. Well, they wouldn’t have to try too hard. The match was sold out in 20 minutes. About 75 per cent of the 54,000 people expected to fill up the venue will be from outside South Australia. And yes, it will be the most watched cricket match in history. Ever.
Australia may be hosting an ICC event for the first time since 1992 –– 17 global tournaments like the World Cup, Champions Trophy and World Twenty20 have come and gone –– but they never seemed to have missed anything. After all, they made a habit of winning every conceivable cricket competition in the world. But now, they are happy to welcome the world. Buzz is for the others. They want action. And there will be plenty of it over the next six weeks. The G is ready.
Numbers tell the story
8,25,000
No. of tickets already sold in the 14 host cities across Australia and New Zealand
20
No. of minutes in which tickets for the India-Pakistan was sold out
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