The highly-anticipated ICC Cricket ODI World Cup 2023 kick-started today at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The New Zealand cricket team locked horns with the England cricket team in the tournament opener but the fans didn’t turn up in numbers to watch the spectacle.
Several fans lashed out at the BCCI and the ICC for failing to attract the crowds in the first game of the tournament, in what was a disappointing sight in the first place. New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first in Ahmedabad. As the camera panned towards the stands, there was hardly anyone to witness the game.
Only a few fans came to watch the match and there wasn’t any noise at the stadium, which has a maximum captaincy of 1,32,000. The World Cup is seen as a prestigious event in any of the sports, without any doubt. However, in the cricket World Cup tournament’s opener, it was sad to see plenty of empty stands.
Fans react to empty stands in World Cup 2023 opener
Several fans took to their social media handles and expressed their views and opinions in the wake of the empty stands in the World Cup 2023 opener. Even though the tickets were available for Rs 1,000, the fans still didn’t turn up. In fact, the tickets were even available during the match but the fans still didn’t come to watch the game.
Besides that, there was no opening ceremony at all for the first time, which added to the disappointment of the fans. Check out the reactions of the fans below.
This is so called cricket loving country 😂…empty stadium 🏟️ in the match between defending champion England and one of the favourites new Zealand..not surprising Indians only love Indian cricket not world cricket 🏏.#ENGvNZ #NZvENG #ICCCricketWorldCup #ODIWorldCup #CWC2023 pic.twitter.com/VLp2iOSzbF
— moin (@moinpattni) October 5, 2023
These pictures are looking so ugly, completely empty stadium just before the first ball 👀
This is actually so, so bad! They ruined the first World Cup match. Not sure why they gave this match to Gujarat's state which has no cricket culture 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️ #CricketWorldCup2023 #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/bhm7jDuhPA— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) October 5, 2023
Empty stadium, very poor
— Jamie Bennett ⚒️🏴 (@Benny4269) October 5, 2023
Empty stadium for the world cup opener. Made me realise foreign Indian fans are the best they almost give tough competition to the home crowd of opposition pic.twitter.com/yZStJl3xn6
— 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐌𝐒𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧™ (@Itzshreyas07) October 5, 2023
What a way to Start #icccricketworldcup2023 with empty stadium 😀
— جہانزیب (@Jahanzaib_pk) October 5, 2023
Fully empty stadium in Ahmedabad, no crowd in the World Cup.
This is bound to happen when your opening match does not include the home team like India. pic.twitter.com/HwLQ1KAZjC
— Vishal. (@SPORTYVISHAL) October 5, 2023
Empty stadium reminds me of Covid Days
— Strider Part 2 (@infodumpr) October 5, 2023
New Zealand’s Playing XI:
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult
England’s Playing XI
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Read More: 4 Times Rishabh Pant registered Highest Score as an Indian Wicketkeeper outside India
