On Sunday, rivals India-Pakistan will play in a World Cup cricket match staged in a US city, providing fans in New York with an exciting first encounter at the crossroads of cultures.
“The match that everyone wants to watch is India vs Pakistan, and it’s right here in our backyard,” stated Ajith Shetty, the head of two regional cricket leagues.
“I’m ecstatic,” the native Indian said to AFP on Friday.
Fans surveyed in the thriving Little India neighbourhood of Queens, some ten miles (16 km) from the temporary stadium in Eisenhower Park on Long Island, stated they would not be able to attend the game in person.
“I inquired about it, but the cost is really high.” According to 31-year-old Rajeet Krishna, “I’ll watch it on my mobile.”
“What makes Pakistan vs India unique… The 34,000 seats in the stadium have been sold out for months, so there’s a lengthy history there, he stated.
“Tiger and lion”
Unlike the conventional test match style, which involves five days of matches, this inaugural Cricket World Cup staged in the United States is in the T20 format, with games lasting around three hours.
Indian Premier League (IPL) founder and former president Lalit Modi has criticised the exorbitant cost of tickets on the secondary market, where they are selling for at least $8,000.
In an interview with X, he stated that the event “in the US is for game expansion & fan engagement, not a means to make profits on gate collections.”
Outside of the Indian and Pakistani populations, immigrants from other South Asian nations where cricket is a popular sport look forward to the match.
Faros Ahmed, a 58-year-old man of Bangladeshi descent, compared the competition to that of a “lion and tiger.”
The restaurant manager, who supports Pakistan and is airing the event for his patrons, declared, “Even though I am not Indian, not Pakistani, I am going to watch it because this is a high-voltage match.”
“Prefer for India to lose”
Despite the fact that both nations are dominant in cricket, there aren’t often head-to-head encounters between them.
The last test match between the two teams was in 2007. They don’t play each other outside of the International Cricket Federation’s (ICC) recognised competitions.
“We’re going to exact our revenge, and beat them” said an indian supporter.
With a smile, Bangladeshi student Mostakim Shahed, 20, said, “Let’s say we just like to see India lose against all the teams.”
“Yes, India is the best team in Asia,” he declared. “They’re the wealthiest cricket team ever. They already have help. Pakistan, on the other hand, has very little support.
“Bloodbath”
The match on Sunday is vital for Pakistan, which might be eliminated in the first round following an unexpected loss to the 18th-ranked United States on Thursday.
Pakistani writer Wajahat S. Khan, who resides in New York, claimed he have “never been more excited or terrified about a cricket match at the same time.”
“The information is true. Pakistan is probably going to come out on top. It will probably be a massacre. However, Pakistan’s cricket squad is unbeatable. Never.
The United States’ victory over Pakistan, ranked sixth, has increased interest in cricket in the nation, despite the sport’s continued exclusion from the mainstream.
“Every news outlet is discussing it, and people are defining cricket. People are starting to realise what cricket is,” Shetty remarked.
The local cricket organiser believes that the event, which ends at the end of June, would provide players in the New York region with “better infrastructure.”
However, the Long Island stadium will not help them; it will be demolished in July, forcing local leagues to continue their search for a purpose-built venue.
